{"id":784018,"date":"2026-09-27T06:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T06:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/784018\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T06:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T06:52:12","slug":"in-a-brand-new-interview-ritchie-blackmore-says-deep-purple-reunion-was-like-coming-back-from-war-everybody-thought-i-was-dead-and-there-i-was-i-was-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/784018\/","title":{"rendered":"In a brand-new interview, Ritchie Blackmore says Deep Purple reunion was like coming back from war: \u201cEverybody thought I was dead. And there I was \u2014 I was alive.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ritchie Blackmore has compared his surprise return<\/a> to the Deep Purple stage to coming home from war.<\/p>\n

The legendary guitarist reunited with his former bandmates for a performance of \u201cSmoke on the Water<\/a>\u201d at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, on August 12, 33 years after his departure<\/a> from the band. And while the appearance lasted only a few minutes, Blackmore says the experience carried considerably more weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I was one of the soldiers that had come back from the Western Front, and everybody thought I was dead,\u201d Blackmore recalls. \u201cAnd there I was \u2014 I was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"Ritchie\n<\/p>\n

Blackmore performs alongside Ian Gillan at his August 12, 2026 reunion with Deep Purple at Jones Beach. (Image credit: Screengrab from Ritchie Blacmore’s YouTube)<\/p>\n

Blackmore revisited the reunion in a new, 13-part interview series with Now Spinning magazine editor-in-chief Phil Aston, explaining that the idea came to him early one morning after he learned Deep Purple would be performing at Jones Beach, which he described as a \u201cmagnificent place.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The electric-guitar<\/a> legend had been thinking about contacting his former bandmates when the opportunity presented itself. The communication ultimately went through his wife and Blackmore\u2019s Night co-leader, Candice Night, as Blackmore had only recently learned how to use modern phones and generally keeps his distance from technology.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

\u201cNow Candice sent the e-mail and Ian [Gillan]<\/a> said, \u2018Yes, of course. Welcome aboard. All the band is up for it. Come onstage for \u2018Smoke\u2019.\u2019 I just wanted to do one song, and I thought that would be the song. It\u2019s big over here [in the U.S.] \u2014 bigger here than it was in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The appearance was publicized just enough to let fans know what was coming, and Blackmore says ticket sales subsequently increased.<\/p>\n

All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n

The stakes became apparent once he actually stepped onstage. Blackmore says everyone around him was \u201cincredibly nice\u201d \u2014 almost to the point of \u201coverkill\u201d \u2014 and although he didn\u2019t participate in a soundcheck, his roadie handled it and reported that everything sounded good.<\/p>\n

Then came \u201cSmoke on the Water<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smoke on the Water, Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple, 12 August 2026, Theater at Jones Beach – YouTube
\n\"Smoke<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Blackmore admits that revisiting one of Deep Purple\u2019s defining songs after more than three decades was \u201ctricky.\u201d Still, the response from the crowd was overwhelming.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I played my three or four minutes of \u2018Smoke on the Water\u2019, which seemed to go down like I just invented the cure for cancer,\u201d he says. \u201cThe people went nuts, and half of them were sitting in water. For some reason, the venue kind of gets covered in water at certain points \u2019cause it is right on the water. So they\u2019re now all sitting in the water, the front three or four rows.\u201d<\/p>\n

The performance also earned praise from Deep Purple\u2019s current guitarist, Simon McBride<\/a>, who described the night as \u201cmagical.\u201d McBride acknowledged that Blackmore\u2019s playing may not have been at the same level<\/a> it was when \u201cSmoke on the Water\u201d appeared on 1972\u2019s Machine Head, while adding that he would be more than happy to have the same level of ability when he reaches Blackmore\u2019s age.<\/p>\n

For Blackmore, though, the night was less about proving what he could still do onstage than reconnecting with people he had once shared the stage with.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt very good about it because it was like playing with old friends,\u201d he says. \u201cEverybody was super nice and super efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

That made the performance all the more meaningful \u2014 and all the more nerve-racking.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd thank goodness it went off without a hitch, but it could have quite easily have fallen apart, and that would\u2019ve been embarrassing,\u201d Blackmore says.<\/p>\n

In the end, he says the reception made him feel like a celebrity for the few minutes he was onstage, despite having little interest in celebrity himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just play the guitar \u2014 sometimes well, sometimes not so well,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it was well worth doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blackmore says the idea had come to him almost spontaneously, and the possibility that it might be his final opportunity to share a stage with his former bandmates gave the reunion an added poignancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a good idea that I had, and it came to me very early one morning when I was in bed. I just thought, \u2018Why not?\u2019 \u2019Cause we never know when we\u2019re going to meet again, which is like a sad note in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first part of the interview series is below.<\/p>\n

Ritchie Blackmore – In His Own Words – Exclusive Interview – Part One – YouTube
\n\"Ritchie<\/p>\n

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