Deep Purple launched the European leg of their world tour on Tuesday, September 29, with a concert at Arena 8888 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Fan-filmed footage of the full show has been shared online by Kalin Filipov.
The band played 15 songs in a show lasting around an hour and a half. After the intro music of “Mars, The Bringer Of War” from Gustav Holst‘s “The Planets“, Deep Purple opened with “Highway Star” and finished the night with “Hush” and “Black Night“.
The show included three songs from the band’s latest album, Splat!: “Arrogant Boy“, “Sacred Land” and “Diablo“. The band also played “A Bit On The Side” and “Lazy Sod” from their previous record, 2024’s =1, along with classics such as “Lazy“, “Perfect Strangers“, “Space Truckin’” and “Smoke On The Water“.
Members of Bulgarian band Jayler joined Deep Purple as the support act in Sofia.
Splat!, Deep Purple‘s 24th studio album, came out on July 3 through earMUSIC. It is their sixth album with producer Bob Ezrin, who has produced every Deep Purple record since 2013’s Now What?!, and the second with guitarist Simon McBride, who replaced Steve Morse in 2022. Gillan has compared the new material to the band’s early-1970s work, when they recorded songs such as “Highway Star“, “Smoke On The Water” and “Lazy“.
The band have described Splat! as “the heaviest Deep Purple album in many years.” It was preceded by the singles “Arrogant Boy“, “Diablo” and “Guilt Trippin’“, and reached No. 3 in Germany and No. 2 in Austria.
The current Deep Purple line-up features singer Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Don Airey and McBride. The tour began in Japan before moving on to Europe.
Deep Purple Setlist, September 29, 2026, Arena 8888, Sofia:
- “Intro (Mars, The Bringer Of War)“
- “Highway Star“
- “A Bit On The Side“
- “Into The Fire“
- “Arrogant Boy“
- “Lazy Sod“
- “Lazy“
- “Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming“
- “Sacred Land“
- “Diablo“
- “Perfect Strangers“
- “Space Truckin’“
- “Smoke On The Water“
- “Guinnesis“
- “Hush“
- “Black Night“
