Deep Purple guitarist Simon McBride defended Ritchie Blackmore after some fans criticized his playing during his recent reunion with the band.
Blackmore joined Deep Purple onstage on August 12 at Jones Beach Theater in New York, performing “Smoke on the Water” with the group for the first time in 33 years.
McBride, who has been Deep Purple’s guitarist since 2022, said people should look at the performance in the context of Blackmore’s age and health.
“He has health issues. If I can play that well when I’m that age, I’ll be happy.”
He added:
“People should look at it for what it was: a magical night. There’s a lot of history in this band. That show was a part of it. A reunion between old mates who haven’t seen each other in years.”
McBride also made his own opinion of Blackmore clear.
“Ritchie is and always will be a great player.”
The reunion was arranged only shortly before the show. McBride said Ian Gillan received an email from Blackmore around a week before the concert asking if he could join the band.
When the night came, McBride said he was happy to step back and let Blackmore take the main guitar role.
“I just said to Ritchie, ‘I’ll be your rhythm guitar player today. Just do your thing.’”
For McBride, sharing the stage with Blackmore also carried personal weight.
“I got to stand on stage beside the guy who started this whole thing. Ritchie is a legend, a great player, and a great innovator.”
He said he was also surprised by Blackmore’s reaction to his own playing.
“He was really complimentary, which was a shock to me. It’s very bizarre when these legends admire my playing. My head starts to explode!”
McBride said the night also helped bring some closure to Deep Purple’s complicated history with Blackmore.
“There’s a lot of history, and not all good. But they are older and wiser… it was great to see them close the door on all the negative history.”
That history goes back decades.
Blackmore co-founded Deep Purple in 1968 and was part of several of the band’s major eras before leaving for the final time in 1993. His relationship with Ian Gillan had often been difficult, and both men had spoken openly over the years about their disagreements.
The August reunion changed the tone of that relationship.
Blackmore later said he was not focused on playing a perfect performance that night. He said the main reason for appearing was to reconnect with his former bandmates.
“I wasn’t there to be playing correct notes. I was there to see old friends I hadn’t seen in 40 years.”
He also said the performance had an emotional purpose.
“I was there to heal any wounds — but there weren’t any wounds.”
Blackmore admitted that playing “Smoke on the Water” again was difficult and that he lost his place at one point, but said that was not what mattered to him that night.
He also acknowledged the possibility that the reunion could be the last time the old bandmates are together.
“We’re all getting older. I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other maybe.”
That context is also central to McBride’s defense. Rather than treating the appearance as a normal Deep Purple performance, he sees it as a reunion between musicians with decades of shared history, including years of conflict that were finally put aside for one night.
