Because
guitarist Ritchie Blackmore disliked "When a Blind Man Cries", the band never played the song live during his stay with the band, with the exception of one occasion, on 6 April 1972 in
Quebec,
Canada, when Blackmore was ill, and
Randy California from
Spirit stood in for him.
Ian Gillan performed the song frequently in the early 1990s. When
Joe Satriani replaced Blackmore during
The Battle Rages On... tour in November 1993, "When a Blind Man Cries" joined the setlist as early as 5 December 1993. The song has become a staple live performance ever since, and has appeared on most of the
live albums the band has released with
Steve Morse. In addition, the song has also been released on the ''
Gillan's Inn'' CD/DVD by Ian Gillan, featuring blind guitarist
Jeff Healey. In 2023, the song returned to their setlist with new guitarist
Simon McBride. ==Personnel==