Deep Purple performed on this day in 2018 at Palats Sportu in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Deep Purple were at this time on their Long Goodbye Tour, undertaken to support the album Infinite. While the tour and album were widely marketed as the group’s possible last studio and live appearances, Deep Purple have since released two albums, Whoosh! and Turning to Crime. They have also returned to the touring circuit after a COVID-19-related debate. While they planned to return to Kyiv on this current tour, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced them to cancel the concert [1].
2018 also marked the fiftieth year of the band’s existence. Most of the setlist came from their 1970s studio output, with just two songs, “Time For Bedlam” and “Birds of Prey”, from their most recent album. Early in 2018, the group also re-added “Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming” to their setlist [2].
This concert is known to have been recorded and is in circulation online.
The Venue
This concert was the sixth concert Deep Purple performed at the Palats Sportu (whose name means “Sports Palace” in English). This makes it the most-visited venue by Deep Purple in Kyiv, and indeed in the entire country of Ukraine; by the numbers, 40% of all their concerts in Ukraine in total have happened here!
The venue was built in the so-called “Constructivist” style and opened in 1960 [3]. Conflicting reports exist to its total size, ranging from 6000 to 10000 seats, but it is apparently one of the largest sports palaces in Ukraine [4].
Palats Sportu hosted the 2005 Eurovision song contest after Ukraine’s 2004 win. It has also seen visits by bands such as the Scorpions and Judas Priest [5].
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Post Sources
- [1] https://purple.de/dirk/purple/tours/2022/2022-05-31.php
- [2] https://purple.de/dirk/purple/tours/2018/2018-06-06.php