By Ryan O'Connell
The Express-Times
Fans of classic rock 'n' roll are sure to be found at Musikfest's RiverPlace stage Thursday singing along to "Smoke on the Water" with all their might when Deep Purple comes to Bethlehem.
Considered pioneers of hard rock in the 1960s and '70s, the British rock band, after a few turbulent years, is going strong once again.
Any hardcore fan will tell you that the band has gone through some rough spots. Plenty of dissent among members has caused a total of eight different lineups (commonly referred to as "marks" by the Deep Purple community), a brief disbandment and now a strong re-establishment that has been going since 1984.
The lineup that Musikfest visitors can expect includes Ian Gillan on lead vocals, Steve Morse on guitar, Don Airey on keyboards, Roger Glover on bass and Ian Paice on drums.
"We're mark 8," says Airey, who replaced Jon Lord on keyboard in 2002. "We've got three of the originals," he says, referring to Gillan, Glover and Paice, who performed with one of the most successful lineups, mark 2.
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