Deep Purple in Toronto: hard rock that still lives in the present
Deep Purple is coming to Toronto for an evening that brings together two sides of their story: a catalogue that has shaped hard rock for decades and fresh material from the album "SPLAT!", released in July 2026. The concert is scheduled for August 18 at 6:45 PM at RBC Amphitheatre, which until the end of 2025 was known as Budweiser Stage. For visitors who still see the old name on their ticket, an older announcement or a city map, it is the same location on the shore of Lake Ontario, at 909 Lake Shore Blvd W.
This is not a tour based solely on nostalgia. Deep Purple is in an active studio phase in 2026, and the concerts on the new tour combine key songs from the band's history with new compositions. That is why the show can appeal both to audiences who want to hear riffs such as "Smoke on the Water" and "Highway Star", and to listeners following the current lineup. Tickets for this event are currently on sale.
Why Deep Purple still sounds like a band rather than a museum of its own history
Deep Purple was formed in 1968, and its importance is not based solely on the number of well-known songs. The band was among the key names that, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, connected blues, psychedelia, classical influences and a heavier rock sound into what would become the foundation of hard rock and heavy metal. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted Deep Purple in 2016, specifically emphasizing its influence on the development of a heavier rock sound.
Today's lineup consists of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Simon McBride. Vocalist Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice provide a direct link to the band's classic eras, while Don Airey on keyboards and Simon McBride on guitar are important to the current character of its sound. McBride joined the band in 2022 and became an important part of its new creative phase.
For concert audiences, this means that the music remains recognizable but is not frozen in time. Deep Purple has always been a band in which improvisation, instrumental dialogues and changes in dynamics were almost as important as the songs themselves. In more recent performances, the interplay between guitar and keyboards is particularly noticeable, with room for solo passages that can change the feel of a familiar composition from one evening to the next.
"SPLAT!" gives the concert a very current context
The latest studio album, "SPLAT!", was released on July 3, 2026 and is listed as the band's 24th studio album. Deep Purple once again recorded it with producer Bob Ezrin, and the material was conceived as heavy, direct rock built around playing together in the studio. Among the songs introduced as singles before the album were "Arrogant Boy", "Diablo" and "Guilt Trippin'".
"SPLAT!" is important for understanding this tour because the new material is not merely an addition inserted between the hits. "Arrogant Boy" is fast, riff-driven hard rock, while "Diablo" emphasizes groove and instrumental interplay. Keith Urban appears as a guest guitarist on the studio version of "Diablo", but there is no confirmation that he will appear at the Toronto concert, so his participation should not be expected as part of the announced lineup.
The album arrives only two years after "=1", on which McBride played for the first time as Deep Purple's guitarist. In practical terms, this means that the current lineup already has two very recent studio chapters from which it can draw repertoire. Audiences who know Deep Purple primarily through the albums "Machine Head", "Deep Purple in Rock" or "Perfect Strangers" can expect an evening in which history and new music genuinely meet.
What the tour performances so far reveal about the repertoire
The exact set list for Toronto has not been confirmed in advance and should not be presented as known. However, performances held in the United States in early August provide a good indication of the direction of the "Splat!" tour. At concerts in Clearwater and Hollywood, Deep Purple combined songs from several eras, including "Highway Star", "Into the Fire", "Lazy", "When a Blind Man Cries", "Space Truckin'", "Smoke on the Water" and "Hush", together with newer compositions "A Bit on the Side", "Lazy Sod", "Arrogant Boy", "Diablo" and "Scriblin' Gib'rish".
That list is not a guarantee for Toronto. The order, song selection and duration may change. What can nevertheless be concluded from the performances so far is that the band does not hide the new album behind its biggest hits. Material from "SPLAT!" occupies a visible place, while the classic repertoire remains the backbone of the concert.
For longtime fans, it is particularly interesting that the set is not made up solely of a few radio standards. Songs such as "Into the Fire", "Lazy" or "When a Blind Man Cries" provide more room for dynamics and instrumental work. For audiences seeing Deep Purple live for the first time, the more familiar closing portion of the repertoire delivers what many have come for: powerful organ sounds, recognizable guitar figures, Ian Gillan's vocals and a rhythm section that keeps the songs tight even when the arrangements open up toward improvisation.
Kansas and Jefferson Starship expand the evening beyond a single band
Kansas has been confirmed as the special guest for Toronto, and the current performer listing for the event also includes Jefferson Starship. This turns the concert into a broader evening of classic American and British rock, featuring three names with distinct musical identities.
Kansas brings a more progressive approach, with more complex arrangements, keyboards and the band's violin tradition. Their repertoire is best known to audiences through songs such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind", but their value on a program like this is not limited to a few major hits. The combination of progressive rock and melodic arena rock fits well alongside Deep Purple's tendency toward extended instrumental transitions and virtuosic playing.
Jefferson Starship comes from a different branch of American rock, associated with San Francisco and the broader legacy of Jefferson Airplane. Their presence further expands the generational scope of the evening. The exact schedule and duration of individual performances should not be assumed without confirmation, but visitors should expect the program to begin before Deep Purple takes the stage and should arrive early enough not to miss the guest performers.
RBC Amphitheatre - the same place many people still call Budweiser Stage
RBC Amphitheatre is located in the Ontario Place area, on the shore of Lake Ontario. Many people still recognize it by the name Budweiser Stage, but the name was changed in late October 2025. The name change may be confusing when planning the journey, but the address and location remain the same.
City documents list a capacity of 16,000 people. This makes it large enough for a major summer concert while still retaining the character of an amphitheatre. Because it is an outdoor venue beside the lake, weather conditions directly affect the experience, especially for audiences on the lawn.
The concert is designated as a rain-or-shine event. Visitors should therefore check the forecast before leaving and adapt their clothing to the evening temperature, wind from the lake and the possibility of precipitation. Rules regarding items that may be brought inside can change, so they are worth checking immediately before arrival.
It is worth securing tickets in time, especially if a particular section or type of seat is important.
Getting to the concert: public transport is more practical than driving
The most important practical change for visitors who previously arrived by car concerns the parking situation in the Ontario Place area. Due to redevelopment work, public parking at the venue itself is unavailable, except for accessible parking for eligible users. The City of Toronto also states that publicly available parking spaces in the Ontario Place area have been removed during the work.
For most visitors, it therefore makes more sense to plan to arrive by public transport. Exhibition GO Station is located north of the venue and is served by the Lakeshore West Line. After leaving the train, the route continues on foot through Exhibition Place toward the lake and the amphitheatre.
The TTC also connects the area with downtown Toronto. Route 509 Harbourfront runs toward Exhibition, while under normal operating conditions 511 Bathurst connects Bathurst Station with the Exhibition area. It is important to check current notices on the day of the concert because the Canadian National Exhibition is also taking place on August 18, and the TTC introduces additional services and temporary changes to certain routes during that period.
- Location: RBC Amphitheatre, 909 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto.
- Nearest GO station: Exhibition GO Station.
- TTC option from downtown: 509 Harbourfront toward Exhibition.
- Public parking at Ontario Place is unavailable, except for accessible parking for eligible users.
- Bike racks are available near the eastern pedestrian entrance, and Bike Share stations are also available in the surrounding area.
- Allow extra time because of the CNE and the increased number of visitors in the Exhibition Place area.
If you are arriving from another part of Toronto or from outside the city, it is useful to plan the route so that the final part of the journey is completed on foot or by public transport. Especially after the concert, large numbers of people leave the area at the same time, so taking a taxi or rideshare immediately next to the entrance may be slower than taking a short walk to a less congested pickup point.
Who this evening is for
The most obvious audience is longtime Deep Purple fans who want to hear the band in its current lineup. But the concert is not intended only for them. The tour also offers a good entry point for younger hard rock fans who know the band's influence through later metal and rock artists but have never seen it live.
The combination of Deep Purple, Kansas and Jefferson Starship further broadens the audience profile. Someone may come for progressive rock, someone for British hard rock, and someone for the American rock heritage of the 1970s and 1980s. That is precisely one of the more interesting aspects of this program: the three performers share a long history, but they do not sound the same.
Deep Purple, meanwhile, is not in a phase where it merely reproduces past success. A new album, a new tour and a stable lineup give the concert a sense of current momentum. When "Arrogant Boy" or "Diablo" stand alongside songs that are several decades old, the audience gets an opportunity to hear how the band itself connects its past and present.
How to plan the evening around Ontario Place
RBC Amphitheatre is located along the western part of Toronto's waterfront, in an area that connects Ontario Place, Exhibition Place, pedestrian and cycling paths, and neighbourhoods west of downtown. For visitors travelling from another city, it makes sense to arrive early and not rely on the latest possible arrival time, especially because of the additional traffic associated with the CNE.
If you want to avoid the heaviest crowds, it is practical to first reach the Exhibition area and then complete the final part on foot. Ontario Place recommends allowing extra time to access the venue on concert nights. Pedestrian access points and marked routes are also important because of construction in the surrounding area, so it is better to follow current signage than to rely on an old map or previous experience.
For the evening itself, the three most important things to have under control are transport, the weather forecast and arrival time. The program includes several performers, the concert is outdoors, and on-site parking is not an option for most visitors. Once those details are arranged in advance, the rest of the evening can remain what people come for - several generations of hard rock on the same stage, with Deep Purple in 2026 still having new material it wants to play, rather than only history it needs to repeat.
If this concert is part of a trip to Toronto, it is worth organizing tickets and transport before the other details of the evening.
Sources:
- Deep Purple - tour schedule, North American tour announcement, album "SPLAT!" and current discography
- SRO PR - band lineup and information about the album "SPLAT!"
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - the band's historical influence and its 2016 induction
- RBC Amphitheatre - confirmed lineup for the Toronto event
- City of Toronto - RBC Amphitheatre capacity and the current parking situation at Ontario Place
- Ontario Place - address, access, public transport, bicycles and parking
- GO Transit - Exhibition GO Station and the name change from Budweiser Stage to RBC Amphitheatre
- TTC - 509 Harbourfront route and current CNE transit information
- Setlist.fm - repertoire from Deep Purple performances in Clearwater and Hollywood in early August 2026