Deep Purple perform live in Montraux

Deep Purple renewed their acquaintance with the city of Montreux, Switzerland, when they closed this year's Jazz Festival on Saturday (July 15th). The band has played the annual festival a number of times, and this year, they were saluted at an event called "We All Came Down To Montreux." Deep Purple lead singer Ian Gillan told us that he loves being at the festival: "It's almost like a spiritual home. You know, you're walking down the street, mingling with the fans -- one minute, you're talking to (singer-guitarist) Ry Cooder, the next minute you're waving to Quincy Jones across the road, and (Montreux Jazz Festival founder and organizer) Claude Nobs is there, fluttering and organizing everything. They came over early in the year to take our pictures to go on the T-shirts, and I'm going, 'Mmmmm -- well, maybe we made it again!'"

Deep Purple and Montreux will forever be linked. In December 1971, they were supposed to make what became the Machine Head album at The Casino, but the night before they were to start recording, Frank Zappa & the Mothers Of Invention played at the Casino, and during that show, someone in the crowd shot a flare gun into the roof, and the building burned down. The details of the event are recounted in the song "Smoke On The Water."
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