The lineups might be different, but the hit songs are still the same.
That applies to all three rock bands coming to Abbotsford in September, who will be bringing their large collection of ’70s and ’80s chart-toppers with them.
Deep Purple is headlining the new North America tour, which is coming to 24 cities this summer.
The U.K. band is best known for its hits Smoke on the Water and Highway Star from the 1972 album Machine Head.
The group has also earned several notable titles throughout the years, including the loudest band in 1975 by the Guinness Book of World Records, and being part of Britain’s hard rock and heavy metal “unholy trinity” alongside Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
Since its formation in 1968, Deep Purple has undergone extensive lineup changes, with more than 15 musicians spending time as official members at one point or another.
The current lineup consists of drummer and founder Ian Paice, bassist Roger Glover, vocalist Ian Gillan, keyboardist Don Airey, and guitarist Simon McBride.
This iteration of Deep Purple released the band’s most recent album, =1, in July 2024. This was the 23rd studio album by the group and peaked at number 19 on Billboard’s top album sales chart.
Opening for Deep Purple is another classic rock band that has had its fair share of personnel changes throughout the years.
Kansas hails from the other side of the pond, but also dominated the airwaves for much of the same time that Deep Purple did.
The biggest Kansas hits came out of the late ’70s with the release of Carry on Wayward Son and Dust in the Wind, the former of which underwent a renewed wave of popularity when it was frequently used in the 2000s TV show Supernatural.
There are currently eight people listed as part of the band, including longtime members Phil Ehart and Rich Williams. However, Ehart has not regularly toured with the group for the past few years, and Eric Holmquist has been taking his place as the drummer during live shows.
This is only a small portion of the people who have had a helping hand in the success of Kansas, with a total of 18 musicians being part of the band in its long history.
Abbotsford is one of the 12 shows on this upcoming tour that will also include a performance by Jefferson Starship.
This second iteration of Jefferson Airplane went on to achieve even more popularity than its predecessor, pumping out several high-charting songs, including Jane from the 1979 album Freedom At Point Zero.
When legal issues over the continued use of the name Jefferson Starship necessitated a change to Starship in 1984, many of the former Jefferson Starship members went on to produce the massive hits We Built This City and Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now under the new banner.
Starship has since gone on to be a completely separate act known as Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, while Jefferson Starship reformed again in 1992.
Just like the other bands on the ticket, Jefferson Starship has gone through extensive lineup adjustments since its beginnings, with 25 people spending time as band members at one point or another, and more than a dozen other musicians having toured with the band for brief stints.
The current Jefferson Starship lineup consists of founding vocalist David Freiberg, drummer Donny Baldwin, keyboardist Chris Smith, vocalist Cathy Richardson, and lead guitarist Jude Gold.
All three of these iconic rock bands can be seen in Abbotsford at Rogers Forum on Sept. 2. Tickets are available at deeppurple.com.
This Abbotsford concert is the only stop in B.C., with a total of seven Canadian shows being included in the new tour.