Deep Purple’s legendary hard rock hit, “Smoke On The Water,” was famously inspired by a fire at Montreux Jazz Festival’s casino during a Frank Zappa concert in 1971. Deep Purple were in Montreux recording their album, Machine Head, and the fire forced the band out of their hotel rooms, with the smoke from the blaze becoming the impetus for their song. On Monday night, Deep Purple returned to the site of that fateful incident and played a historic show at Montreux Jazz Festival on their brand-new Lake Stage. As the band played the instantly-recognizable riff of “Smoke On The Water,” the curtain at the back of the stage lifted, revealing Lake Geneva fittingly covered in smoke.
Bassist Roger Glover recalled the fire at a press conference: “It burned all afternoon, all evening, all through the night. We went and looked at it the next morning and there it was, gone. It was a frightening thing.” (Blabbermouth)
