Deep Purple in Ottawa: the SPLAT! tour combines the band's new phase with hard rock classics
Deep Purple arrives at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on August 19, 2026, with the program beginning at 6:45 p.m. This concert is part of the North American leg of the SPLAT! tour, named after the band's new studio album released in early July. Kansas has also been confirmed as the special guest for the Ottawa date, so the evening is conceived as a meeting of two major names in classic and hard rock, rather than simply an isolated performance by one artist.
For Deep Purple, this is a concert in a very active part of the schedule: the band performs in Halifax on August 15, Laval on the 17th, Toronto on the 18th, and immediately after Ottawa continues to Detroit on August 21. Tickets for this event are in demand. It is particularly interesting for audiences who want to hear how the current lineup connects material from the 1970s with songs created more than half a century later.
SPLAT! is the most important context for this concert
Deep Purple's latest album is called SPLAT! and was released on July 3, 2026. It is the band's 24th studio album, once again recorded with producer Bob Ezrin. The album arrived only two years after =1, so the current concert cycle cannot be described as just another nostalgic tour built around old hits.
Before the album, the singles "Arrogant Boy", "Diablo" and "Guilt Trippin'" were released. The band presented SPLAT! as a record that returns to a heavier, more direct hard rock sound, with an emphasis on playing together and the chemistry among the members. That approach fits Deep Purple's concert identity well: guitar, keyboards, rhythm section and Gillan's vocals remain at the center of the sound, without any need to hide the songs behind elaborate stage production.
The current lineup consists of:
- Ian Gillan - vocals
- Roger Glover - bass
- Ian Paice - drums
- Don Airey - keyboards
- Simon McBride - guitar
Simon McBride became a permanent member after Steve Morse's departure in 2022. His arrival is important for understanding today's Deep Purple: the band still preserves the recognizable relationship between guitar and keyboards, but does not try to literally reproduce every earlier phase of its history.
What recent performances say about the repertoire
The exact setlist for Ottawa has not been confirmed in advance and should not be assumed. Still, recent performances on the same SPLAT! tour provide a very useful framework for what Deep Purple is currently performing live.
At the concert in Raleigh on August 4, 2026, the band played "Highway Star", "Into the Fire", "Lazy", "When a Blind Man Cries", "Space Truckin'", "Smoke on the Water" and "Hush", as well as newer material. From the album =1, "A Bit on the Side" and "Lazy Sod" were included, while SPLAT! was represented by "Arrogant Boy", "Diablo", "Scriblin' Gib'rish" and "Guinnesis". A very similar selection appeared a few days later in Clearwater.
Deep Purple currently builds its concerts as a cross-section of several eras:
- the early hard rock foundation through songs such as "Into the Fire"
- the key Machine Head repertoire through "Highway Star", "Lazy", "Space Truckin'" and "Smoke on the Water"
- the newer phase from the album =1
- completely current material from SPLAT!
- instrumental moments in which guitar and keyboards are given more space
That balance may be the greatest value of the concert for longtime fans. The classic songs are not separated from the new material like museum exhibits, but are performed in the same band language. For audiences who know Deep Purple mainly through "Smoke on the Water", the concert offers a broader view of a band that has always left room over the decades for improvisation, solos and changes in performance.
It is still important to maintain realistic expectations: songs performed on previous dates are not a guarantee for Ottawa. The order, song selection and duration may change.
Kansas as the special guest changes the character of the evening
Canadian Tire Centre lists Kansas as the special guest for this date. This is a significant addition to the program because the audiences of the two bands naturally overlap, but their musical characters are not the same. Deep Purple comes from British hard rock, blues and improvisation, while Kansas brings more pronounced progressive and melodic elements into its rock sound.
At a recent joint date in Raleigh, Kansas performed compositions such as "Point of Know Return", "Song for America", "Dust in the Wind", "The Wall", "Miracles Out of Nowhere" and "Carry On Wayward Son". This example should not be taken as a predetermined setlist for Ottawa, but it shows that the special guest is not merely a brief formal introduction before the main performer, but an artist with its own catalog that can substantially shape the entire evening.
For visitors coming because of both bands, it is worth planning arrival around the start of the program, not only around the expected appearance of Deep Purple. The exact schedule of individual performers for Ottawa has not been published on the event page, so it is not advisable to rely on schedules from other cities.
Seats are disappearing quickly. With a program featuring two recognizable rock names, a good choice of seats is especially important for those who want to experience the entire evening, from the first performance to the finale.
Canadian Tire Centre is a large arena, but concert capacity depends on the stage configuration
Canadian Tire Centre is located at 1000 Palladium Drive in the western part of Ottawa. The arena opened in 1996 and was designed as a multipurpose venue for sports and large concerts.
For concerts, there is no single fixed capacity figure. The venue's technical data lists 11,712 seats for a 180-degree concert configuration, 12,259 for 240 degrees, 16,398 for 270 degrees and 16,888 for a 360-degree configuration. The event page for Deep Purple does not state which of these configurations will be used, so it is not justified to derive the exact number of available seats for this concert from those figures.
That flexibility also affects the experience. In the arena, the relationship to the stage changes significantly depending on the section: lower stands provide a more direct feeling of proximity, upper levels offer a view of the entire production, while floor seats emphasize crowd energy and the physical intensity of the sound. For Deep Purple, a band whose concerts rely on details in the playing and the dialogue between guitar and keyboards, the choice of position may be more important than the distance from the stage itself.
Arrival by car, parking and public transportation
Canadian Tire Centre is located next to Highway 417. For drivers, the main access points are the Terry Fox Road and Palladium Drive exits. Since a large number of visitors enter the same roads at the same time after the concert, it is reasonable to allow extra time for arrival and especially for leaving the parking area after the program.
Parking is organized in several zones around the venue. Some parking areas use mobile vehicle registration and payment linked to the license plate, while parking in other zones can be secured in advance. Accessible parking is available in a designated area for people with the appropriate permit.
Public transportation is available for those arriving without a car. The venue directs visitors to OC Transpo and Connexion 400 stops, with the level of service depending on the size and timing of the event. It is therefore useful to check the schedule for the specific day, especially for the return journey after the concert ends. Taxi and Uber pickup is organized at Gate 1, while Para Transpo uses Gate 3.
For visitors arriving from other cities, it is useful to know that the arena is outside central Ottawa. Accommodation in the city center therefore does not mean that the venue is within walking distance. It is worth planning the final stage of the journey between the accommodation and Palladium Drive in advance.
Entering the venue: bags, doors and re-entry after leaving
Canadian Tire Centre has several rules that can directly affect the speed of entry. Bags are limited to small clutch or wallet models smaller than 4 x 6 x 1.5 inches. Medical bags and bags required for children's needs may be permitted after inspection, while hard-sided bags, backpacks and larger bags are not allowed.
For events that are not Ottawa Senators games, the venue's general rule is that doors open 60 minutes before the start, unless otherwise stated for a specific event. The Deep Purple concert program is listed as starting at 6:45 p.m., but visitors should check before departure whether a special instruction regarding doors has been published for that date.
Another important rule is that re-entry is prohibited. After leaving the venue, returning is not permitted, so before passing through security you should check that you have everything you need for the entire evening. Canadian Tire Centre also uses cashless payment, and empty reusable water bottles are allowed and can be filled at stations inside the venue.
In practical terms, the simplest plan looks like this:
- arrive early enough because of traffic and security screening
- bring only a small permitted bag or come without a bag
- save the mobile ticket so that it remains accessible even with a weaker signal
- check transportation for the return journey before the concert begins
- do not leave the venue if you intend to return for the continuation of the program
Who will find this concert most interesting
The clearest audience is longtime Deep Purple fans who want to hear the current lineup with Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice alongside Don Airey and Simon McBride. For them, the SPLAT! tour is an opportunity to compare the band's current sound with earlier periods without assuming that the concert will merely reproduce old arrangements.
The second group consists of classic rock fans for whom the combination of Deep Purple and Kansas provides a strong enough reason for an entire evening. Even if they know only the biggest songs by both bands, the recent repertoire shows that the program offers a good entry point into the broader catalog.
The third group consists of guitarists, keyboard players and audiences for whom the performance itself matters. Current performances still leave room for instrumental sections and dialogue between guitar and keyboards.
It is worth securing tickets in time. This Ottawa date comes in the middle of a busy Canadian and American leg of the SPLAT! tour, only one day after Toronto and before continuing to Detroit, so the audience gets the band at a moment when the new album has only just been released and has already entered the concert repertoire.
What to expect from the evening itself
The best description is not "nostalgia", but a collision of several time layers of the same band. "Highway Star", "Lazy", "Space Truckin'" and "Smoke on the Water" belong to the hard rock canon, but alongside them the band is currently playing songs from =1 and SPLAT!, including material released only a few weeks before the North American tour.
Such a repertoire changes the energy of the concert. The best-known songs naturally generate the strongest audience reaction, while the newer compositions show how Deep Purple builds riffs, dynamics and instrumental transitions today. Between them, there remains room for solos and freer performance moments that have been part of the band's identity for decades.
You should not count in advance on guest appearances, special effects or an identical sequence of songs from another city. Deep Purple and Kansas are confirmed for Ottawa, and everything beyond that should be treated as an open possibility, not a promise. That is precisely why it is more useful to view recent performances as an indicator of the current direction rather than as a copy of the future evening.
For a visitor who wants to make the most of the concert, the most important things are to arrive on time, allow for arena traffic, respect the bag rules and leave enough room for the entire program. The musical part already has a clear framework: the new album, the current lineup, classic songs that are still performed regularly and Kansas as another major name on the bill.
Sources:
- Deep Purple - SPLAT! Canada & USA 2026 schedule, biography of the current lineup and information about the SPLAT! album and singles.
- Canadian Tire Centre - event page for Deep Purple and Kansas, start time, address, entry rules, bag rules, doors, transportation and parking.
- Canadian Tire Centre Rental Rates - technical information about the venue, year of opening and capacities of different concert configurations.
- Kansas - band history and the context of the progressive and classic rock repertoire.
- setlist.fm - recent Deep Purple and Kansas setlists from North American concerts in August 2026, used solely as a framework for the current repertoire, not as an announcement of the Ottawa setlist.