Ritchie Blackmore, one of the founding members of Deep Purple and the guitarist who helped define the British band’s sound, has returned to the stage with the band for the first time in 33 years. Aged 81, Blackmore took to the stage in New York on Wednesday night, and sang with his former colleagues the famous song “Smoke on the Water”.
The guitarist’s return was surprisingly announced earlier this week. Blackmore, who left Deep Purple in 1993, contacted frontman Ian Gillan and proposed that they play a song together at the band’s concert in Long Island, where he currently lives. The proposal was accepted by the band, and the moment became reality, reports Guitar World.
“It was an absolute pleasure to have the founding member, the great legend, the immortal… Ritchie Blackmore back on stage!”, Ian Gillan said to the audience.
“Smoke on the Water”, the song of choice for the reunion
Blackmore chose to sing “Smoke on the Water”, one of the most famous songs in Deep Purple’s repertoire and one of the guitarist’s most recognizable creations. The song’s famous riff rang out on stage again, much to the excitement of the audience.
The guitarist did not limit himself to the famous riff, but also performed some solo passages. Numerous spectators filmed the moment, and recordings of the concert were later shared online.
The comeback was all the more poignant since Blackmore no longer typically plays rock on electric guitar. The artist joked before the concert that he hasn’t played rock in about 25 years and currently plays mostly acoustic guitar at home.
“It’s going to be interesting. It also depends on what I’m drinking.” joked the guitarist.
Blackmore specially prepared his guitar for the concert
For the appearance with Deep Purple, Blackmore changed the strings on his Fender Stratocaster, which he said had not been changed in over 25 years. He also sent his technical team to the concert venue to prepare the amplifier.
The guitarist also took into account his health problems. Blackmore revealed that she has four herniated discs in her lower back and that she had a steroid injection before the show to be able to stand and sing. He said he also had a chair ready on stage in case he couldn’t stand for the duration of the moment.
The New York reunion was a one-off, but it was Blackmore’s first live appearance with Deep Purple since his departure from the band in 1993.
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