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Eagle Rock EntertainmentWhitesnake recently released the video/audio package The Purple Tour (Live) that captured a December 2015 concert the band played in Birmingham, U.K., in support of its latest studio album, the Deep Purple tribute collection The Purple Album. The show featured the current Whitesnake lineup performing a mix of its classic songs and Deep Purple gems from the mid-’70s, when David Coverdale fronted the group.
Coverdale tells ABC Radio that the crowds at the concert, held in Birmingham’s Genting Arena, were “fantastic,” adding, “[I]t’s great for me to have that memory, and great to give to my grandchildren, et cetera. It’s a solid piece of work.”
David says the idea for The Purple Album came about after the death of ex-Deep Purple/Whitesnake keyboardist Jon Lord, when the singer began discussing a possible reunion of the mid-’70s Purple lineup with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in tribute to Lord. When that plan fell through, Coverdale says his wife suggested that he make a record with Whitesnake featuring tunes from his Deep Purple tenure, as “a tribute to how you started.”
When it came to recording The Purple Album, Coverdale explains, “We didn’t try to compare with Deep Purple. We did our own thing…Just used the songs as the platform…Everyone put their own stamp on it, and made it a Whitesnake record. I was very proud of ’em.”
On The Purple Tour (Live) video and album, Whitesnake shows that it was able put its stamp on the Deep Purple material in front of a concert audience, as well.
Besides the full concert, the Purple Tour (Live) DVD and Blu-ray discs also include band interviews and a specially created promo video for “Burn” using the live performance’s audio and newly filmed elements. Find out more details at Whitesnake.com.
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