Ritchie Blackmore Plans Deep Purple Reunion Onstage for First Time Since 1993

Ritchie Blackmore said on Tuesday, August 11, 2026 that he plans to join Deep Purple onstage for an encore at the band’s headline concert the following night, August 12, 2026, at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York. The 81-year-old guitarist made the announcement during an Instagram Live appearance with his wife, Candice Night, calling it a “secret” moment before revealing the plan.

If it happens, the appearance would mark Blackmore’s first time performing with Deep Purple since November 17, 1993, when he last played with the band in Helsinki, Finland, while touring The Battle Rages On… album.

• Blackmore co-founded Deep Purple in 1968, left in 1975 to form Rainbow, rejoined in 1984 to reform the band’s Mark II lineup, and departed for the final time in 1993.
• Current Deep Purple members Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice were also part of Blackmore’s final lineup with the band in 1993.
• Blackmore lives on Long Island, New York, near Port Jefferson, with Night and their two children.

How Ritchie Blackmore Arranged the Deep Purple Reunion

Blackmore said he reached out to Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, who lives in Portugal, joking that he sent his “A.I. pigeon” with a request to get up for just one song “for old times’ sake.” He said Gillan “seemed to love the idea,” put it to the rest of the band, and gave him a “thumbs up.”

Blackmore said he expects to play only one song during the encore. Candice Night said the song would not be “Highway Star,” since Deep Purple opens the show with that track.

Ritchie Blackmore’s Preparations for the Show

Blackmore said he plans to use a small but very loud amplifier, the same one he uses when recording, and hopes he can “compete” with current Deep Purple guitarist Simon McBride, whom he called “a very good guitar player.” He also praised former Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse as “a great guitar player.”

Blackmore said he changed the strings on his Fender Stratocaster for the first time in more than 25 years to get ready for the appearance. He said he has not played rock music in 25 years and now mostly plays acoustic guitar, though he did perform rock shows with a reformed lineup of Rainbow from 2016 to 2019.

Ritchie Blackmore’s Health Ahead of the Deep Purple Appearance

Blackmore said he has four herniated discs in his lower back and received a steroid injection in his lumbar area the day before the show, administered by doctors at Stony Brook University Hospital, to help him stand onstage. He said he plans to have a stool available “in case I start toppling over or something.”

Blackmore also cited other chronic health issues, including gout, arthritis in his fingers and feet, and a previous heart condition. He said a severe vertigo attack in late 2025 forced him to cancel tour dates with Blackmore’s Night.

More Info

• Ritchie Blackmore to play with Deep Purple for the first time since ’93 tonight: “Well, it is a secret, and I don’t want anybody to know, but I’m probably going up to do an encore” | MusicRadar
• Ritchie Blackmore Reveals Surprise Deep Purple Reunion Plans | Ultimate Classic Rock
• Ritchie Blackmore is planning on playing with Deep Purple tonight, an occurrence more rare than today’s total solar eclipse | Louder / Classic Rock
• Ritchie Blackmore Confirms Deep Purple Reunion Plan for One Encore, First in 33 Years: ‘I’ll Be Using a Small Amplifier’ | Ultimate Guitar News
• Ritchie Blackmore to Reunite With Deep Purple on Stage After More Than 30 Years | Classic Rock subreddit
• Ritchie Blackmore to reunite with Deep Purple for the first time in over 30 years: “I changed my strings on my Strat, which I haven’t done in over 25 years” | Guitar World
• RITCHIE BLACKMORE Says He Will Perform With DEEP PURPLE For First Time In More Than Three Decades | Blabbermouth
• Ritchie Blackmore to reunite with Deep Purple on stage for first time in 33 years: For old times sake | Far Out Magazine