British rock band Deep Purple wows fans in Istanbul

By Omer Faruk Yildiz and Omer Mirza Seker

ISTANBUL (AA) - English rock band Deep Purple, pioneers of modern hard rock and heavy metal, wowed their fans in Istanbul late Tuesday.

The group performed at Kuçukciftlik Park in the Turkish metropolis as part of their =1 MORE TIME world tour.

At the concert, vocalist Ian Gillan was accompanied by Simon McBride on guitar, Roger Glover on bass, Ian Paice on drums, and Don Airey on keyboards.

Kicking off the concert with the song Highway Star, the band also performed beloved tracks such as A Bit on the Side, Hard Lovin' Man, Into the Fire, Portable Door, Anya, and the perennial Smoke on the Water.

After the song Anya, Airey launched into a keyboard solo that included Mozart's Turkish March and the Turkish national anthem, earning thunderous applause from the audience.

The concert, lasting some 90 minutes, concluded with the band's 1970 recording Black Night.

Deep Purple, founded in London in 1967, has undergone numerous lineup changes over its 57-year career.

The band has featured prominent musicians such as David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner, and Joe Satriani, among others, and has released 22 studio albums.

Inspiring bands like Queen, Uriah Heep, Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and Alice In Chains, Deep Purple was ranked fifth among The World's Most Influential Bands in a poll by Planet Rock Radio Station.

Having visited Türkiye five times to date, the band last performed in Istanbul in 2022.