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Good night had by all
Guitar Player posts Blackmore’s reaction, both given directly to the publication, and collected from social media, in the aftermath of his guest appearance on stage with Deep Purple at the Jones Beach in Long Island on August 12, 2026.
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 were all getting older. I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other, maybe.
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.’
Candice, my wife, got me in touch with Ian Gillan and I said, ‘What do you think about me getting up for ‘Smoke?’ His exact words were, ‘It made me smile.’ He then put it to the band and it was thumbs-up all around.
Read more in Guitar Player
Thanks to Blabbermouth for the heads-up and to Black Purple for putting together the multicam video of the moment.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Talk about a good interview! GuitarPlayer had the nose to look for the Man in Black’s first statements, well done!
everything confirmed, Ritchie didn’t have time to warm up, he was excited and the others were excited too, but the performance wasn’t the important thing!
the important thing was the wounds that needed healing, and I want to trust Ritchie’s words when he says that on stage he realized that the wounds had already healed.
I think that with these words the regret remains even more that this reunion could probably have taken place even a few years ago, and I think that BigIan, LittleIan and Roger also realized this
August 16th, 2026 at 16:58Nice interview. You are right Fla76, the performance wasn’t that important but I think RB did a great job as, of course, did the entire band!! Just seeing Ritchie there with the entire band, especially the other members of the MKII line up was something I certainly won’t forget!!
August 16th, 2026 at 18:10I’m real happy it felt so good for the old badger. And maybe it was just the right time to do it now – all good things come to those who wait.
August 16th, 2026 at 18:29