See Deep Purple Perform “Smoke on the Water” Near the Fire That Served as the Song’s Inspiration
The famous song “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple is based on a true story of an incident that happened in December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, while the band was there to record the material for what would become their iconic album Machine Head in 1972. Deep Purple had planned to record at the Montreux Casino, but while they were in town, the venue caught fire during Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention’s performance, causing it to burn to the ground.
Soon after, Ritchie Blackmore, the original guitarist of Deep Purple, wrote the song “Smoke on the Water,” which is based on an iconic guitar riff.
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Deep Purple made a return trip to Montreux on Sunday, July 8, 2024, to play at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Even though Deep Purple had performed in the city nine times previously, their most recent performance was especially memorable since it was the band’s debut on the newly installed Lake Stage for the festival. The stage is actually constructed directly onto Lake Geneva’s surface.
The group’s rendition of “Smoke on the Water,” which opens with the lines “We all came out to Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline,” had a unique resonance because of the surroundings. A cloud of smoke drifted across the stage as the band performed, produced by smoke machines near the lake.
In addition to these hits, Deep Purple’s set included renditions of “Space Truckin’,” “Highway Star,” and “Hush,” according to Setlist.fm. In addition, the group performed four songs from their upcoming studio album, =1, which is scheduled for release on July 19.
Members of Deep Purple Participated in a Q&A at the Festival
Longtime members of Deep Purple Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, and Ian Paice participated in a workshop event at the festival the day before the concert, where they talked about the famous 1971 fire and the writing of “Smoke on the Water.”
During the Q&A session, Glover talked about his memories of seeing the fire, according to Blabbermouth.net.
The bassist recalled, “It burned all afternoon, all evening, all through the night.” “The following morning, we went to check on [the casino], and it had disappeared. It was a terrifying experience.
Glover went on to explain how he came up with the song’s title.
He recalled saying, “I woke up the next morning in my room alone and I said those words out to an empty room.” “After that, I felt as though I had just woken up and wondered what I had said. On the water, smoke? I had no idea what that meant.
The biggest hit for the iconic Deep Purple lineup of the 1970s was “Smoke on the Water,” which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973.
Deep Purple’s Future Tour Schedule
Deep Purple is currently in the middle of their headline tour of Europe, which will end with a show in Skandeborg, Denmark, on August 8. The group’s upcoming performance is set for July 10 in Rome.
Deep Purple will begin a North American tour in support of =1 and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their iconic song “Smoke on the Water” following their European performance. Starring Yes as well, the tour begins on August 14 in Hollywood, Florida, and is scheduled to conclude with a show on September 8 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
In September, the group will perform three shows in South America following its tour of North America. Following that, Deep Purple will tour again in Europe, including their home country of the United Kingdom, in October and November.
Deep Purple’s 2024 tour tickets are currently on sale through a number of websites, including StubHub.
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