Photo: AFP
Longtime Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse is taking a leave of absence from the band through July to attend to "a family matter."
Morse remains a full member of the legendary hard rock band, however, and is expected to return later this year when he is able.
Guitarist Simon McBride has been hired to fill in for Morse of Deep Purple's European tour.
Deep Purple appeared ready to retire a few years ago when it announced the 'Long Goodbye' tour. But as the band got back into its groove (following some health issues with various members), the members began riding another creative wave, releasing three new studio albums in four years.
Keyboardist Don Airey explained in a January interview with Rolling Stone that Deep Purple has given up hope for a grand finale to their career. Instead, he says, the band will likely go out with a "whimper" instead of a bang.
Morse himself, who succeeded Ritchie Blackmore in the band in 1994, admitted to Q104.3 New York's QNA in 2020 that part of him was looking forward to retirement at the conclusion of the 'Long Goodbye.'
"I have since discovered that the other band members of Deep Purple are actually from an alien civilization and they took human form," Morse joked. "They have a lifespan of 300 year or so, so they're not even middle-aged yet.
"That's a problem for me because I'm not from that. So I don't know if I can live long enough to keep up with these guys. We'll see."
After its summer shows, Deep Purple has more dates booked for October - November. See all the tour dates here.