Graz 1975

Graz 1975

On April 3, 1975 the Mk III line-up of Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, frontman David Coverdale, bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, keyboard player Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice, played a concert at the Liebenauer ice rink, located on the outskirts of mountain-cradled Graz, Austria's second largest city after Vienna. Enthused by Purple's arrival in town, the local press dubbed the concert 'das Rockereignis des Jahres' [the rock event of the year]. And it was, in more ways than one.<br>After Graz, Purple would play just two more shows in Saarbrücken, Germany and Paris, France before Blackmore left to form his new band, Rainbow. The remaining Purple members would regroup quickly with American guitarist Tommy Bolin in tow, in place of Blackmore. But that's another story...<br>In order to preserve Blackmore's final run of Mk III concerts for posterity, Purple s managers had brought the Rolling Stones mobile recording studio over to mainland Europe.