A reunion that once seemed almost impossible is now set to happen.
Ritchie Blackmore is expected to make a special appearance with Deep Purple tonight (August 12) when the band performs at Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York. The legendary guitarist revealed that he plans to join his former bandmates during the concert, marking his first performance with Deep Purple in more than 30 years.
Blackmore shared the news during an Instagram Live session with his wife, Candice Night, on Tuesday. While the guitarist initially described the appearance as a secret, he ultimately decided to tell fans about his plans.
He said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “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.
Fans hoping for “Highway Star” will apparently have to wait. Night revealed that Blackmore will not be performing the classic song because Deep Purple are already opening their set with it.
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 has made it clear that this isn’t intended to be the beginning of a full-time return to Deep Purple. Instead, the planned performance is a one-song appearance meant to give fans a chance to see the classic guitarist alongside his former bandmates one more time.
He explained why he decided to reveal the news before the concert: “I just thought it might be an idea to let a few people know ’cause I think a lot of people would like to see that. So hopefully my guitar stays in tune, and I can play whatever song is going to be played. It’s just the one song, I think.”
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.
