Full Breakdown
Ritchie Blackmore Reunites with Deep Purple for First Time in 33 Years
8/13/2026, 8:12:48 PM
Historic Reunion on Stage
On August 12, 2026, the founding guitarist Ritchie Blackmore joined Deep Purple onstage at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, for a single encore of the band’s signature 1972 track “Smoke on the Water.” The brief appearance marked Blackmore’s first performance with the group since his 1993 departure.
Background and Context
Ritchie Blackmore co-founded Deep Purple in 1968 and helped shape the band’s classic hard-rock sound through the early 1970s. After a turbulent exit in 1993, he declined to attend the band’s 2016 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction and spent the ensuing decades leading the Renaissance-inspired folk project Blackmore’s Night with his wife Candice Night. A short-lived Rainbow reunion in 2016–2019 briefly returned him to rock, but he has otherwise focused on acoustic music.
Key Figures
- Ritchie Blackmore — founding guitarist, age 81, now primarily a folk-rock performer.
- Ian Gillan — Deep Purple vocalist, who welcomed Blackmore back onstage.
- Roger Glover — bassist, part of the current touring lineup.
- Ian Paice — drummer, original member.
- Don Airey — keyboardist.
- Simon McBride — current Deep Purple guitarist, whose rig Blackmore noted as “very big.”
- Candice Night — vocalist, Blackmore’s partner, and co-host of the Instagram Live announcement.
Health and Preparation
Blackmore disclosed several physical challenges that required medical assistance before the show. He has four herniated lumbar discs, severe gout, arthritis, and a history of vertigo that forced the cancellation of Blackmore’s Night’s fall 2025 tour. Days before the concert he received a steroid injection in his lumbar area to enable standing while playing his Fender Stratocaster. He also changed the strings on the Strat for the first time in over 25 years and planned to use a small, extremely loud recording-amp, keeping a stool onstage as a backup.
Official Statements & Responses
- After the performance, Ian Gillan praised Blackmore, describing the moment as “an absolute pleasure” and thanking the “immortal” guitarist for joining the stage.
- Metal-focused podcast hosts Perrin Wolfson and Jimmy Kay, who streamed the latter part of Deep Purple’s set, declared the event “history has been made” and likened it to “walking on the moon.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Blackmore asserted that he had not played rock music in 25 years, yet multiple sources note his participation in a Rainbow reunion beginning in 2016, which contradicts that claim. The discrepancy highlights a gap between Blackmore’s personal framing of his recent activity and the documented concert history.
Verbatim Quotes
- “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.” — Ritchie Blackmore, deep purple’s official
- “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,” — Ritchie Blackmore, deep purple’s official
What’s Next
Blackmore emphasized that his appearance was limited to a single song and that he does not intend to rejoin the current tour. No further dates or additional collaborations have been announced.
