Ritchie Blackmore joined Deep Purple on stage for the first time in more than three decades last night – check out footage of the shock reunion below.
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Fans of the legendary rock group had long given up on the idea of seeing the band share the stage with founding guitarist Blackmore following their well-publicised estrangement, which dates back to the early ’90s, and left things so fraught, Blackmore didn’t show up at the band’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2016.
However, on Wednesday night (August 12), the band reunited for a song at the group’s Jones Beach gig in New York, with Blackmore joining them onstage for a rendition of the group’s 1972 classic, ‘Smoke on the Water’.
“It’s gonna be interesting,” Blackmore said in a podcast appearance ahead of the show, in which the 81-year-old guitar musician pre-emptively leaked news of his appearance a day early, in the hopes fans who’d been waiting several decades for this moment would be able to make it down to see it live. “I have not played rock music in 25 years.”
As the band wrapped up ‘Smoke in the Water’, vocalist Ian Gillan heaped praise on his former bandmate before he left the stage. “A couple of days ago, I got a message from a local lad, saying ‘I only live around the corner, do you mind if I come and jam with you?’ It was an absolute pleasure to have back on stage the founding member, the great legend, the immortal Ritchie Blackmore.”
Agradecido eternamente con la vida por traer la vuelta de Ritchie Blackmore aunque sea por 10 minutos. Te amo para siempre DP. pic.twitter.com/0jU1z5NVXx
— Santi G. (@SantiGianandrea) August 13, 2026
Acá el video completo, Ritchie Blackmore y Deep Purple tocando “Smoke on the Water” por primera vez en 33 años pic.twitter.com/dJkgLKJIix
— Matias Reynoso (@MatiasReynoso_) August 13, 2026
Richie Blackmore makes his first appearance with Deep Purple in 33 years.
Incredible. pic.twitter.com/yb7tCixggn
— Game Hunter (@MrGameHunter) August 13, 2026
Seeing Ritchie Blackmore standing there with Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Roger Glover, and Don Airey gives me chills. I think rock fans around the world have wanted to witness this moment for as long as they’re alive. Just as Candice said, it truly warms the heart. Thank you. https://t.co/GhKBYb8OC2
— 鈴木 新 (@SHiN_0322) August 13, 2026
Shedding light on the shock reunion during a livestream with his wife, singer Candice Night, Blackmore said: “I sent my AI pigeon to Ian Gillan in Portugal, where he lives at the moment, and I said, ‘How would you feel if I got up just for an encore on one of the songs. Don’t want to intrude.’
“And I said, ‘No pressure, just kind of old times’ sake.’ You know, I’m 81 now. So [Gillan] seemed to like the idea, put it to the band, got a thumbs up, and it looks like we might be doing that.”
He also addressed the health challenges associated with such a performance, particularly after trading his musical style for softer folk-rock post-Purple.
“I changed my strings on my Strat, which I haven’t done in over 25 years,” he revealed. “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, but I got used to it, and now I’m more used to playing the acoustic, more so than the electric.”
He went on to say he needed some medical assistance in being able to withstand playing ‘Smoke on the Water’, and had a lumbar injection in preperation.
“It’s a special injection I have that enables me to stand in one spot, because if I’m playing a Strat, I have a hard time,” he said. “I have four herniated discs, if anybody wants them. And I had my injection yesterday of a steroid which helps me get through standing on stage. But I have kind of a stool there, just in case I start toppling over or something.”
Deep Purple will be heading out on an extensive 86-date world tour later this year, including a huge show at London’s Royal Albert Hall on November 25. See the full list of dates here, while tickets are on sale now and you can find yours here (UK/Europe) and here (North America).
Last year, Gillan revealed he was losing his eyesight and said that retirement was “not far off”. “It’s one of those things. I’ve only got 30 per cent vision,” he said. “That won’t get better. It makes life mysterious. The hardest thing is working on my laptop. I can’t see anything on the screen unless I use my peripheral vision – I pick up a line by looking at it sideways. But you find a way. You adapt.”
