Ritchie Blackmore is set for a surprise reunion with Deep Purple tonight (Aug. 12) in Wantagh, New York. This would be the guitarist’s first time on stage with the group he cofounded in more than three decades.
“Well, it is a secret and I don’t want anybody to know, but I’m probably going to get up and do an encore with the band Deep Purple,” Blackmore, 81, revealed during an Instagram livestream on Tuesday (Aug. 11) with his wife Candice Night. “But you can’t tell anybody, and I know that this is gonna be kept a secret. And will it? I suppose so.”
Blackmore last performed with Deep Purple in 1993, while on tour in support of The Battle Rages On …, which just missed the U.K. Top 20. He’d reformed Deep Purple in 1984, after leading the original band from 1968 to 1975.
When Is Ritchie Blackmore Reuniting With Deep Purple?
The current Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, and stalwart co-founding drummer Ian Paice were also part of Blackmore’s final lineup with the group. Other than a brief return with his Deep Purple successor band Rainbow in the mid-’10s, he’s since focused on ren-faire music with Blackmore's Night.
“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,” Blackmore added. “And 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 said he assured Gillan that there was “no pressure” and that any appearance would simply be for “old times’ sake.” “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 81-year-old Blackmore said.
Blackmore also explained his roadie had already traveled ahead to get things set up for Deep Purple’s concert at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater. Blackmore lives on Long Island, New York, with Night and their children.
“I hope I can compete with the [current Deep Purple] guitar player [Simon McBride],” Blackmore admitted, “because I can see that he has very big amplifiers behind him … He’s a very good guitar player – as was, and is, [former Deep Purple replacement] Steve Morse, a great guitar player.”
READ MORE: Ritchie Blackmore Details the Night Christopher Cross Replaced Him
Blackmore has been battling health issues, including a bout with vertigo that forced the cancellation of 2025 dates with Blackmore’s Night, which he cofounded with Candice Night. He’s also had chronic challenges with arthritis, a bad back and a previous heart condition.
“It’ll be good to see the old guys again,” Blackmore concluded. “I think we’ll all be on crutches and wheelchairs and things, although I think the rest of them are okay. But, yes, it’s kind of frightening… I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for 25 years.”
Blackmore did, however, re-engage with his electric guitar from 2016 through 2019, playing a little over a dozen shows with Rainbow.
See the full livestream below (notably, the video post is audio only with a blacked-out screen).
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Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire
