Montreux 2024 – Smoke on the Water Event
In July 2024, the Montreux Jazz Festival turned its attention to its own history.
On Sunday, July 7th, I was invited to take part in an afternoon event held in the Memphis Room.
On Sunday, July 7th, I was invited to take part in an afternoon event held in the Memphis Room.
It was a pleasure to participate in the event and to share my memories of the Casino fire during Frank Zappa’s concert in 1971. I was one of three guests invited to take part in the discussion. One of the other participants was a member of the organization and was present on the night of the fire.
The event also gave me the opportunity to discover La notte del fumo sull’acqua (The Night of the Smoke on the Water), a book by Italian photographer and author Moreno Nicoloso, who also attended the event on 7 July 2024. Richly illustrated with photographs, it recounts his impressions of his trip to Montreux in 1971, the concert itself, and the fire in considerable detail. Some parts are close to my own recollections, while others seem less consistent with what I personally witnessed that night.
I saw Deep Purple perform at the Casino hall in early 1971. They were back in Montreux later that year, in December, to record an album. During that stay, they were present at Frank Zappa’s concert when the fire broke out — an event that inspired their famous song Smoke on the Water.
Three members of Deep Purple attended the 7 July 2024 event. They came on stage after our session but did not wish to meet the other participants.
It would have been nice to share a few memories from when I saw them play there at 15, but it was not to be.
Three members of Deep Purple attended the 7 July 2024 event. They came on stage after our session but did not wish to meet the other participants.
It would have been nice to share a few memories from when I saw them play there at 15, but it was not to be.
The building where the 2024 event took place was previously known as the Pavillon, and this is where the Montreux Pop concerts were held for a time after the Casino fire.
It has since been remodeled and renamed, but I remember attending concerts there in 1972 by Pink Floyd, Caravan, Led Zeppelin, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, before concerts outside the Jazz Festival eventually came to an end.
It has since been remodeled and renamed, but I remember attending concerts there in 1972 by Pink Floyd, Caravan, Led Zeppelin, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, before concerts outside the Jazz Festival eventually came to an end.
