Deep Purple Newcastle City Hall 1973
Support from Nazareth
This was the last time that I saw the classic Deep Purple Mark II line-up in the 70s. By this point tensions in the band were growing and relations between Gillan and Blackmore were not good. Both Gillan and Glover were to leave the band before the year was out. This tour came just as the Who Do We Think We Are album was released. This is not their strongest album but it does feature the great hit single: Woman from Tokyo. Published setlists from the time show the set as being: Highway Star; Smoke on the Water; Strange Kind of Woman; Mary Long; Lazy; The Mule; Space Truckin’; and Black Night. My friend John recalls them also playing Woman from Tokyo; Smooth Dancer and Never Before from Machine Head. My main recollection from the gig was how different Gillan looked. He had grown a beard and was wearing a smart jacket and slacks; a very different image to that of previous tours. Reports of shows from that period suggest that you could sense the tensions within the band and the growing distance between the members, but I can’t say I noticed anything amiss. I was sitting upstairs with a group of friends, and enjoyed the gig, although not quite as much as previous tours. Nazareth were a great support act. A few months later the unthinkable had happened and Gillan and Glover had both departed. I thought that was the end of Deep Purple, which was far from what transpired, more of which tomorrow.
11 Sep
Deep Purple Newcastle City Hall 1973
Posted September 11, 2012 by vintagerock in Deep Purple, Nazareth. Tagged: blues, concert, concerts, folk, gigs, heavy metal, music, pop, prog rock, punk, R&B, rock, rock n roll. 2 Comments
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Posted by David smith on July 14, 2017 at 11:05 pm
I was at the concert and agree with sentiments expressed . Nazareth were excellent and started with Night Woman Off the Razamanaz album .It was also the night Sunderland beat Manchester City in the quarter finals on their way to winning the F.A cup with Gillan reading out the score during the encore
Posted by Barry Atkinson on November 18, 2025 at 3:45 am
I remember Gillan reading out the score. Apart from being blown away by the band(s) and the atmosphrere being electric before DP took the stage I also remember one of the PA speaker cabs on the right hand side of the stage fell sideways onto the stage mid song during Purples set. A roadie and a member of the audience quickly lifted it back into position as the band carried on as if nothing had happened.