Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan addressed Ritchie Blackmore’s surprise appearance with the band on stage. The appearance marked the founding guitarist’s first performance with the group in more than three decades. The moment was captured in a fan’s video of Ian Gillan’s speech.
Gillan’s comments came during Deep Purple’s headlining concert on August 12 in New York. Blackmore joined the band unannounced during the show. The singer used the moment to explain how the reunion came about. He revealed that Blackmore had personally reached out to him with an offer to perform together one more time.
“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?'”
Gillan then reflected on what it meant to share the stage with Blackmore again after so many years apart.
“And I tell you, it was an absolute pleasure to have back on stage the founder member, the great legend, the immortal Ritchie Blackmore,” he continued.
He closed his remarks with a brief, warm message directed at his former bandmate.
“Thanks, Ritchie. I have to say it was a great pleasure. I’ll see you in the bar,” Gillan said.
The unexpected reunion has drawn significant attention from fans of the band, many of whom had long hoped to see Blackmore share the stage with Deep Purple once again.
The reunion carries even more weight when placed in its proper historical context. Blackmore’s return to the stage with his former bandmates closes a gap that had lasted 33 years. The guitarist’s last performance with Deep Purple took place back in 1993.
The show itself unfolded at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, a venue that has long hosted major touring acts on the East Coast. Blackmore quietly slipped back into a role he had not filled in a generation, performing in front of a hometown-adjacent crowd.
The moment finally arrived during the encore. Blackmore stepped out to join Deep Purple for a performance of “Smoke on the Water,” the song most closely tied to his legacy with the band and one of the most recognizable riffs in rock history.
The choice of song was fitting. The guitarist’s signature riff helped define an era of hard rock, making the track the most natural way to mark his return, the same song that made him and the band household names decades ago.
Three decades of separation, one unannounced letter, and a single song were all it took to bring Ritchie Blackmore back to the stage where his legend began. The moment closed a chapter that fans had waited 33 years to see written.
