Deep Purple cancel Leipzig and Hamburg after Ian Gillan is taken to hospital

Deep Purple have cancelled two German shows after a medical emergency involving their singer, Ian Gillan. The band announced on social media on the morning of 31 October 2026 that Gillan is in hospital receiving care, and that they could not play the QI Arena in Leipzig that night or the Sporthalle in Hamburg on 1 November.

No details of the emergency have been shared, and nothing has been said about his condition beyond the hospital stay. We are not going to guess. Gillan is 81.

What happens to the tickets

The band says it is focused on finding a suitable time to reschedule both shows, and that tickets already bought will be valid for the new dates. No new dates have been announced yet. Anyone holding a ticket for either night should watch the venue and ticketing pages for details.

What is still on the calendar

The Leipzig and Hamburg shows were part of the band's run behind Splat!, their new studio album, released on 3 July 2026 on earMUSIC and produced by Bob Ezrin, who has worked on every Deep Purple record since 2013's Now What?!. Simon McBride has played guitar in the band since Steve Morse left in 2022.

The UK dates are still listed at the time of writing: Newcastle, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and London's Eventim Apollo, running 18 to 24 November 2026. The band has not said whether they are affected, and we will update this story if that changes.

Deep Purple formed in Hertfordshire in 1968 and made the riff to "Smoke on the Water" one of the most recognisable in rock. Gillan has sung with them, on and off, since 1969. For now, the only news that matters is the one the band is waiting on too.