British hard rock band Deep Purple will return to Greece on October 13, 2026, for a headline concert at Telekom Center Athens as part of their ongoing world tour. The show comes as the veteran group continues to perform in support of their newly released 24th studio album, SPLAT!.
The European leg of the tour follows a historic stage reunion in the United States, where founding guitarist Ritchie Blackmore performed with the group for the first time in 33 years. Blackmore, who co-founded the band in 1968, joined his former bandmates at the end of their main set to play the iconic 1972 anthem Smoke on the Water before the tour moved across the Atlantic.
Rising United Kingdom rock group Jayler will open the Athens show as special guests for their only scheduled performance in Greece. The emerging four-piece band from England was selected to create a musical bridge between the pioneers of hard rock and the new generation of the genre.
Tour schedule and album releases
Deep Purple arrive in Athens during a period of sustained recording activity. The release of SPLAT! follows their 2024 studio album, =1, demonstrating that the veteran musicians remain creatively active while continuing to redefine hard rock for audiences around the world.
Formed in Hertfordshire, England, in 1968, Deep Purple are widely celebrated alongside Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath as part of the founding trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal. Over more than five decades, the band has performed countless sold-out arena shows worldwide and built a vast catalog of rock classics, including Highway Star and Smoke on the Water. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 in recognition of its influence on popular music.
Television features and venue details
The band's classic recordings have also gained fresh momentum among younger listeners after a renewed version of their 1970 song Child in Time featured in the official trailer for the new season of the Netflix series Stranger Things. The inclusion introduced the composition to millions of new fans and sparked a surge in international streaming interest.
Telekom Center Athens, a primary indoor venue in the Greek capital that regularly hosts international concerts and major entertainment events, will host the band's single performance in the country on October 13. The concert will showcase material spanning the group's 50-year career, concluding the current European leg of their global tour.
