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Three of them
Candice Night was interviewed by the Iron City Rocks podcast, and among other things discussed, she spoke at length about Ritchie Blackmore’s health issues that affect his ability to tour these days.
Episode 559: Men Without Hats and Candice Night: 08/4/25, Candice’s segment starts at 25’30” into the show.
One of the things that’s so great about Ritchie is he can recognize — he’s very in tune with his own body, and he stays on top of everything. Thank goodness. And when he doesn’t, I nag him to stay on top of it, which he hates, but at least somebody’s doing it — you know, like eating well and things like that.
There’s the three main issues with him that are going on. He has a heart issue. He had a heart attack a couple of years ago, so we stay on top of that. He’s got gout, so that’s difficult. It’s affecting his feet really badly. And it’s starting in his forefinger, so it’s hurting the mobility in that, so he just had an injection for that. And his back, of course, which has always been an issue. He hasn’t taken any back injections since he had the heart issue. So everything kind of is working together. So, it’s hard — it is hard for him. But he’s at the point now where — he’s very smart when it comes to things like that.
It’s not so much the travel on a plane. Honestly, it’s the aggravation before you even get into the plane and after you get into the plane and it’s all the sitting of traveling. So that’ll affect his back and all the rest of it. And the jet lag that stresses your heart. All of these things. Waiting on those lines when you have to get to JFK [New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport] and you have to go transatlantic, and then coming off and going back through the security lines and the customs lines and all the rest of that stuff, and all of that stuff, it really does take a toll on a human — on a healthy human, so forget about someone who’s 80 years old and going through these issues. But he did just say to me yesterday, which I wait for his… With Ritchie, if you try to pressure him to do something, he instantly says no. He’s like a teenager. And so now I’ve got three of them. But learning how to deal with that a little bit better. So I wait for him to come to the realization, or I drop little seeds here and there and try to wait for him to be ready to talk about it. And he did just say, ‘What about doing some BLACKMORE’S NIGHT dates in the fall?’ So, of course, I got greatly excited about that. So now I’ve gotta contact the agent. But he would rather do places that he can drive to. He takes the night off the next day. Gone are the days where you do five shows in a row, including travel. That’s just way too much. For anybody, it’s difficult to do that. And we don’t have a tour bus and we don’t have private planes. If we go someplace, I’m driving. So it’s like a mini road trip, but not really because we have to just get to the place, rest that night. Hopefully it’s close enough to the venue. You get to the venue, you go back, you get a good night’s sleep that night. Hopefully they’re not doing construction or maintenance in the hotel or the maids don’t wake you up at seven o’clock in the morning. and then you move on to the next place and have a day of travel. So it’s a very slowed down way of doing it. But honestly, I’d much rather take something than nothing at all.
On a related note, Blackmore’s official channel have posted a couple of clips from one of the last Rainbow shows — the 2019 Sweden Rock Festival, that is said being produced for a future release:
Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info and quotes, and to Daniel Bengtsson for the heads-up on the Rainbow release.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
It pains me to hear Burn like that – with clumsy drums and a guitarist that can no longer keep up – the idea of Ritchie revisiting his rock past (without the aid of another guitarist handling the parts Ritchie can no longer credibly do) should be laid to rest for the future, please. The only good thing about Reunionbow was that (i) not too many people saw how a legend was tarnished, and (ii) it was luckily not financially successful enough to invite a third repeat. Or maybe the pandemic was good for something after all. 😂
As for Ritchie’s air travel habits: Can anybody please explain to me why a man his age, health and wealth doesn’t travel first class (or in a private plane?) and if need be with an accompanying doctor? No first class passenger has to wait in line for anything. You get picked up and dropped off. If Ritchie is too much a miser regarding his own circumstance/amenities, a word of advice to him: You can’t take it with you./Das letzte Hemd hat keine Taschen.
I once read that Mick Jagger always travels first class (when he doesn’t fly private) and that on transatlantic flights the first thing he does on board is change into – suitable expensive – pajamas (not any worse than tights, Ritchie!) so he can comfortably sleep most of the flight through. For chrissakes be an aging rock star and travel in comfort and don’t have your wife drive you to gigs! 🙄
The mind boggles. 🤯 You know there is cottage industry charm AND there is outright curmudgeonly silliness/stubbornness.
Ritchie’s past heart attack, the gout and his back problems all make me feel for him, but unlike many people he is in a position to accommodate for all that if he really still wants to tour (it’s equally fine if he says he simply doesn’t want to anymore!).
August 6th, 2025 at 03:30Heart troubles, gout and back pains, poor guy 🥺
Good for him he has a sweet woman who takes care of him 😊
“With Ritchie, if you try to pressure him to do something, he instantly says no. He’s like a teenager.”
– 😄😄
“But honestly, I’d much rather take something than nothing at all.”
August 6th, 2025 at 04:34– awww 🥰
Ok, maybe he acts like a teenager! But a guy that can do this riff
https://youtu.be/y5y7vCTBrtc?si=ZITKSDvQ7Z_nE0Og
He is forgiven for everything 😃
August 6th, 2025 at 04:38The Rainbow clips from Sweden Rock on par with DP 1980. Why did you do it, Ritchie?
August 6th, 2025 at 05:22