Ritchie Blackmore reunited with Deep Purple last night for the first time in 33 years. And what better song for them to perform together than “Smoke on the Water,” the 1972 hit that best defined the band during Blackmore’s time with it.
“It was an absolute pleasure to have back onstage the founding member, the great legend, the immortal… Ritchie Blackmore!” singer Ian Gillan said afterward. “It was a great pleasure. I’ll see you in the bar.”
Blackmore emerged from the side of the stage with his yellow Fender Stratocaster to cheers from the crowd at the Jones Beach Theater, near his home on Long Island.
Blackmore revealed the appearance during an Instagram Live with his wife Candice Night on August 11.
“There is something we wanted to mention about tomorrow night,” the 81-year-old guitarist said. “Well, it is a secret and I don’t want anybody to know, but I’ll probably get up and do an encore with the band, Deep Purple.”
Blackmore said he pitched the idea to Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan.
“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.”
The show marked the first time Blackmore has performed with Deep Purple since 1993. It was also his first return to rock music since he re-formed Rainbow in 2016 for a series of concerts that continued into 2019.
Blackmore admitted the performance would be “kind of frightening,” given how little he plays rock music these days. Since 1997 he has performed with the Renaissance-inspired folk band Blackmore’s Night, which he formed with his partner, vocalist and lyricist Candice Night. The duo blends traditional medieval melodies with modern acoustic instrumentation.
The band’s fall 2025 tour was abruptly cancelled after Blackmore suffered a case of vertigo. He’s also dealt with a heart issue, gout and four herniated disks in his lumbar region.
In anticipation of his Deep Purple appearance, Blackmore said he had a lumbar injection just days before.
“It’s a special injection I have that enables me to stand in one spot,” he explained on Instagram Live, “because if I’m playing a Strat onstage, I have a hard time with the shoulders and the lumbar area.”
