Ritchie Blackmore says he plans to join Deep Purple on Wednesday night for an encore at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, according to Rolling Stone. Blackmore shared the news in an Instagram message to fans.
Blackmore said he reached out to frontman Ian Gillan and asked whether he could come out for just one song. He said Gillan liked the idea, took it to the rest of the band, and got the go-ahead.
If it happens, it would be Blackmore’s first live appearance with Deep Purple since he left the band in 1993. He also skipped the group’s 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction after the band declined to perform with him that night.
Blackmore was a founding guitarist for Deep Purple and helped write some of the band’s best-known songs, including “Smoke on the Water,” “Highway Star” and “Space Truckin’.” He told fans he hoped to keep up with current guitarist Simon McBride and described the idea of seeing his old bandmates again as both good and a little frightening.
