Ian Gillan Discusses Ritchie Blackmore Deep Purple Cameo

Ian Gillan has opened up about Ritchie Blackmore’s unexpected cameo performance with Deep Purple at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, calling the surprise appearance a public demonstration of friendship and good memories.

How the Onstage Reunion Happened

Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore performing together during Deep Purple's earlier history — Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore performing together during Deep Purple’s earlier history (W.W.Thaler – H.Weber, Hildesheim, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Blackmore had not shared a stage with Deep Purple since November 1993 in Helsinki, an era that ended with bitter acrimony following his mid-tour departure. However, quiet communication had been taking place between the guitarist and singer.

A couple of days before the Jones Beach concert, Gillan received a message from his former bandmate asking if he could drop by and jam for an encore. Blackmore wrote, “How would you feel about it if I got up just for an encore? Just one of the songs. I don’t want to intrude. No pressure, just for old times’ sake.”

Current guitarist Simon McBride helped bring Blackmore onto the stage after the thirteenth song, “Space Truckin’.” The guitarist placed his hat on top of the amps and delivered the opening notes of “Smoke On The Water.”

Reflections on a Historic Night

“It was a public demonstration of friendship and good memories,” Gillan told Classic Rock. While the public saw the moment as closure, Gillan noted that as far as he was concerned, the closure was years ago.

Reflecting on the performance, Blackmore told Guitar Player, “I couldn’t warm up, but I wasn’t there to play correct notes. I was there to see old friends I hadn’t seen in forty years, and we’re all getting older. I think we realised it could be the last time we see each other, maybe.”

Blackmore added that despite losing his place at one point, everyone was like they were in the army all along the Western Front, creating a very emotional moment.