Deep Purple Announces ‘=1’ Album Ahead of 2024 Summer Tour With YES

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Two weeks after announcing their “=1 More Time” 2024 tour of North America, Deep Purple have announced a new studio album, named—not surprisingly—=1. The band are fronted by legendary vocalist Ian Gillan, and accompanied by bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, and keyboardist Don Airey. It’s the first DP album for guitarist Simon McBride. Joining them on the summer run are YES. The tour begins August 14 and continues through September 8. Both bands have other tours scheduled throughout the world this year. Tickets are available here.

=1 was produced by their frequent collaborator Bob Ezrin. The April 24 announcement notes the album “embodies the essence and attitude of [Deep Purple’s] 1970s incarnation… more than any album in recent memory. The first single will be released on April 30 with the album arriving on July 19 via earMUSIC in a variety of formats. A bonus DVD features a roughly 60-minute documentary, Access All Areas, joining Deep Purple backstage on tour and providing an exclusive look behind the scenes.

The announcement notes that the unusual title, =1, “symbolizes the idea that in a world growing ever more complex, everything eventually simplifies down to a single, unified essence. Everything equals one.”

[On March 29, Deep Purple’s Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition was released as a 3-CD/LP/Blu-ray set. It’s available for order in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.]

YES are led by Steve Howe, whose association with the band began in 1970, along with Geoff Downes, a member of the 1980 Drama-era line-up, Jon Davison, lead vocalist in YES for well over a decade now; Billy Sherwood on bass, hand-picked by original bassist Chris Squire, and Jay Schellen, who worked closely with Alan White, on drums completing the line-up.

Deep Purple, Yes 2024 Tour (Tickets are available here)
Aug 14 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
Aug 15 – Tampa, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Event Center
Aug 17 – The Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug 18 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Casino (An Evening With Deep Purple
Aug 19 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
Aug 21 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
Aug 22 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Aug 23 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Aug 25 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Aug 27 – Montreal, QC – Bell Center
Aug 28 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion
Aug 30 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Aug 31 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Sep 01 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Sep 03 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
Sep 04 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC
Sep 06 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center For the Arts
Sep 07 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Sep 08 – Scranton, PA – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain