Ritchie Blackmore on stage with Deep Purple after 33 years – Watch the video

Despite the health issues that have plagued him for years, from herniated discs to arthritis, Ritchie Blackmore took to the stage with Deep Purple for the first time in 33 years: it happened this past August 12 at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh (New York, USA).
This brought back together almost the entire historic Mark II lineup, with Blackmore (guitar), Ian Gillan (vocals), Ian Paice (drums) and Roger Glover (bass). The only absentee was Jon Lord, who died in 2012. Backing up the four original members were keyboard veteran Don Airey (a Rainbow member from 1979 to 1982 and with Deep Purple since 2002) and new guitarist Simon McBride, who has been part of the lineup since 2022.
With the rediscovered founding member as a prestigious guest, the band played "Smoke On The Water": the choice of song was almost inevitable, both because of the iconic nature of the moment and because it's arguably their simplest track to play, thus accommodating the legendary guitarist's current physical limitations.
Despite the aches and pains, the result is moving for anyone who admires one of the most important – and underrated, at least by the trade press – bands in the history of rock.

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