Just how popular was Deep Purple really in the US in the 70s?

Yes, big in the Bay Area. Cow Palace 1974. Excellent show.

 

Yes, but DP were playing the Cow Palace around the same time Zeppelin were doing Kezar Stadium. If you look at the tour histories you'll see Deep Purple were nowhere near as big as Led Zeppelin.

 

I think "Child In Time" really struck a chord with those living behind the Iron Curtain, as an anti-nuclear proliferation song.

 

Man did Knocking at your back door blow your mind when it first came out, that intro EXPLOSIVE and that off time drum accent and bam

Love Woman from Tokyo though Joe Walsh has a mellower song that seems to use the guitar line. Meadows (am I crazy or isnt it the same)

 

Their first big radio hit was "Hush" in 1968.


Deep Purple - Hush

 

Oh, come on! Nobody understood the lyrics, people were blown away by the epic beauty of it all not to mention Gillan's voice.

 

You beat me to it. I saw them in May 1973 at the Felt Forum. Rory Gallagher opened the show. There is some video out there from May 1973 at (I believe) Hofstra University, which was somewhere in New York State, maybe Long Island. I was in high school at the time, boy did we love that band. I still do and have in recent years picked up some stuff I never had.

 

I think Gillan, in his autobiography, specifically talked about it becoming a song of hope/freedom in the Eastern bloc (or maybe he was just too modest to say "They liked it because they couldn't believe how awesome my voice is" ).

 

Three songs from that Hofstra show were released on DVD several years ago. Excellent stuff, although "Space Truckin'" is on the short side (probably edited for TV). "Strange Kind of Woman" features a funky guitar break I've never heard on any other live version of that song.

 

Did anyone see them when Tucky Buzzard opened for them on the Burn tour? Several years ago, I checked that band out just based on their strange name and found I liked a lot of their stuff, but I can see why they never graduated past opening act.

 

I saw them open for The Who in Aug. 1971. Deep Purple was louder than The Who - too loud in fact. The Who were acceptably loud. The Who put on the best concert I have ever seen - but then I'm a total Who fan.

 

I remember watching the video for Knocking At Your Back Door and being stoked.... I had tix for the show in Denver so the excitement was huge!

 

In my neighborhood in the 70s there were a handful of albums everybody owned; Dark Side of her Moon, Fragile, Aqualung, LZ II, Sticky Fingers and Machine Head. So yes, Deep Purple were in excellent company in New Jersey.

 

Detroit, Cobo Hall, early 70's, Deep Purple. Uriah Heep opened, great show!

 

I'd kind of lost interest in them by the 70's but I was a big fan before that. I saw them in 1968 opening for Cream at the Forum in Los Angeles.

 

Zeppelin could have sold out the dome 3 nights in a row. No one could touch Zeppelin. They would play the hockey arenas. I still remember how hard it was getting tickets for them in 75 and 77.

 

Not crazy, the same riff.

 

They were huge. I remember they televised their appearance at California Jam when I was in grade school. The rock mags were always pitting them against Black Sabbath. As a kid I was a DP guy, as an adult, Sabbath all the way.

 

You might be one of the last people on earth not to realize that entire series or posters (dozens of them with the same background) are fakes with incorrect info.

Probably one of the most famous ones is this, which shows a picture of Sabbath from 1978 for a festival (at which it's been confirmed they were not able to appear) in 1972:

 

Certainly a NE bias towards America's newest hard rock fav Aerosmith; I wouldn't imagine any sane promoter in that area trying to bill DP over Aerosmith
And yeah most likely they weren't doing their proper homework regarding the "first US tour" ; probably just meaning the new era of Purple with new members

 

Are you sure they opened up for The Who? I don't think the two bands ever shared the same bill. Deep Purple were playing with The Faces during this time.

 

I saw original Deep Purple open for Cream. DP was already popular. I remember watching them nail down 2x4 blocks against Ian's drums to prevent them from creeping. I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen!

 

Yes, I'm sure. It could probably be verified by searching for info online but it's not worth the time and effort for me.


I also saw the Rod Stewart and The Faces in roughly the same time period. I can't remember who opened for them but it wasn't Deep Purple. But... it was a really great concert. It was a great time for great concerts.

 

The Deep Purple Live Index

1971
Hara Arena
Dayton Ohio
USA
Southern Comfort, The Faces

 

Ok, now I'm confused. Maybe I'm losing it.

It was a long time ago. My memory must be failing.

Thanks for the info/correction.