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Deep Purple ready to unleash more 'Rapture'
Veteran hard-rockers Deep Purple return to North America in July with another round of new dates in support of their 2005 album, "Rapture of the Deep."
The band has been touring since the beginning of last year to back the two-year-old studio set, and shows no signs of slowing down, with a new round of shows kicking off July 12 in Atlanta, the first of 26 US and Canadian cities the group plans to hit this summer.
The outing includes a few festival appearances, among them the July 21 Rock Fest in Farwell, MI, where Deep Purple will headline a bill that also features Third Eye Blind, Saliva and Grand Funk Railroad. The group's complete schedule is included below.
"Rapture of the Deep," released in November 2005, is the band's fourth studio album (and 18th overall) since guitarist Steve Morse joined the group in 1994, replacing original guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Mike Bradford, who also produced the band's 2003 release, "Bananas," produced the set.
Deep Purple originally formed in the late '60s and went on to score massive hits in the early '70s, such as "Smoke on the Water" and "Highway Star." Of the band's most popular lineup, lead singer Ian Gillan, drummer Ian Paice and bassist Roger Glover remain with the band.
