Deep Purple: Rocking On at 70+

0:00It's April 26th. This is Music News Today, AI-powered stories from the music world. I'm Kory with the story. British hard rock pioneers, Deep Purple, just rocked culture park in Incheons, Paradise City Resort on April 18th. It was their first show in South Korea in 16 years, clocking in at one hour and 50 minutes with classics like Highway Star, Lazy, and Smoke On. The water capping the night. The current lineup features founding drummer Ian Pace at 77, Vocal Powerhouse Ian Gillin, and bassist Roger Glover, both at 80. Keyboardist Don Erie at 77, and younger guitarist Simon McBride at 47, who stepped in after Steve Morse left in July 20th, 22 to care for his wife battling cancer. Fans are buzzing about these legends still shredding at their age, but Gillin opened up recently about the toll of time, emitting he is down to. 30% vision and struggles with everyday tasks, like using his laptop.

1:01Deep Purple is already planning ahead, with a summer 2026 North American tour backed by Kansas and Jefferson Starship on select dates, kicking off August 4th in Raleigh, North Carolina, and wrapping September 12th in Sparks, Nevada, plus a UK run that November. Gillin says he will hang it up if the energy fades to avoid embarrassing anyone, but for now, these rock elders keep proving they are far from done, adapting and delivering the fire.