In a move that could make any marketing team proud, Deep Purple’s 2017 “The Long Goodbye” tour wasn’t the emotional farewell fans thought it was. Instead, it was a cleverly crafted strategy to boost ticket sales—because nothing sells out faster than the threat of your favorite band calling it quits!
The iconic rock band’s frontman, Ian Gillan, recently revealed during an interview with SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk that the whole “goodbye” tour was never meant to be a final curtain call. In fact, it was the promoters who pitched the idea, hoping to spike ticket demand.
Gillan explained, “It was a bit of a joke. The promoters said, ‘We need to sell more tickets,’ so I thought, ‘Let’s call it ‘The Long Goodbye’ and put the focus on ‘long’—make it sound mysterious!’”
Turns out, it worked! Fans flocked to see what they believed was the band’s final string of shows. But guess what? The joke’s on us. The band, now booked through 2026, has no intention of slowing down. Gillan even emphasized, “We’re still rocking and rolling. No plans to stop.”
So, if you missed their so-called farewell tour, don’t sweat it—Deep Purple is still going strong, and you’ve got plenty of time to catch them live.
Who knew a farewell tour could last nearly a decade? Classic rock never goes out of style, and apparently, neither does a good marketing ploy!
