Ritchie Blackmore Rejoins Deep Purple for First Time in 33 Years at Jones Beach

Ritchie Blackmore unexpectedly joined Deep Purple onstage at Jones Beach, New York, for a one-song encore of Smoke on the Water—the guitarist’s first appearance with the band since the early 1990s split. Gillan welcomed him warmly; Blackmore, who hadn’t played rock in about 25 years and has back issues requiring a steroid injection, had teased the moment in a livestream the night before, signaling a rare, decades‑in‑the‑making reunion with the classic lineup.