I’ve just read this new interview with Ritchie Blackmore in Guitar Player and, for me, it confirms exactly why that moment with Deep Purple at Jones Beach meant so much.
Ritchie makes it very clear that this was never really about whether he could still play every note perfectly. He hadn’t played full-on rock onstage since 2019, hadn’t properly played a Strat for decades, and even admits he lost his place at one point.
But none of that mattered.
He says he was there to see old friends again and, rather poignantly, that they all realised it could perhaps be the last time they see each other.
That is the part which resonates with me.
After all the stories over the years about arguments, fallouts and the relationship between Ritchie and Ian Gillan, Blackmore says he originally suggested playing one song simply to show the fans that they weren’t at each other’s throats. Gillan’s response was that the idea “made me smile”, and the whole band agreed.
Ritchie also describes going onstage wanting to “heal any wounds”, only to discover there really weren’t any wounds left to heal. He compares it to old soldiers meeting again after having shared something extraordinary together.
And perhaps that is why the performance was so moving.
It wasn’t about proving that Ritchie Blackmore could still be Ritchie Blackmore. He has absolutely nothing left to prove.
It was about friendship, getting older, shared history and recognising that sometimes you shouldn’t leave things unsaid forever.
Seeing Ian Gillan with his hand on Ritchie’s shoulder, Ritchie smiling, Roger Glover and Ian Paice there alongside them, and Simon McBride clearly delighted to share the stage with him… that meant far more to me than any perfectly played guitar solo ever could.
As a Deep Purple fan for most of my life, I’m just incredibly grateful that it happened.
Music is the healer and the doctor.
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
