Experience Deep Purple live in Este at the historic Castello Carrarese on 17 July 2026. Expect hard rock classics, songs from "SPLAT!" and the energy of the current tour. Ticket sales are underway, so plan your purchase, travel and arrival at the castle grounds in good time
Deep Purple within the historic walls of Este
Deep Purple arrives at Castello Carrarese in Este on July 17, 2026, starting at 21:30. The concert is part of the summer "Mad in Europe" tour, and the date is particularly interesting because it comes only two weeks after the release of the new album "SPLAT!". The audience therefore receives not only an overview of one of the most influential hard rock careers, but also an encounter with a band that is currently presenting fresh studio material.
The location additionally changes the character of the evening. Instead of an enclosed arena, Deep Purple performs in the open space of the historic Castello Carrarese complex, among medieval walls and gardens in the center of Este. It is an environment in which the recognizable Hammond, the solid rhythm section and guitar riffs meet a summer evening and architecture that has defined the city's appearance for centuries.
The concert is intended for a broad audience: long-time fans who have followed the band since the albums "Deep Purple in Rock" and "Machine Head", lovers of classic hard rock, guitarists and keyboardists who want to hear how the current line-up builds live improvisations, as well as visitors who know several major songs and want to experience the band on stage for the first time. Tickets for this event are in demand.
Why Deep Purple still sounds current
Deep Purple belongs to the group of bands that did not merely leave behind a catalogue of famous songs, but helped shape the language of hard rock. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, into which the group was inducted in 2016, describes them as pioneers of hard rock who combined orchestral influences with a heavier rock sound. That combination remains the foundation of their concerts today: the keyboards do not serve as a background, but enter into an equal dialogue with the guitar, bass and drums.
The current line-up consists of:
- Ian Gillan - vocals
- Roger Glover - bass guitar
- Ian Paice - drums
- Don Airey - keyboards
- Simon McBride - guitar
Ian Paice is the only member who has been present since the band's formation in 1968, while Ian Gillan and Roger Glover are key parts of the classic line-up associated with the group's best-known period. Don Airey has brought his own keyboard signature for decades, and Simon McBride became the permanent guitarist in 2022. His arrival did not turn the band into a nostalgic project. On the contrary, the more recent studio work shows a line-up seeking more compact riffs, faster exchanges of ideas and more space for the direct energy of the five musicians.
For the audience, it is important that a Deep Purple concert is not a reconstruction of the sound from 1972. The band retains recognizable elements - Gillan's phrasing, Paice's agile drumming, Glover's dense bass and the tension between organ and guitar - but performs them through the experience of the current line-up. It is precisely this balance between the familiar and the new that explains why songs several decades old and material released only a few days before the performance can stand convincingly at the same concert.
"SPLAT!" gives the concert a fresh context
The album "SPLAT!" was released on July 3, 2026, and represents Deep Purple's 24th studio album. It was recorded with producer Bob Ezrin, a long-time collaborator of the band. Before the album's release, the singles "Arrogant Boy", "Diablo" and "Guilt Trippin'" were presented, so the audience in Este arrives at a moment when the new songs are only beginning to take shape on the concert stage as well.
Musically, the new material does not move away from the band's fundamental identity. "Arrogant Boy" relies on fast, driving hard rock, "Diablo" builds the song around a riff, groove and the musicians' reactions to one another, while "Guilt Trippin'" combines heaviness with Gillan's characteristic humor and storytelling. The album's concept considers the end of humanity as a transformation, rather than merely destruction, but the serious theme is handled through lively, direct songs, without turning the album into a cold conceptual exercise.
"SPLAT!" continues the creative phase that began with the 2024 album "=1", the first studio release with McBride. At current concerts, songs from both albums stand alongside the classics, which is an important signal for visitors: the evening is not conceived as an uninterrupted sequence of old hits, but neither is it a presentation of the new album that suppresses the band's history.
The date in Este falls within a very condensed part of the tour. Deep Purple performs at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 13, in Pisa on July 16, in Este on July 17, and in Munich on July 19. Este is therefore one of two consecutive Italian stops and part of a short series of major European summer festivals. For a band historically strongly connected to Montreux and the story behind the song "Smoke on the Water", the journey from Montreux through Italy toward Germany gives this week of the tour a clear symbolic and concert rhythm.
What can be expected from the live repertoire
The exact set list for Este has not been announced and should not be presented in advance as confirmed. Nevertheless, recent performances on the "Mad in Europe" tour show a clear way in which Deep Purple currently constructs a concert. At performances in Marbella and Jerez at the beginning of July, the band combined key songs from the seventies, material from the album "=1" and several songs from "SPLAT!".
Among the compositions that appeared at those concerts were "Highway Star", "Lazy", "Space Truckin'", "Smoke on the Water", "Black Night" and "When a Blind Man Cries". The new part of the repertoire included "Arrogant Boy" and "Diablo", while the songs "A Bit on the Side" and "Lazy Sod" represented the album "=1". This does not guarantee an identical selection in Este, but it shows that the current tour does not separate the new period from the classic catalogue.
The most interesting part of the experience is often not merely recognizing the first riff. Deep Purple is a band whose identity developed through instrumental communication. Don Airey can take over the melodic line and then open space for McBride, while Paice and Glover maintain a sufficiently firm framework for the song to stretch without losing tension. "Lazy" is a good example of a composition in which blues, organ, rhythm and improvisation become more important than simply repeating the studio version.
Gillan performs the songs differently today than he did in the early decades of his career. The emphasis is more on tone, phrasing and control than on a constant contest with the extremely high registers of his youth. This gives the concert a more mature form without losing the recognizable voice. On the other hand, McBride's guitar brings a sharper contemporary attack and blues-rock expression, which prevents the old songs from sounding like museum exhibits.
Places are disappearing quickly. For an audience that wants to hear both the classics and the band's new phase, the date in Este comes at an ideal moment - the album has just been released, and the tour is already showing how the new material fits into the concert arc.
Castello Carrarese as a concert stage
Castello Carrarese is located at Via G. Negri 9 in Este. The present-day complex stands on the site of earlier fortifications, and the form that dominates the city is connected with the reconstruction initiated in the 14th century by Ubertino da Carrara. The long walls, towers and elevated sections of the fortress recall the defensive role of the space, while the interior green areas were later transformed into public gardens.
For the concert experience, the decisive point is that the event takes place outdoors, within a historic environment, rather than in a standardized multipurpose hall. Visitors can expect a more direct summer-festival atmosphere, visually prominent walls and a different relationship between the stage and the surrounding space. The open setting also means that preparation should reflect the weather conditions on the day of the concert, with light clothing for a warm evening and an additional layer in case the temperature drops later.
Este Music Festival 2026 is being held as the third edition of the event and brings together a range of Italian and international performers during July, with additional dates at the end of August and the beginning of September. Deep Purple performs between concerts by the group Pooh and Riccardo Cocciante's appearance, while the later program also includes Savatage and Hollywood Vampires. Such a schedule confirms that Castello Carrarese functions during the summer as a serious concert venue, rather than merely as a historic backdrop.
Announcements for the concert list several seated categories, so the experience is organized differently from a large standing rock festival. This may particularly suit audience members who want a clear view of the stage and a calmer arrival at their seats. Information about the exact opening time of the entrances, the support act and any possible guests has not been published, so it should not be assumed. It is worth checking the latest information on the day of the event.
Arriving in Este and making your way toward the castle
Este is a town in the province of Padua, on the southern edge of the Euganean Hills. The historic center is compact enough for arrival by train or bus to be combined with walking, and Castello Carrarese is located beside the central part of the town.
The most useful arrival options are:
- By train - the center of Este can be reached on foot from the railway station in less than 10 minutes, after which the route continues toward the castle area.
- By bus - the stop in Via Martiri della Libertà is located a few minutes' walk from Castello Carrarese, Piazza Maggiore and the historic center.
- By car from the direction of Padua - take the A13 motorway toward Bologna to the Monselice exit, then follow the SR10 road toward Este.
- By car from the direction of Vicenza - take the A31 motorway toward Rovigo to the Noventa Vicentina exit, then follow the SP247 road toward Este.
- By car from the direction of Rovigo - take the SS16 road to Stanghella, then the SP42 road via Solesino toward Este.
Advance parking reservations have been offered for this event. This is practical for visitors arriving by car, particularly because the summer program in the historic center may increase traffic and demand for spaces. Visitors should not plan to arrive at the last moment: entering the town, parking and walking to the complex may take longer than on ordinary evenings.
Visitors arriving from other cities should check late return trains and buses in advance. A 21:30 start means that the concert ends after the usual daytime departures on some routes, and the duration of the performance has not been specified in advance. If there is no suitable late connection, the safer option is to stay overnight in Este or the surrounding area, or to arrange transport in advance.
How to prepare for the evening
The ticket is valid for one day and should be kept ready before arriving at the entrance check. Since information about the opening of the entrances has not yet been provided, it is reasonable to arrive earlier, especially when it is necessary to locate the seat, find parking or pass through the historic center on the way to the castle.
Before departure, it is useful to check:
- the latest entrance-opening time and any schedule changes
- the rules regarding bringing in bags, bottles, umbrellas and professional photographic equipment
- the weather forecast for Este and the conditions for the outdoor concert
- the exact parking location or the departure time of the final return service
- the information on the ticket and the selected seated category
For fans of the band, it is worth listening to "SPLAT!" and "=1" before the concert, and then revisiting "Machine Head", "Deep Purple in Rock" and "Made in Japan". This will make it easier to hear how the current line-up connects the early hard rock foundations with the new songs. Visitors who know only "Smoke on the Water" are advised to become familiar at least with "Highway Star", "Lazy", "Space Truckin'", "Black Night", "When a Blind Man Cries", "Arrogant Boy" and "Diablo".
Ticket sales for this event are under way. It is worth securing tickets in time, organizing the arrival before the evening crowds and leaving enough time for the walk to Castello Carrarese.
Sources:
- Deep Purple - information about the "Mad in Europe" tour, the current line-up and the album "SPLAT!"
- Este Music Festival - date, time, location, festival program and the option to reserve parking
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - the band's historical significance and its 2016 induction
- Italia.it - history, address and description of the Castello Carrarese complex in Este
- Este in Fiore - road routes, railway station and bus stop in Este
- setlist.fm - overview of the repertoire from performances in Marbella and Jerez in July 2026