Ritchie Blackmore has offered insight into what spurred his recent onstage reunion with Deep Purple, the band he helped form in 1968 but hadn’t played with in 33 years.
The reunion came on August 12th at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, with Blackmore joining Deep Purple for a performance of the classic song “Smoke on the Water.”
In an interview with Guitar Player, Blackmore said of the performance, “It was very moving because I went on very quickly and had to play immediately. I couldn’t warm up, but I wasn’t there to be playing correct notes. I was there to see old friends I hadn’t seen in 40 years and we’re all getting older. I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other, maybe.”
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Earlier in the interview, he said, “I woke up one morning thinking, the day before their show, ‘You know it would be good for the fans if I just got up for one song, probably ‘Smoke’ and just show that were not at each other’s throats and don’t hate each other.”
Of the emotional moment on stage reuniting with fellow classic members Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Roger Glover, he said, “It was tricky; I didn’t play anything too technical, as I felt I should stick to the rudiments of being simple. I still lost my place at one point, but it’s not why I was there. I was there to heal any wounds — but there weren’t any wounds. Everyone was like, we were in the army, all along the Western front and we were all getting together again. Very emotional moment.”
The evening also saw the first performance Blackmore had with keyboardist Don Airey in 44 years, following the latter’s exit from Rainbow in 1982.
Blackmore also described the earlier clashes with Gillan that led him to exit the group in 1993, saying, “We’re two alpha guys. I’m used to running a band, and I think he’s used to running a band. So we clashed in the old days. But all that changed.”
The guitarist also described his choice of a yellow Stratocaster during the performance, saying it “was a Strat I used to play in the ’80s. I changed the strings and practiced a little bit. I haven’t played a Strat properly for 30 years; I’ve done the occasional solo but I usually play acoustics around the house. I use my right and for finger picking with long nails, but playing the Strat I have to play with a plectrum and have very short nails. A whole different technique.”
Deep Purple are currently in the midst of a North American tour in support of their newest album, SPLAT!, with tickets available here. Watch Blackmore’s reunion performance with Deep Purple below.
