Ritchie Blackmore will join DEEP PURPLE on stage for the first time in more than three decades during the band’s headlining concert Wednesday night (August 12) at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York.
The 81-year-old guitarist, who last played with DEEP PURPLE in 1993, revealed his guest appearance for the Wantagh gig during an Instagram Live with his wife Candice Night on Tuesday (August 11).
Blackmore said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ”There is something we wanted to mention about tomorrow night… Well, it is a secret and I don’t want anybody to know, but I’m probably get up and do an encore with the band, DEEP PURPLE. But you can’t tell anybody, and I know that this is gonna be kept a secret. And will it? I suppose so.”
Regarding how the idea for his guest appearance came about, Ritchie said:
“I actually called up… I didn’t call him up, I sent my A.I. pigeon to [DEEP PURPLE singer] Ian Gillan in Portugal, where he lives at the moment. And I said, ‘How would you feel about if I got up just for an encore? Just one of the songs. I don’t want to intrude.’ And I said, ‘No pressure — just kind of [for] old times’ sake.’ I’m 81 now. So he seemed to love the idea, put it to the band, got a thumbs up, and it looks like we might be doing that.”
Blackmore went on to say that he is already looking ahead to Wednesday night’s gig. “I have my roadie there kind of now, setting up my amplifier,” he explained. “But I’ll be using a small amplifier, but it’s very loud. It’s what I use when I record. I hope I can compete with the [current DEEP PURPLE] guitar player [Simon McBride], ’cause I can see that he has very big amplifiers behind him. So, it’d probably just be the one number, as it’s been a while. I changed my strings on my Strat, which I haven’t done in over 25 years… I hope the guy out in the front can turn me up. I’ve got my roadie there for a soundcheck.
Night revealed that the song Blackmore will perform with DEEP PURPLE won’t be ‘Highway Star’, since “they’re opening [the show] with ‘Highway Star’,” according to Ritchie.
Blackmore also addressed some of the physical issues he is currently facing, including a severe, debilitating vertigo attack he suffered in late 2025 that forced him to cancel tour dates, as well as his chronic health challenges that include severe gout, arthritis affecting his fingers and feet, and previous heart issues.
Circling back to Wednesday night’s appearance with DEEP PURPLE, Ritchie said:
“[Simon] is a very good guitar player. As was, and is, [former DEEP PURPLE guitarist] Steve Morse, is a great guitar player. So, that’s gonna be interesting. I have not played rock music in 25 years, actually,” Ritchie added, apparently forgetting the fact that he paused his post-DEEP PURPLE project BLACKMORE’S NIGHT (which also features Candice) in 2016 to reform RAINBOW for his first rock concerts in 19 years.