In 1971 the British hard rock group Deep Purple first visited Australia as part of a ground breaking, sell-out package tour with Free and Manfred Mann, supported by local Santana-inspired Latin-rock band Pirana.
The tour played four states in as many days, breaking all previous attendance records for rock shows in Australia.
The tour played to a capacity crowd for one night in Perth at Beatty Park Aquatic Centre on 6 May 1971 before heading over east.
Deep Purple Line-Up
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
- Jon Lord – hammond organ, keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Rock_World_Tour
Photo-Journo Ric Chan was there to capture the action for the Independent Newspaper and surfer/music buff Tom Blaxell was there to enjoy the music.
Tom Blaxell – This was truly an awesome line up for little ole Perth. Deep Purple were of course the big attraction though and they fully outshone the fore runners Free and Manfred Mann.
Tom Blaxell – Good work Ric. My biggest memory of you was at the Deep Purple gig at Beatty Park. Smoke over the Water, you laying down next to the pool straining to get a water shot and me thinking you were going to fall in knocking some electrical gear in with you and getting electrocuted.
L-R. Jon Lord keyboard, Ritchie Blackmore guitar, Ian Gillon vocals, Ian Paice drums, Roger Glover bass.
Left: Australian Mick Rogers on vocals and lead guitar with drummer Chris Slade.
Right: Chris Pattendon bass guitar and vocals.
Many thanks to music aficionado Tom Blaxell for identifying the musicians and providing comments on Ric’s concert images.
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