Deep Purple Cancel Two Shows as Gillan Is Hospitalized in Germany
Seven Lights
Deep Purple canceled two concerts Saturday after singer Ian Gillan was hospitalized in Germany following a medical emergency.
“With great disappointment, Deep Purple must announce that they are unable to perform as scheduled tonight at the QI Arena (Leipzig) and tomorrow evening at the Sporthalle (Hamburg),” the Rock Hall-inducted band wrote on its Facebook page. “This comes as a result of a medical emergency involving Ian Gillan, which has resulted in his current hospitalization.”
The band did not disclose the nature of Mr. Gillan’s condition or a prognosis, and gave no timetable for his return. The group’s team, it said, was “focused on finding a suitable time to reschedule both these shows.”
The tour itself, for now, holds. Deep Purple remain scheduled to resume their European dates on November 3 in Dortmund, Rolling Stone reported, with the trek due to conclude November 25 at London’s Royal Albert Hall, in the band’s native England, followed by a December run of Latin American concerts. Whether that calendar survives will depend on the singer’s recovery.
Mr. Gillan, 81, has fronted Deep Purple, on and off, since 1969, when he replaced the band’s original singer ahead of “Deep Purple in Rock,” the 1970 album that set the template for their blend of classical flourish and heavy riffing. Singles including “Smoke on the Water” and “Hush” carried the group to global sales in the tens of millions, and the 1972 live record “Made in Japan” remains among the era’s defining concert albums. The band entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
Health has forced the band’s hand before; Mr. Gillan has stepped away from dates on medical advice during decades of near-continuous touring, and the group’s farewell circuit, announced years ago, has repeatedly been extended. Billboard and Deadline reported the cancellations Saturday, both noting the shows now in limbo and the silence on the singer’s condition.