Ritchie Blackmore made a surprise one-off return to the stage with Deep Purple, more than 33 years after leaving the band, to play “Smoke on the Water” at the Jones Beach Theater. The appearance reunited a founding member with the group he helped establish and gave fans a rare moment of rock history, though it does not signal a permanent return.

Singer Ian Gillan said Blackmore, who lives locally, had asked whether he could join the band for a jam, and praised the performance afterwards. Blackmore has recently cancelled touring because of arthritis, heart complications and severe vertigo, but expressed admiration for later Deep Purple guitarists Steve Morse and Simon McBride.