Deep Purple reconnected with one of the architects of its sound on Wednesday (8/12), when Ritchie Blackmore jammed with his old band at Northwell at Jones Beach Theater.
The guitar hero is who is now 81 and a resident of nearby Long Island let the cat out of the bag on Tuesday of the reunion which marked his first time with the classic rock legends since 1993.
Blackmore said he approached singer Ian Gillan about making a brief appearance “for old times’ sake.”
"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,'" Blackmore explained in his Instagram Live on Tuesday,
"And I said, 'No pressure – just kind of 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 guitarist said.
Deep Purple did not wait until the encore to play with their former leader.
After a keyboard solo, "Perfect Strangers" and "Space Truckin'," out came Blackmore to a standing ovation from 15,000 in attendance.
Alongside Gillan (lead vocals, harmonica, percussion), Roger Glover (bass guitar, backing vocals), Ian Paice (drums, percussion), Don Airey (keyboards, organ), and Simon McBride (guitar, backing vocals), Blackmore walked out next to the drum riser with a white Strat, waved to the crowd, plugged in, and they performed "Smoke on the Water," for the first time in decades.
When it was over Gillan took it all in and told the crowd how it made him feel.
"I've gotta say something. A couple of days ago, I got a message. I got a letter from this man saying, 'I only live around the corner. Do you mind if I come and jam with you?'" he said embracing Ritchie.
"And it was an absolute pleasure to have back onstage, the founder member, the great legend, the immortal, Ritchie Blackmore! Thanks, Ritchie," Gillan said, wrapping up. "I have to say, it was a great pleasure. I'll see you in the bar."
Blackmore co-founded Deep Purple in 1968 with keyboardist Jon Lord, drummer Ian Paice, singer Rod Evans and bassist Nick Simper. That lineup had a #5 hit with its cover of Joe South’s “Hush.”
But it was in that magical year of 1969 when Deep Purple replaced Evans and Simper for Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. It resulted in the infamous Mark II lineup featuring Gillan's voice, Blackmore’s Strat, and Lord’s nimble Hammond organ that provided the unique sound that truly launched them.
Three classics arrived in three consecutive years: Deep Purple in Rock (1970), followed by Fireball in 1971, and Machine Head in 1972 were must-buys.
Machine Head alone produced “Highway Star,” “Lazy,” “Space Truckin’” and, most importantly, “Smoke on the Water,” where Blackmore's four-note signature riff became one of the first pieces of music any aspiring guitarist would learn.
Deep Purple toured mercilessly and their 1972 excursion to Japan produced one of heavy rock's best live albums, Made in Japan, forged from gigs in Osaka and Tokyo.
It provided an even better option than a greatest hits package as fans could hear Blackmore, Lord and Gillan reimagine “Space Truckin’,” “Smoke on the Water” and “Highway Star,” with extended jams and improvisation.
Machine Head, through all of this, stuck stubbornly on the US album chart for nearly two years.
And nearly as quickly as it peaked, it crumbled apart. In 1973 Gillan and Glover departed. Blackmore remained and welcomed David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes who all created Burn and Stormbringer in 1974.
The new guys wanted to get deeper into soul and funk, which didn't sit well with Blackmore who was also not so thrilled with the business sides of things and the general vibe of the rejiggered crew.
In 1975 he left and built a group around a little singer named Ronnie James Dio. Together they made Rainbow. That project gave us “Man on the Silver Mountain,” “Stargazer” and “Long Live Rock ’n’ Roll.”
Eventually Dio left because Blackmore wanted some of those tasty Top 40 hits, while Ronnie wanted to delve into the darkness.
Blackmore got his wish with singers Graham Bonnet and later Joe Lynn Turner who created “Since You Been Gone,” “I Surrender” and “Stone Cold.”
Rainbow headlined the inaugural Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park in 1980. Dio replaced Ozzy in Black Sabbath, probably the only person on the planet who could pull it off.
Blackmore dropped Rainbow in 1984 to reunite Deep Purple’s Mark II lineup. They created Perfect Strangers in 1984, one of the most successful comeback albums of the '80s, going Top 5 in the UK and Top 20 in the States.
Sadly Blackmore and Gillan continued to agitate each other, and despite changes in personnel, Ritchie tapped out, playing his last Deep Purple concert in Helsinki, Finland, on November 17, 1993.
Since 1997 along with singer Candice Night, who eventually became his wife, he formed Blackmore’s Night, turning his back on hard rock arenas in favor of Renaissance-inspired folk and that olde school medieval music of yore.
For the last 15 years Ritchie has battled ongoing health problems including vertigo, arthritis, heart conditions and back problems, which he addressed in his IG Live and also told Ultimate Classic Rock in May.
“I woke up one morning when we were on tour, and I had vertigo,” he said. “I've had heart problems, gout problems, and pain, but vertigo is the worst thing I've ever been involved with. You're very dizzy to the point where you have no control over any part of your body; you can't even think properly.
“It was like I was in a fishing boat at sea in the biggest gale you could imagine. I had to grab hold of anything I could find to stop from falling down. That scared the hell out of me,” he recalled.
If Ritchie wanted to hop on stage with the boys again, he's got plenty of opportunities. Deep Purple will be touring around North America through September and then they scoot over to Europe.
Get your tix on Deep Purple's website.
Splat! Tour 2026
8/13 Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
8/15 Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
8/17 Place Bell, Laval, QC, Canada
8/18 RBC Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON, Canada
8/19 Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
8/21 Pine Knob Music Theatre, Detroit, MI
8/22 Seneca Allegany Casino, Salamanca, NY
8/24 Everwise Amphitheatre, Indianapolis, IN
8/25 Ravinia, Highland Park, IL
8/27 Mystic Lake Casino, Prior Lake, MN
8/29 Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
8/31 Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB, Canada
9/2 Abbotsford Centre, Abbotsford, BC, Canada
9/4 Thunder Valley, Lincoln, CA
9/5 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
9/6 Yaamava’ Theatre, Highland, CA
9/8 North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
9/10 Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, NV
9/11 Long Beach Amphitheater, Long Beach, CA
9/12 Nugget Event Center, Sparks, NV
9/29 8888 Arena, Sofia, Bulgaria
10/1 BT Arena, Cluj, Romania
10/2 Laszlo Papp Arena, Budapest, Hungary
10/4 Tipos Arena, Bratislava, Slovakia
10/5 Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria
10/7 O2 Arena, Prague, Czechia
10/8 Atlas Arena, Lodz, Poland
10/10 Stark Arena, Belgrade, Serbia
10/11 Boris Trajkovski Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia
10/13 Telekom Centre Arena, Athens, Greece
10/16 Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
10/17 Unipol Forum, Milan, Italy
10/19 Sant Jordi Club, Barcelona, Spain
10/20 Movistar Arena, Madrid, Spain
10/22 Adidas Arena, Paris, France
10/23 Lotto Arena, Antwerp, Belgium
10/25 Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
10/26 Avicii Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
10/28 Spektrum Arena, Oslo, Norway
10/29 Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
10/31 QI Arena, Leipzig, Germany
11/1 Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany
11/3 Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
11/4 Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
11/6 Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
11/7 Arena, Nuremberg, Germany
11/9 Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Netherlands
11/10 Zenith, Strasbourg, France
11/12 Arkéa Arena, Bordeaux, France
11/13 Zenith, Nantes, France
11/15 LDLC Arena, Lyon, France
11/18 Utilita Arena, Newcastle, UK
11/19 OVO Hydro, Glasgow, UK
11/21 BP Pulse Arena, Birmingham, UK
11/22 AO Arena, Manchester, UK
11/24 Eventim Apollo, London, UK
11/25 Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
12/5 Suhai Hall, São Paulo, Brazil
12/8 Movistar Arena, Santiago, Chile
12/10 Movistar Arena, Buenos Aires, Argentina
12/13 Arena Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico
12/16 Arena Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico
12/19 Estadio Fray Nano, Mexico City, Mexico.
