After more than three decades apart, Ritchie Blackmore has finally shared the stage with Deep Purple again.
The legendary guitarist joined his former band during their concert at Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, on Wednesday night (August 12), marking his first live performance with the group since 1993.
Blackmore’s return came at the end of Deep Purple‘s set, when the 81-year-old guitarist walked onto the stage to join the band for “Smoke on the Water.” The moment was met with a huge reaction from the audience, with fans loudly cheering the arrival of one of the band’s most iconic former members.
The reunion had been anticipated by fans since Blackmore announced his plans the previous day during an Instagram Live session with his wife, Candice Night. However, seeing the guitarist actually walk onto the Deep Purple stage after 33 years still proved to be a special moment.
Following the performance, Ian Gillan addressed the crowd and explained how the reunion came together. Standing alongside Blackmore, the singer said: “I’ve gotta say something. A couple of days ago, I got a message. I got a letter from this man saying, ‘I only live around the corner. Do you mind if I come and jam with you?’ And it was an absolute pleasure to have back onstage, the founder member, the great legend, the immortal, Ritchie Blackmore!”
“Thanks, Ritchie. I have to say, it was a great pleasure. I’ll see you in the bar.”
Blackmore had already revealed the reunion before the show, initially saying that he hoped to join Deep Purple for an encore and perform a single song.
“There is something we wanted to mention about tomorrow night… Well, it is a secret and I don’t want anybody to know, but I’m probably get up and do an encore with the band, Deep Purple. But you can’t tell anybody, and I know that this is gonna be kept a secret. And will it? I suppose so.”
The planned reunion came about after Blackmore contacted Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan to ask whether he could join the group for an encore.
Blackmore explained: “I actually called up… I didn’t call him up, I sent my A.I. pigeon to Ian Gillan in Portugal, where he lives at the moment. And I said, ‘How would you feel about if I got up just for an encore? Just one of the songs. I don’t want to intrude.’ And I said, ‘No pressure — just kind of [for] old times’ sake.’ I’m 81 now. So he seemed to love the idea, put it to the band, got a thumbs up, and it looks like we might be doing that.”
Gillan apparently took the idea to the rest of Deep Purple, with the band giving Blackmore the green light for the special appearance.
“I have my roadie there kind of now, setting up my amplifier,” he further revealed. “But I’ll be using a small amplifier, but it’s very loud. It’s what I use when I record. I hope I can compete with the [current Deep Purple] guitar player [Simon McBride], ’cause I can see that he has very big amplifiers behind him. So, it’d probably just be the one number, as it’s been a while. I changed my strings on my Strat, which I haven’t done in over 25 years… I hope the guy out in the front can turn me up. I’ve got my roadie there for a soundcheck.
Blackmore says returning to the Deep Purple stage feels like something of a challenge after spending so much time away from electric rock music.
“[Simon] is a very good guitar player. As was, and is, [former Deep Purple guitarist] Steve Morse, is a great guitar player.
“So, that’s gonna be interesting. I have not played rock music in 25 years, actually,” Blackmore added. “It’ll be good to see the old guys again. I think we’ll all be on crutches and wheelchairs and things, although I think the rest of them are okay. But, yes, it’s kind of frightening. I haven’t played rock in 25 years… I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for 25 years, and at first I was very uncomfortable playing it, but I got used to it, and now I’m used to playing the acoustic more so than the electric.”
The 81-year-old guitarist is also dealing with several physical problems that could make the performance more difficult.
Blackmore previously suffered a debilitating vertigo attack in late 2025 that resulted in canceled performances. He has also dealt with gout, arthritis and other chronic issues affecting his back, hands and feet.
Ahead of the Deep Purple performance, Blackmore revealed that he recently underwent a steroid injection to help him remain standing during the concert.
“I did have my injection in my lumbar area yesterday,” Ritchie said. “It’s a special injection I have that enables me to stand in one spot, because if I’m playing a Strat on stage, I have a hard time with the shoulders and the lumbar area. I’ve got four herniated discs, if anybody wants them. And I had my injection yesterday of a steroid which helps me get through standing up on stage. But I do have a kind of a stool there just in case I start toppling over or something. But I know that Ian Gillan has his maladies too with his eyesight, I think. And so as you get older, you collect all these things… And fusion is out of the question. That’s too big a job. But the stem cell stuff looks interesting. So I’m kind of recovering from that at the moment. I’m on steroid. And it’s very hard to sleep when you’re on steroids, but I’m on one steroid. And thanks to the doctors at Stony Brook [University Hospital]; they were excellent. I didn’t feel hardly any pain. But I think we’ve all got something to complain about. I just have more things to complain about than usual. And if don’t complain, I’ll find something to complain about.”
Blackmore remains one of the most important figures in Deep Purple‘s history.
He was part of the band’s original lineup in 1968 and played a key role in shaping its heavy, guitar-driven sound. During his time with the group, he performed on landmark albums including Deep Purple In Rock, Machine Head, Who Do We Think We Are, Burn and Perfect Strangers.
His first departure from Deep Purple came in 1975, when he went on to establish Rainbow. Blackmore returned to Deep Purple in 1984, remaining with the band until 1993.
His final show with Deep Purple took place in November 1993 in Helsinki, Finland, during the tour for The Battle Rages On…. Following his departure, Joe Satriani briefly stepped in before Steve Morse eventually took over the guitar position.
