Blackmore rejoins Deep Purple after 33 years
The legendary guitarist and co-founder of the band joined his colleagues on stage in New York, and fans are now dreaming of a full reunion tour.
The legendary guitarist and co-founder of the band joined his colleagues on stage in New York, and fans are now dreaming of a full reunion tour.
The emotional moment Deep Purple fans had been waiting for over three decades occurred on Wednesday night when Ritchie Blackmore, the band's guitarist and co-founder, took the stage and joined his old bandmates. Together they performed the legendary "Smoke on the Water," marking his first performance with the band since November 17, 1993.
Frontman Ian Gillan addressed the audience before Blackmore came on stage, recounting how it all began. "I have something to say. A few days ago, I received a letter from this man saying, 'I live just around the corner. Do you mind if I come and play with you?' And it was a real pleasure to have on stage again the founder, the great legend, the immortal Ritchie Blackmore!" Gillan said, as reported by Rolling Stone.
Blackmore had hinted at a possible reunion the day before on Instagram, where he explained how he had contacted Gillan. "Actually, I called-no, I didn't call-I sent my A.I. pigeon to Ian Gillan in Portugal, where he currently lives. And I said, 'How would you feel if I just came up for the encore? Just one of the songs. I don't want to impose.' He seemed to like the idea, he brought it to the band, got the thumbs up, and it looks like we might do it," Blackmore recounted.
Shortly before the concert began, Candice Night, Blackmore's wife and member of Blackmore's Night, posted a backstage photo featuring Blackmore and members of Deep Purple. "Well, this warms my heart..." she wrote on Instagram, further fueling fans' belief that the historic moment would actually happen.
After the performance, Gillan addressed the audience once more: "Thank you, Ritchie. I must say, it was a great pleasure. See you at the bar."
Blackmore was on stage only for "Smoke on the Water," and sources do not mention any concrete plans for future appearances. Nevertheless, this event will surely fuel fans' hopes for a possible reunion tour, although the guitarist is still recovering from a heart attack that has kept him from playing his own concerts since November 2025. Corriere della Sera reports that the 81-year-old Blackmore had serious health issues in 2025, but judging by the video from the performance, he appears to have recovered well.
During his Instagram announcement, Blackmore praised Deep Purple's current guitarist Simon McBride, as well as former guitarist Steve Morse. "I hope I can compete with Simon McBride. Because I see he has very big amplifiers behind him... He's a very good guitarist, as was and is Steve Morse, a great guitarist," Blackmore said.
Sources disagree on the exact location of the concert. Rolling Stone reports that the performance took place at Jones Beach in New York, while Corriere della Sera mentions Wantagh in New York State. It is possible that these refer to the same location, as Jones Beach is near Wantagh, but this is not explicitly confirmed in any source.
The author of the Corriere della Sera article, Marta Blumi Tripodi, highlighted that this is a scene rock fans did not expect, and fans are now dreaming of a full reunion tour with "all the classics." Although there are no indications of future performances, this moment provides a perfect closing scene for a potential future documentary or biopic about Deep Purple.
