Why Ritchie Blackmore finally stepped back onstage with Deep Purple after 1993

Ritchie Blackmore has explained what led to his unexpected return to the Deep Purple stage, a moment many fans never expected to see again. The guitarist says the idea arrived suddenly, turned into a one song plan, and ended with a warmly received appearance alongside his former bandmates.

A short set appearance that carried a lot of history

Blackmore, now 81, joined Deep Purple at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, on August 12 and played Smoke On The Water. It was his first appearance with the band since 1993, a striking development given the long and often difficult distance that had existed between him and the group over the years.

His wife, Candice Night, had hinted at the appearance the day before the concert. Blackmore has now spoken about what happened in the first installment of a 13 part interview series with Phil Aston for Now Spinning magazine, where he described both how the idea came to him and how he reacted to the response.

According to Blackmore, the whole thing started with a thought that came to him while he was in bed. He said he began wondering whether he could simply join the band for one song because they were playing nearby at a venue he admired. He singled out Jones Beach as a place he had always wanted to play, mentioning its outdoor setting and its view over the water.

Why it became Smoke On The Water

Blackmore said he asked Night what she thought about reaching out to singer Ian Gillan to see whether it would be all right for him to come onstage just for Smoke On The Water and then leave again. Night supported the idea and sent an email to Gillan.

Blackmore said Gillan responded positively and that the rest of the band was also willing to do it. He stressed that he only wanted to do one song, and that Smoke On The Water felt like the obvious choice. He also said the song has long been especially big in the United States, even bigger there than it was in Europe.

He added that the appearance was promoted only lightly, just enough to let a little anticipation build. In his telling, that modest advance word helped boost ticket sales. Once he got to the venue, he said everyone around the band was extremely welcoming and helpful.

The actual performance was brief. Blackmore described it as lasting only three or four minutes, but said the crowd response was enormous. For a guitarist whose split from Deep Purple had once seemed final, that kind of reaction underlined just how much meaning fans still attach to the classic Mark II era and to the song most closely associated with the band.

What the reunion meant to Blackmore and Gillan

Blackmore said the appearance left him feeling good because it was like playing with old friends again. He also said that, despite the long gap, nobody in the band had really changed and that everyone was great. At the same time, he admitted there was a risk. In his view, the moment could easily have gone wrong, which would have made the whole thing embarrassing. Instead, he came away convinced it had been worth doing.

He framed the decision in simple terms. It was an idea that came to him unexpectedly, and he ultimately acted on it because there was no reason not to. He also added a more reflective note, saying people never really know whether they will have another chance to meet again.

Gillan has suggested that the reunion did not come entirely out of nowhere. Speaking in the new issue of Classic Rock, he said he was not especially surprised that it happened because he and Blackmore had been in touch for quite a long time. Gillan also said they are now on very good terms and that the old trouble between them belongs in the past.

That does not turn a single song into a full scale comeback. But it does explain why this appearance resonated so strongly. For fans who remember the years when any thaw between Blackmore and Deep Purple seemed unlikely, even a few minutes of Smoke On The Water at Jones Beach carried the weight of a much bigger story.