In the documentary feature of Rainbow’s Memories In Rock II CD/DVD package, Ritchie Blackmore was asked about the possibility of reuniting with his Deep Purple bandmates.

"I would like to do one, maybe one show with the rest of Purple just to prove that we're not all hating each other," Blackmore said. "And just do that and go, 'Hey, everybody. It's just one show for all the Deep Purple fans that liked the Mark II lineup.' That was my idea in the beginning. But when you're talking to managements of Purple, it gets complicated. They want their money for this and that. So it's not like you call up your old friends and just say, 'Hey, let's just have a good time and play. There's lots of fans that want to hear it.' Once you have managements and agents and promoters getting involved, it gets so complicated that everybody just calls back and says, 'It's too complicated.' So, I wouldn't mind doing one show with all the old guys, and that's it — call it a day. Just for the fans. It's not something I need to do. But I don't mind playing just to show the people that we're still friends. We're older, and with the passing of Jon (Lord, Deep Purple keyboardist), you never know who's gonna pass next. And it would just be a friendly get-together. But as you might know, in this business, nothing works around friendship — it's all about money and business. And unfortunately, we'd have to deal with people that were going to make money out of the deal. That's always a problem."

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow performed in Moscow, Russia on April 8th. Fan-filmed video of the band in action is available below. The setlist on the night wasas follows:

"Spotlight Kid"
"I Surrender" (Russ Ballard cover)
"Mistreated" (Deep Purple cover)
"Since You Been Gone" (Russ Ballard cover)
"Man On The Silver Mountain" (with snippet of Deep Purple's "Woman From Tokyo")
"Perfect Strangers" (Deep Purple cover)
"Difficult To Cure" (Beethoven's 9th)
"Child in Time" (Deep Purple cover)
"All Night Long"
"Stargazer"
"Long Live Rock 'n' Roll"
"Still I'm Sad" (The Yardbirds cover)
"Burn" (Deep Purple cover)

Encore:
"Black Night" (Deep Purple cover)
"Smoke on the Water" (Deep Purple cover)

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow released their first new single since 1996, “Waiting For A Sign”, on March 16th worldwide (March 8th in Japan). The song is featured on the Memories In Rock II album, released on April 6th as a 2CD+DVD set, vinyl, and digital formats via Minstrel Hall Music.

“Waiting For A Sign”, featuring Ronnie Romero on vocals, is now available for streaming below:

In 2016, guitar legend Ritchie Blackmore made his much-anticipated return to rock music, with a new lineup of his landmark band Rainbow. They delivered three powerhouse concerts in the UK in 2017, which are now captured on Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow: Memories In Rock II.

Memories In Rock II boasts two CDs of live performances, and a DVD with bonus interview footage only. The setlist includes classic tracks drawing from both Deep Purple and Rainbow, such as “Spotlight Kid,” “I Surrender,” “Mistreated,” “Man On The Silver Mountain / Women From Tokyo,” “Perfect Strangers,” “Black Night,” and “Smoke On The Water.”

Complementing the live material, Memories In Rock II delivers a backstage pass via a DVD of exclusive interviews with the new line-up - Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie Romero, Jens Johansson (keyboards), Bob Nouveau (bass), Dave Keith (drums), Lady Lynn (backing vocals) and Candice Night (backing vocals, as well as frontwoman of Renaissance rock band Blackmore’s Night). Rounding out the interviews are the crew members that brought these shows to life.

Fans have waited for the return of Rainbow - a promise that these shows delivered in spades. Blackmore’s blazing fret work and soaring solos once again proved why he remains one of the most respected and celebrated guitarists of all time. For those who were not in attendance on these nights, here’s your ticket: the ultimate Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow LIVE experience!

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1:
"Over The Rainbow"
"Spotlight Kid"
"I Surrender"
"Mistreated"
"Since You've Been Gone"
"Man On The Silver Mountain" / "Woman From Tokyo"
"16th Century Greensleeves"
"Soldier Of Fortune"
"Perfect Strangers"
"Difficult To Cure"
"All Night Long"
"Child In Time"

Disc 2:
"Stargazer"
"Long Live Rock'N'Roll" / "Lazy"
"Catch The Rainbow"
"Black Night"
"Carry On Jon"
"Temple Of The King"
"Smoke On The Water"
"Waiting For A Sign" (new song)

Disc 3:
Ritchie Blackmore Interview
Ronnie Romero Interview
Jens Johansson Interview
Bob Nouveau Interview
David Keith Interview
Candice Night Interview
Lady Lynn Interview
Dave David Interview
Andreas Bock Interview
Michael Bockmühl Interview
Bonus Backstage Clip
"I Surrender" 2017 Backstage Clip