On Sunday, the British rock band Deep Purple took to the stage at Royal Arena in Copenhagen as part of their SPLAT! World Tour 2026. Roughly 9,000 tickets are understood to have been sold.
The band is considered one of the pioneers of modern hard rock and is famous for albums such as their breakout Deep Purple in Rock, their hit-maker Machine Head, and the live album Made in Japan.
Their most famous song is almost undoubtedly “Smoke on the Water”, iconic for its guitar riff, with them also responsible for hits such as “Highway Star” and “Child in Time”.
However, reviews for their show over the weekend in the Danish media have been very mixed, to say the least.
“You should quit while you’re ahead”
On Monday, Berlingske published a particularly scathing review of the concert, where their reviewer gave the show two out of six stars.
The review opens with, “You should quit while you’re ahead. Deep Purple has not chosen to do that.”
In the review, the critic praises the band’s historic significance, before noting that “On the other hand, the Brits’ battery level in 2026 is alarmingly low. Of course it is. The five members are, after all, a combined 364 years old.”
The critic also criticised the sound of the concert, suggesting the music drowned out the vocals.
The review ended with, “Deep Purple should seriously consider switching off the engine completely and retiring. Because the going is no longer good.”
“The sound was flat”
The review in POPLISH was also decidedly negative.
Here, the reviewer noted that the production design and showmanship were generally lacking: “The entire production looked like something from a school play. The instruments appeared to be placed randomly, the sound was flat, and the stage lacked any sense of grandeur.”
The review also reiterated Berlingske’s concerns regarding the age and lack of energy from the band, as well as noting that the sound was poor and the lead singer’s voice was worn and weak.
“Musicians who live and breathe to entertain”
However, not everyone was equally negative about the show. GAFFA, in their review, gave the show five out of six stars.
In the review, the critic writes that “One can debate the level of creative innovation, especially in the older songs, but they know their craft. They are musicians who live and breathe to entertain.”
This review was much more excited about the quality of the music and sound: “When we listened, the band played tightly, engaged and sharply.
“Several of the songs came one after another like pearls on a string, leaving us gasping for breath.”
The positive review concluded with, “They managed to be convincing, both when they played exciting new songs and when they got the crowd out of their seats with beloved classics from dad’s youth.”
