Ritchie Blackmore on His Deep Purple Reunion: ‘It Could be the Last Time We See Each Other’

Deep Purple fans are still processing the band’s shocking reunion with founding guitarist Ritchie Blackmore at Jones Beach in Long Island, New York, on August 12. And in a new interview with Guitar Player, Blackmore reveals it was an equally intense experience for himself.

“It was very moving because I went on very quickly and had to play immediately,” Blackmore said. “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 [them] in 40 years and we’re all getting older. I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other, maybe.”

Blackmore hadn’t played with Deep Purple since November 1993 when he left the band acrimoniously and the band shot down any chance of a reunion in subsequent years. “It would be unconscionable to think about bringing Ritchie in,” Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan told Rolling Stone in 2014 . “I don’t have an issue with Ritchie, nor does anyone. I’ve been in touch with Ritchie recently and everything’s cool, so there’s no bitter, personal problem. We’re too old for that and everything’s in the past, but no. That would be out of the question.”

Gillan and the other members of Deep Purple remained steadfast in this position even when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years later, and Blackmore hoped to play at least one song with them at the ceremony. “We have to accept that there are personalities that don’t see eye-to-eye in our history,” drummer Ian Paice told Rolling Stone that year. “Precedence must now go to the guys that are still working the name and keeping it alive. Their choice is final.”

Blackmore wound up sitting out the entire Hall of Fame ceremony when he learned the band wouldn’t perform with him, and there wasn’t even a hint their position had changed over the past decade. That’s why it was so shocking when Blackmore announced via Instagram on August 11 that he’d be playing with Deep Purple the following evening. “It’ll be good to see the old guys again,” Blackmore said. “I think we’ll all be on crutches and wheelchairs and things, although I think the rest of them are okay.” Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

In the new interview with Guitar Player, Blackmore revealed how it came about. “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,’” he said. “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.”

Blackmore has largely played acoustic guitar in recent years on tours with his group Blackmore’s Night, and he suffered a heart attack last year that left him unable to play the instrument for several months. And even though Deep Purple played many Blackmore-era songs at Jones Beach, he only came out for “Smoke on the Water.”