Montreux Casino (Casino Barrière de Montreux) is a casino in Montreux, Switzerland, on the shore of Lake Geneva. It has served as a venue for the Montreux Jazz Festival and was rebuilt following a 1971 fire, immortalised in the Deep Purple song “Smoke on the Water”. On 4 December 1971, Montreux Casino was destroyed by a fire that began during a The Mothers of Invention concert when a fan fired a flare gun.

English rock group Deep Purple, who had planned to record the album “Machine Head” at the venue, were forced to find an alternative recording location. Their song “Smoke on the Water” was written about the incident.

We all came out to Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline / To make records with a mobile – We didn’t have much time / Frank Zappa & the Mothers were at the best place around / But some stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground / Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky…

ADDRESS:
Rue du Théâtre 9, 1820 Montreux, Switzerland

Back to Montreux.