Deep Purple have kicked off their 2016 tour with a series of shows in historical venues around Japan, including Tokyo's Nippon Budokan. According to Mike Airey, keyboard tech for Deep Purple, Sunday night's show at the Budokan was sold out.

Deep Purple’s setlist:

“Highway Star”
“Bloodsucker”
“Hard Lovin’ Man”
“Strange Kind Of Woman”
“Woman From Tokyo”
“Vincent Price”
“Contact Lost”
“Uncommon Man”
“The Well Dressed Guitar”
“The Mule”
“Lazy”
“Demon’s Eye”
“Hell To Pay”
“Perfect Strangers”
“Space Truckin’”
“Smoke On The Water”
“Hush”
“Black Night”

Check out some fan-filmed video below:

The Japan tour schedule consists of a total of seven concerts. Deep Purple will then move to Israel, Russia and Europe in June and July. During the European leg of the tour, the band will mainly play outdoor arenas and summer festivals. They have also been chosen to be the headlining act for the final night of the 50th Montreux Jazz Festival in July.

Support duties for the European tour will come from Uriah Heep in Finland, Marillion in Fulda, Germany, and Toseland in Italy and in Dresden, Germany.

Tour dates:

May
18 - Shimin Kaikan - Nagoya, Japan
22 - Live Park - Rishon LeTzion, Israel

June
2 - Olympiskey - Moscow, Russia
4 - Ice Palace - Saint Petersburg, Russia
6 - Palace of Sports - Rostov On Don, Russia
8 - Palace of Sports Baskethall - Krasnodar, Russia
10 - Kaisaniemen Puisto - Helsinki, Finland *
11 - Raaiti Stadion - Oulu, Finland *
14 - Grona Lund - Stockholm, Sweden
15 - Liseberg - Gothenburg, Sweden
17 - Fængslet - Horsens, Denmark

July
8 - Clam Rock - Klam, Austria
9 - Schlosspark Esterhazy - Eisenstad, Austria
12 - Arena del Mare - Genova, Italy **
13 - Parco Campo Marte - Brescia, Italy **
15 - Parco della Pace - Servigliano, Fermo, Italy **
16 - Montreux Jazz Festival - Montreux, Switzerland
19 - Tollwood Festival - Munich, Germany
20 - Domplatz - Fulda, Germany ***
22 - Freilichtbühne Großer Garten Junge Garde - Dresden, Germany **
23 - KönigPalast - Krefeld, Germany
26 - Festiwal Legend Rocka – Dolina Charlotty - Słupsk, Poland
29 - Suikerrock – Market Square - Tienen, Belgium
30 - Loreley Freilichtbühne - Sankt Goarshausen, Germany
31 - Am Burggraben - Mosbach, Germany

* - with Uriah Heep
** - with Toseland
*** - with Marillion

(Thanks: deep-purple.it)