Blackmore plays with Deep Purple at 15,000-seat Jones Beach Theater
Ritchie Blackmore, the guitarist and co-founder of Deep Purple, went back onstage with the band on the night of Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York. He played “Smoke on the Water” as an encore, his first appearance with the group since he left it in 1993.
The venue holds 15,000 people, according to one report on the show. Blackmore is 81 years old. The exact time of the performance is not in the sources the team consulted.
Blackmore announced the appearance on Instagram Live
Blackmore announced his participation on August 11, 2026, in a live broadcast on Instagram with his wife, Candice Night, a member of Blackmore’s Night. The broadcast was confirmed by two sources independent of each other.
Blackmore’s return came 33 years after his second departure from Deep Purple, in 1993. In the time since, he did not perform with the band and did not attend its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
Blackmore’s history with Deep Purple
- 1968: Blackmore co-founds Deep Purple
- 1993: Blackmore leaves the band for the second time
- November 1993: last show with the band before 2026, in Helsinki, according to one source; the sources differ on the exact day, 15 or 17 November
- 2016: band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Blackmore is absent from the ceremony
- August 11, 2026: Blackmore announces the appearance on Instagram Live
- August 12, 2026: Blackmore plays with Deep Purple in Wantagh
In the broadcast and in the reports about the show, Blackmore described the reunion as emotional. He said there were no wounds left to heal between the members of the band. The sources do not give further details of the conversations that led to the show.
Blackmore’s relationship with Deep Purple has been marked by a departure and a return decades apart. He co-founded the band in 1968, and the 1993 exit was his second departure, according to the sources. In the years that followed, he did not play with the group and was absent from the 2016 ceremony, when Deep Purple was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Wantagh show on August 12, 2026, was therefore the first time he performed with the band in 33 years.
Current Deep Purple lineup and no new dates
Ian Gillan sings for Deep Purple in the current lineup, and Simon McBride plays lead guitar. Blackmore is not part of that formation. His appearance in Wantagh was a one-time event, and it is not part of a tour.
The sources consulted contain no announcement of new performances by Blackmore with Deep Purple after August 12, 2026. One report says there is no sign of future shows.
Deep Purple’s lineup on stage today does not include the man who co-founded it. Ian Gillan sings with the band in the current formation, and Simon McBride is the guitarist who plays lead. Blackmore appeared in Wantagh as a guest for one encore, and the reports consulted describe it as a single song rather than a tour stop. The sources do not say whether the band plans to repeat the appearance, and no date for a show after August 12, 2026, has been confirmed in the material the team reviewed.
Who was asked to replace Blackmore in 1993
One report on Blackmore’s exit says the remaining members first considered Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker as a replacement, and that Joe Satriani was also approached later. The report says Schenker declined the offer. The team could not confirm those details in another independent source, so they are not presented here as fact.
The team did not find any report published in the last 24 hours about Blackmore or Deep Purple that explains why the topic is trending in Brazil. The most recent confirmed event is the August 12 show. It is not known whether the band or Blackmore will announce further appearances.
