Ukraine’s The Koz Times spoke to Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse ahead of their show in Kiev at the Sports Palace.

Morse spoke about this tour really being a farewell and said, “For me personally, it’s a farewell tour. As for the other guys, then I think they will still be playing. Perhaps, in other groups, special projects or as invited guests. I also plan to stay in music but not so actively as now. But you do realize that when the music for so many years is the most important place in your life, impossible in one day to abandon it. In General, I know that the guys are not going to retire. They would rather die on stage than in bed (laughs).”

Legends will collide late this summer when Deep Purple and Judas Priest embark on a co-headlining North American tour. Produced by Live Nation, the outing will kick off August 21st in Cincinnati, OH and visit 25 cities across the US and Canada before wrapping September 30th in Wheatland, California. Tickets are on sale at LiveNation.com.

Deep Purple’s latest studio album, inFinite, was released April 7th, 2017, via earMUSIC. Produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin, (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, KISS), InFinite featured 10 new tracks recorded with no musical boundaries in the spirit of the 70s. The metal pioneers have released five studio albums since 1996, augmented by an abundance of solo work and special projects from members Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Steve Morse and Don Airey. Fans will be thrilled as they cover decades of favorites for this run.

Judas Priest’s latest studio album, Firepower, was released March 9th, 2018, via Epic Records. Co-produced by Tom Allom and Andy Sneap, the 14-track album has become one of the most successful of the band’s entire career - landing in the "top-5" of 17 countries (including their highest chart placement ever in the US), and scoring their highest charting commercial rock radio single in decades with “Lightning Strike”. Few heavy metal bands have managed to scale the heights that Judas Priest have during their near 50-year career, and with a lineup featuring Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Richie Faulkner, Ian Hill, and Scott Travis, Judas Priest will be scorching across North America with some heavy metal Firepower again this summer and fall on tour with Deep Purple.

Tour dates:

August
21 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
22 - Chicago, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
24 - Detroit, MI - Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
25 - Mt. Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort
27 - Hamilton, ON - FirstOntario Centre
29 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
30 - Quebec City, QC - Centre Videotron

September
1 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
2 - Bethel Woods, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
5 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater
6 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
8 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
9 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion
11 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
12 - Jacksonville, FL - Daily's Place
14 - Atlanta, GA - Verizon Amphitheatre
16 - Biloxi, MS - Mississippi Coast Coliseum
18 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
20 - Welch, MN - Treasure Island Casino
21 - Council Bluffs, IA - Harrah's Council Bluffs
23 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
26 - San Diego, CA - Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
27 - Irvine, CA - FivePoint Amphitheatre
29 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
30 - Wheatland, CA - Toyota Amphitheatre