deep purple features


THE DEEP PURPLE REUNION, 1985...
.... back page two (1985) .... July & August 1985 .... September & October 1985 .... November / December 1985

JULY/ AUGUST 1985:

July was actually a little less hectic for the band. They kicked off with an all-day open-air festival in Germany, along similar lines to Knebworth, and supported by a reformed Mountain and (from Knebworth) Meatloaf.

With the UK festival a less than thrilling event, many British fans took organised trips across to France to catch the band again in Paris, where they did two nights at the massive Omnisport.

Deep Purple live in 1985Both shows are reported as being filmed, and the second night was shown in the Rockpalast slot on German TV. Despite a lot of requests over the years, it has never been issued officially. The reason is probably that Ian was really struggling, although as a band, the second night was really powerful and more than made up for the Knebworth experience.

A couple of days off then two more nights back to back, this time in Zurich. The second gig on the 14th was quickly issued on a triple album vinyl bootleg. Two gigs in Spain [Barcelona 3rd; Madrid 2nd] were rescheduled for two weeks later [Barcelona 16th; Madrid 17th], to allow Gillan's throat a week's rest between the two German festivals. They were the last shows of the European tour.

August saw the end of the first reunion tour, with three shows in America, the last of which was the enormous Texxas (sic) World Music festival, before an estimated crowd of over 60,000 people (the venue holds 80,000 and was sold out). Deep Purple fans had to bake in the sun for 8 hours before the headliners came on.

The American trade paper Billboard later reported that Deep Purple had been the biggest grossing live act of the year. Everything the reunion has set out to do had been done. After the tour Ian Gillan had an operation to remove his tonsils, and then he and the others dispersed for some r'n'r.

July / August 1985 www.deep-purple.net links:
Deep Purple Mk 2 Reunion, family treeDarker Than Blue 32

Deep Purple poster 1985
Ticket: Palais Omnisports
de Bercy, Paris. Gig poster.


Deep Purple live in 1985
Above and far left. Paris, 1985 (Simon Robinson)


SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 1985:

The band dispersed to do their own thing after the tour ended.

Ian Gillan got married again (to the same woman, Bron, who he'd met when she was a dancer on one of the Gillan tours), then disappeared to Spain. Paice returned home to Britain, the others to America.

Tommy Vance aired a Knebworth special on radio in October, but although this included most of Deep Purple's set, three songs were already missing from the tapes. Roger Glover helped out on mixing some old Rainbow tapes for a forthcoming retrospective album, and also did a long interview (with Jon Lord) for the DJ Phil Easton, in which the pair were suitably contrite at not having been able to do more shows in Britain.

September / October 1985 www.deep-purple.net links:
Deep Purple Mk 2 Reunion, family treeDarker Than Blue 32

Ian Gillan's wedding 1985
Ian & Bron Gillan, wedding no.#, Vermont.  (toddcharles.net)


NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 1985

By the end of 1985 the Deep Purple reunion came to a slow down. Plans for the new album kept being thwarted and eventually the group didn't begin recording until the middle of 1986, and didn't tour at all during the year.

November / December 1985 www.deep-purple.net links:
Deep Purple Mk 2 Reunion, family treeDarker Than Blue 32