Ritchie Blackmore reunited onstage with Deep Purple after more than 30 years to perform iconic ’70s tune Smoke on the Water.
The guitarist had confirmed the day before that he was set to make a surprise appearance during the legendary band’s headlining show at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, on Wednesday night (12.08.26).
They ended up playing 1972’s Smoke on the Water towards the end of the set.
Frontman Ian Gillan gushed over his bandmate after the performance: “A couple of days ago, I got a message from a local lad, saying ‘I only live around the corner, do you mind if I come and jam with you?’ It was an absolute pleasure to have back on stage the founding member, the great legend, the immortal Ritchie Blackmore.”
Blackmore last performed with Deep Purple in 1993.
The 81‑year‑old rock legend had joked that the cameo was meant to be “a secret”.
He reached out to frontman Ian – via what he jokingly called his “AI pigeon” – to ask whether he could jump in for a song “for old times’ sake”. Ian and the rest of the band gave him the thumbs up.
During an Instagram Live with his wife Candice Night the day before, Ritchie said: ”There is something we wanted to mention about tomorrow night… Well, it is a secret and I don’t want anybody to know, but I’m probably get up and do an encore with the band, Deep Purple. But you can’t tell anybody, and I know that this is gonna be kept a secret. And will it? I suppose so.”
Regarding how the idea for his guest appearance came about, he continued: “I actually called up… I didn’t call him up, I sent my AI pigeon to [Deep Purple singer] Ian Gillan in Portugal, where he lives at the moment. 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.’ 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 guitarist even changed the strings on his Stratocaster for the first time in 25 years.
Ritchie also spoke candidly about his health, referencing a severe vertigo attack in late 2025 that forced him to cancel shows, along with ongoing issues including gout, arthritis in his fingers and feet, and past heart problems. Despite the challenges, he said he was eager to see his former bandmates again.
He said: “I have not played rock music in 25 years… it’ll be good to see the old guys again.”
The musician added that he wanted fans to know ahead of time because “a lot of people would like to see that,” stressing that the reunion will be brief: “It’s just the one song, I think.”
Ritchie originally left Deep Purple in 1975, before dramatically quitting a second time midway through their 1993 tour.