In a candid conversation with “Ultimate Classic Rock”, legendary DEEP PURPLE frontman Ian Gillan, who will celebrate his 79th birthday next week, addressed the band’s upcoming tour with YES, initially dubbed “=1 More Time.” Gillan, however, was quick to set the record straight, chuckling as he dismissed the rumored tour name. “I’d never heard that before. No one asked me. That’s rubbish,” he laughed, revealing that the tour is actually titled “Unleashed.”
When asked about the inevitable question of retirement, Gillan was refreshingly honest. “As soon as you start feeling unable to deliver at that level… when the energy level goes, that’s time to stop because then it gets embarrassing,” he said. But for now, it’s full steam ahead: “So far, so good.”
Gillan isn’t the only one in the band with a pragmatic view on the future. DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice, who turned 76 this past June, shared a similar perspective last December. “We have never planned a date to stop working,” Paice remarked. “We’re still having a great deal of fun. A lot of people still enjoy what we do, and so long as those two things stay in harmony, we’ll continue.”
Paice admitted that when the end does come, it will likely be abrupt. “I think it’ll come and just smack us in the face,” he mused, emphasizing that there’s no grand farewell tour in the works. “Even if we stopped touring, there’s no reason why we couldn’t make more records.”
Bassist Roger Glover echoed this sentiment in a June 2023 interview, expressing a desire to keep playing without the pressure of a “last show.” “The ideal ending for PURPLE is that we just carry on until it stops,” Glover said. “No announcement. We’re not gonna announce, ‘This is the last one.'”
Keyboardist Don Airey, who turned 76 in June, shared a similar outlook, quoting poet T.S. Eliot: “This is the way the band ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.” Airey acknowledged that while thoughts of retirement might cross their minds, the band’s passion for music is ingrained too deeply to quit. “It’s part of your blood system, playing and touring. It’s an addiction,” he said.
As DEEP PURPLE continues to tour and create music, one thing is clear: they are not ready to call it quits just yet. Even with guitarist Steve Morse’s departure in July 2022 to care for his wife, the band marches on, now with Simon McBride filling the guitar slot.
Their latest album, “=1”, released on July 19 via earMUSIC, is a testament to their enduring spirit. For DEEP PURPLE, the road might be long, but as long as they have the energy and passion, they’ll keep rocking—no dramatic final bows necessary.
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