Ritchie Blackmore Reunites with Deep Purple Onstage for First Time in Over 30 Years

Ritchie Blackmore performed with Deep Purple for the first time since his acrimonious split from the band in the early 1990s, during the group's show Wednesday night at Jones Beach in New York. The reunion came after Blackmore had warned fans that he had not played rock music in 25 years, having focused on acoustic guitar. The surprise appearance saw the founding guitarist join his former bandmates onstage, burying a decades-long estrangement that had led most fans to give up hope of ever seeing them share a stage again.