Deep Purple have been a cornerstone of rock for over five decades, and their performance at Leeds First Direct Arena proved that they remain as powerful as ever. With a legacy that includes pioneering the hard rock genre and a body of work spanning seven decades, the band’s ability to innovate and enthral audiences is unmatched.
This wasn’t my first Deep Purple gig; in fact, it marked yet another chapter in a long history of seeing them live, stretching back to their iconic Fireball tour in 1971 at Newcastle City Hall. Back then, the band, led by the celebrated MKII lineup of Gillan, Blackmore, Glover, Lord, and Paice, were at their peak. I can still picture Jon Lord rocking his Hammond organ, Ritchie Blackmore’s theatrical guitar antics, and Ian Gillan’s hair-raising screams. That night is etched deep in my memory banks, and over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to see the band evolve through various lineups and tours.
Fast-forward to 2024, and the current lineup—Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey, and Simon McBride—brings the same energy and spirit, but with a fresh twist. Simon McBride, who replaced Steve Morse, has stepped into some big shoes, and he does so with confidence, injecting a new vitality into the band’s sound.
I had never seen opening act Reef before. I did not know what to expect but they did a pretty good job of warming the crowd up on the main attraction.
The set kicked off with the usual opener, “Highway Star.” From the very first notes, the crowd was captivated, with Gillan’s voice still packing an emotional punch and McBride’s guitar work proving he’s more than capable of carrying the torch for this legendary band. Simon McBride’s soloing on “Anya” was a standout moment. He’s a different kind of player than Blackmore or Morse, but his dynamic, fluid style added a fresh dimension to the song while respecting its legacy. Don Airey, a Sunderland native and a long-time member of the band, delivered a breathtaking keyboard solo that demonstrated why he remains one of rock’s finest musicians.
Sadly, we left before the encore in order to catch the last train home. Reflecting on the gig, it’s remarkable to think how much this band has meant to rock music and to me personally. From the fiery performances of the MKII lineup to the epic return at the Knebworth 1985 show, which even the rain could not dampen, to their 2011 orchestra-backed tour, Deep Purple have always delivered unforgettable live experiences. Indeed, the 2024 tour felt like a celebration—not just of the band’s past, but of their ongoing ability to evolve and inspire. The venues may have changed, and the lineup may have evolved, but the power of Deep Purple remains eternal.
Deep Purple’s legacy is secure, but performances like this show that they’re not just looking back—they’re still blazing forward, leaving a trail of awe-struck fans in their wake. Many thanks to Jan and Jackie for the photographs, to Laura for helping me with the blog and to Atlanta for helping me manipulate the site. I treated myself to a signed drumskin on the way out.
Postscript: I was lucky enough to attend the graduation ceremony at which Don Airey received an honorary award from the University of Sunderland, where I am an emeritus professor. I reminisced with Don about how I used to come to his house to practice guitar with his younger brother. We were both fans of Wishbone Ash and the band Home and played some of their songs together. Happy memories.
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The next time I witnessed Glenn Hughes was when he performed as part of the Jon Lord Memorial concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Again, he was a human dynamo, commanding the stage with magnificent, searing, soulful vocals. And again, he was a human powerhouse. He deserves the title “The Voice of Rock” which is often quoted about him.
I have been remiss in missing out on the last few times that Glenn played in Newcastle. This time the tour was promoted as a celebration of classic Deep Purple and the album Burn, so I could not resist attending. And I am so glad that I did. Jackie and I arrived in time to catch the last few songs of the support act 
Soon Glenn Hughes exploded onto the stage. This guy is amazing. His voice remains strong and soulful and he has so much energy. Glenn was clearly pleased to be back in the north-east and delivered a set of Deep Purple classics, each song lasting 10 to 15 minutes with extended guitar solos. There was even a drum solo! This was a proper 1970s rock performance. Standout songs were “Mistreated”, “Burn” and a great rendition of “Highway Star”.
The Voice of Rock demonstrated how he deserves this title. Great showmanship, much patting of the heart and dedication to his old friend and bandmate the late, great Tommy Bolin. They both shared addictions sadly Tommy did not survive, while Glenn managed to beat his demons. Glenn has lived in the USA for many years, and has put together an excellent band with an exceptional guitarist who did justice to those great Purple rock anthems.
An excellent night with a truly exciting and explosive rock legend. I bought a signed poster. Many thanks to Jackie and Chris for the images.
A group of us went to this gig, attracted as much by the strong support acts on offer, as by the prospect of seeing Deep Purple. My friends are all big Styx fans, and couldn’t miss the opportunity of seeing them. The gig started early at around 7pm, to allow each vabd to perform a reasonable length set. First up was Thin Lizzy, this line-up fronted by John Sykes and Scott Gorham. 
They delivered a set of Lizzy classics, proving that there is life for the band without front man Phil Lynott. In fact, I was surprised just how good they were, and it was great to hear classics such as The Boys Are Back In Town, and Jailbreak again. Styx were next up, also missing front man Dennis DeYoung. Styx gave headliners Purple a run for their money, and delivered a set of classics which went down well with the assembled crowd. Although Purple’s latest album was Rapture of the Deep, this show also featured the band playing their classic album Machine Head in full. A good evening in the company of friends, and three classic rock bands. Setlist: Fireball; Things I Never Said; Into the Fire; Strange Kind of Woman; Rapture of the Deep; The Well-Dressed Guitar; Highway Star; Maybe I’m a Leo; Pictures of Home; Never Before; When a Blind Man Cries; Smoke on the Water; Lazy; Space Truckin’. Encore: Hush; Black Night.
It was almost 20 years until I saw Deep Purple again. I went along with my mate Will to this gig, which was at Newcastle Arena. The show used part of the Arena, with the rest sectioned off. This allows the band to perform to a larger audience than can be accommodated in a concert hall, such as Newcastle City Hall, but loses much in terms of atmosphere. Support came from rock band Thunder and Peter Frampton. I hadn’t seen Frampton since the Frampton Comes Alive tour, and I’d forgotten just how good he is. He has some great songs and is a pretty neat guitarist to boot. He played, of course, Show Me The Way, and a few other classics from his 70s heyday. 
By 2004 Blackmore had left Purple again, and Jon Lord had just retired. Steve Morse was well established on guitar, and local hero Don Airey had recently joined on keyboards. Long-timers Gillan, Glover and Paice were there from the old days. The band had recently released the Bananas album. The set was a mix of old favourites, and quite a few recent tracks which were unfamiliar to me. I’d almost forgotten just how great Purple are, and was well impressed. It was great to see them play old favourites like Speed King, and particularly Hush. Steve Morse is an impressive guitarist and fits in well, and his solo on Contact Lost was a stan-out. Setlist: Silver Tongue; Woman from Tokyo; I Got Your Number; Strange Kind of Woman; Bananas; Demon’s Eye; Knocking at Your Back Door; Contact Lost; The Well-Dressed Guitar; Perfect Strangers; Space Truckin’; Highway Star; Smoke on the Water. Encore: Speed King; Hush.
Twelve years after I last saw them, the classic Deep Purple line-up was back and playing at Knewborth. I went with my mate Dave on a trip bus from the town. The line-up for the day was very strong with The Scorpions, Meat Loaf, UFO, Mountain, Blackfoot, Mama’s Boys, and Alaska (can’t remember who they were) but unfortunately the weather was lousy. It rained and rained all day and then it rained more. Dave and I spent much of the day sheltering under a tree. At one point we found our way into an indoor bar which must have been for guests because it was empty (!) and we kept warm and dry in there. The Scorpions went down best of all the support acts, and there was a never ending two hour wait between the end of their set and Purple taking to the stage at around 10pm. 
I can’t remember much about the other bands, but Purple were good despite the rain. As expected they started with Highway Star and played all of the classics, along with quite a few songs from the new album Perfect Strangers. To cap it all our bus got stuck in the mud in the carpark and some of us had to push it out. We didn’t get out of the carpark until early morning and arrived back home at dawn. The things I’ve done for rock n roll…Setlist: Highway Star; Nobody’s Home; Strange Kind of Woman; A Gypsy’s Kiss; Perfect Strangers; Under the Gun; Lazy; Knocking at Your Back Door; Difficult to Cure; Space Truckin’. Encore: Speed King; Black Night; Smoke on the Water. Other memories are of some guys setting fire to the portaloos to keep warm, no screens and an awful view of the stage from the back, pretty cool lasers for Purple, and a massive firework display after Purple’s set. Happy Days.
So Deep Purple returned to the North East with a new line-up. Ian Gillan and Roger Glover had departed and in came local lad David Coverdale, who hailed from Saltburn, on vocals and Glenn Hughes, from Trapeze, on bass and vocals. The gig had sold out pretty quickly, which was some achievement given the changes in the band and the fact that they had graduated from the City Hall to the larger capacity Odeon. I went along with a group of mates, with some trepidation; I just couldn’t imagine how the new guys were going to fit it, and live up to the huge reputation that was Deep Purple. Support came from Elf, who featured Ronnie James Dio on vocals, and delivered an impressive set. Purple had released the new album Burn, and one of mates had bought it. We’d all listened to it and agreed that it was pretty good. The Deep Purple we all experienced that night was easily on par with its predecessor. They exploded onto the stage with “Burn”; Coverdale was on fire, Blackmore was his old self, Jon was attacking his organ, Hughes added a more soulful dimension to the vocals, and Ian Paice provided the solid back beat. I have a theory that bands can find great strength at times of change. I’ve seen it happen a couple of other times: when Genesis came back without Gabriel is another example. Deep Purple came back stronger than ever, and the strength of the songs on Burn helped. Mistreated, Might just take your life, and Burn itself are all very powerful songs. Setlists from the time show the set as being: Burn; Might Just Take Your Life; Lay Down, Stay Down; Mistreated; Smoke on the Water; You Fool No One; The Mule; Space Truckin’. Encore: Going Down; Highway Star. 
My friend John sent me his own recollections of the gig: “For years I though this was the City Hall; I had a great seat near the front. They played Burn and Mistreated from the new album which were great plus I think Might Just Take your life, You Fool No One and Lay Down Stay Down. Burn was the starting track, Mistreated was the highlight for me and think they played Highway Star, Space Trucking and presumably Smoke on the Water.Support was Elf with Rockin Ronnie. Remember Glenn Hughes had really long hair – had seen him once before in Trapeze.”
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.
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