It was a huge cause for celebration when Ritchie Blackmore stepped on stage with Deep Purple for the first time in over three decades last week.
Blackmore joined the band he co-founded in 1968 to play their timeless classic Smoke on the Water at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, on August 12. It was his first appearance with the group since 1993, when he left the band mid-tour.
Yet there have been some cynical murmurings in the guitar community about his playing that night in New York. For some, the guitar solo Blackmore delivered was a little underwhelming.
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But the 81-year-old, who is recovering from a heart attack, took no prisoners when reflecting on his performance in an exclusive interview with Guitar Player.
“It was very moving because I went on very quickly and had to play immediately,” he said. “I couldn’t warm up, but I wasn’t there to be playing correct notes. I was there to see old friends.
“I hadn’t seen them in [nearly] 40 years, and we’re all getting older,” he added. “I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other, maybe.”
That might be tough to read for some Deep Purple fans, who would no doubt love a third Blackmore-Deep Purple reunion. But that’s the reality, and with health issues hugely limiting where he can play – the New York venue was a drivable distance from his Long Island home – that might have been his last hurrah with the band.
The reunion was the veteran guitarist’s move. He saw the band was in town and offered his services for a special appearance, then teased it online.
“I woke up one morning thinking, the day before their show, ‘You know it would be good for the fans if I just got up for one song, probably Smoke and just show that were not at each other’s throats and don’t hate each other,’” he told Guitar Player.
