Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan recently revealed how former guitarist Ritchie Blackmore reached out to him to join the band on stage for the first time in over three decades, as seen in a fan’s video shared on YouTube. The reunion took place during the band’s headlining concert on August 12 at Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York.
Blackmore, who co-founded Deep Purple in 1968, had not shared a stage with the band since his acrimonious exit during the 1993 tour for The Battle Rages On, when musical and personal tensions with Gillan made continued collaboration untenable. He had previously left the group in 1975 and returned for the 1984 Perfect Strangers reunion before departing again.
During the August 12 show, Gillan addressed the crowd to explain how the surprise encore appearance came together after Blackmore contacted him directly.
“I’ve gotta say something,” Gillan said. “A couple of days ago, I got a message. A couple of days ago, I got a message from a local lad. 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 then expressed his gratitude about sharing the stage with the legendary guitarist once again.
“And I tell you, it was an absolute pleasure to have back on stage the founder member, the great legend, the immortal Ritchie Blackmore,” Gillan continued. “Thanks, Ritchie. I have to say it was a great pleasure. I’ll see you in the bar.”
Reports confirm Blackmore joined Deep Purple for the encore, including a performance of the classic “Smoke on the Water.” The guitarist had recently noted that he had not played rock music in 25 years while remaining active with his Renaissance-influenced project Blackmore’s Night. The long-frosty relationship between the two musicians thawed enough for this historic one-off moment, marking the first time they performed together in more than 30 years.
