Deep Purple performed on this day in 1970 at Pavilion 8 of the Anciennes Halles in Paris, France.
This concert was the group’s first performance of 1970. They would go on to perform several concerts every month of the year and release an album in June.
Deep Purple’s second lineup was still a young band at this point, having performed together for the first time six months prior. This concert was part of their Deep Purple European Tour, undertaken prior to the In Rock World Tour. It was the official introduction for many fans for Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, the Episode Six alumni whose joining heralded a radical new era for the band.
The setlist of this exact concert is unknown. Presumably, it would have followed other concerts from that tour, consisting largely of work from the forthcoming In Rock album with a few Mark I-era songs, notably “Wring That Neck”. In early Deep Purple concerts, large portions of the concert were taken up by instrumental improvisation.
No recording of this concert is known to exist.
The Venue
Finding the venue at which this concert would have taken place was a trial in itself. Setlist.fm puts them in an entirely different French city, Lyon. My usual source for Deep Purple tourdates, the Deep Purple Tour Page, lists “Anciennes Halles, Pavilion 8”. They tend to be pretty reliable. Sadly, other websites, such as the ticket stub museum or the live index website, appear to be down. In short, I will have to trust the folks over at the tour page!
What “Anciennes Halles” may be is the old set of markets within the heart of Paris, Les Halles. The area was certainly ancient, having been used as a market since the eleventh century. Twelve pavilions were built by the architect Victor Baltard in the 1850s. It would certainly make sense, then, that Purple was performing at the eighth of these.
What adds to this possibility is the fact that despite the site’s demolition beginning in 1971, Pavilion 8 was saved. Known as the Baltard Pavilion, or “Pavillon Baltard”, it was dismantled and taken to Nogent-sur-Marne, a suburb to the east of Paris, where it was rebuilt. It has since been used as a concert hall, having hosted such bands as Iron Maiden and ZZ Top.
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- Edit on 2021-01-05: Added information about Deep Purple in 1970. Updated formatting. Optimized for new site.