Deep Purple performed on this day in 1972 at Pirates World in Dania, Florida.
This date, late in the group’s Machine Head World Tour, was the final concert the group performed in 1972. This year had been up to this point one of their most successful. It had seen the release of Machine Head, probably their most well-regarded album even to this day. It had also seen the recording of Made in Japan, another of their most successful albums and one of the best-regarded live albums of all time. Unfortunately, this year had also been a tumultuous one for the band members. Ian Gillan had handed in his resignation less than two weeks before this concert. He and Roger Glover would leave the group next June.
This concert also saw appearance by Fleetwood Mac and Dick Heckstall-Smith. The former act had been appearing on the bill with Purple for the entirety of December. The latter had also appeared most dates. When he hadn’t, the group had instead been joined either by Elf or Blue Öyster Cult. Each of these bands had a connection to the next band fronted by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Elf’s singer, Ronnie James Dio, was the other driving force behind Rainbow’s first three albums, while the rest of the band served as the first studio lineup of Rainbow. The multicolored band later served as an opening act to Blue Öyster Cult on the first leg of their Down to Earth tour at the end of the decade.
This concert is known to have been recorded, and is in circulation online.
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