Ritchie Blackmore is preparing to step back onto a Deep Purple stage for the first time in more than three decades.
The founding guitarist says he plans to join the band during its Wednesday night concert at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, for what is expected to be a brief encore appearance. If it happens as announced, it will mark Blackmore’s first live performance with Deep Purple since his departure in 1993.
Blackmore revealed that he reached out to singer Ian Gillan about the possibility of appearing for a single song rather than taking on a larger role in the show. According to Blackmore, Gillan welcomed the suggestion and the rest of the band also approved the idea.
The reunion is especially notable because Blackmore’s history with Deep Purple has included years of tension and missed opportunities to reconnect.
As one of the group’s founding members, Blackmore helped shape the guitar-heavy sound that made Deep Purple one of the defining bands of hard rock. His songwriting credits include several of the group’s best-known tracks, among them “Smoke on the Water,” “Highway Star” and “Space Truckin’.”
Blackmore first left Deep Purple in the 1970s and went on to form Rainbow, later returning to Deep Purple in the 1980s. His second departure came in 1993 following a turbulent European tour and mounting friction within the group.
Deep Purple continued without him, briefly bringing in Joe Satriani before hiring Steve Morse as its long-term guitarist. Morse remained with the band until 2022, with Simon McBride eventually taking over guitar duties.
Blackmore offered praise for both McBride and Morse while discussing the upcoming appearance, adding some self-deprecating humor about returning to a louder rock setting after spending much of the past quarter century playing acoustic guitar.
For years, the possibility of Blackmore sharing a stage with Deep Purple again seemed remote.
That was particularly clear around the band’s 2016 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although Blackmore was part of the group’s celebrated history, he did not attend the ceremony after it became clear he would not be performing with the current lineup.
Gillan had also previously spoken against the idea of bringing Blackmore back into the band’s live setup, even while maintaining that old personal disagreements were no longer the main issue.
The planned Jones Beach appearance suggests that those boundaries have softened.
Blackmore’s health may also add emotional weight to the moment. According to the story, the guitarist suffered a heart attack in 2025 and faced months of difficulty with both travel and performing.
There has been no indication that the reunion will extend beyond the New York concert. For now, it appears to be a special appearance rather than the beginning of a formal return.
Still, even one song would carry considerable historical weight. More than 30 years after one of rock’s most famous guitar partnerships came to an end, Blackmore and Deep Purple appear ready to share a stage again.
