SAVATAGE will play a rare concert at the 2025 edition of Brazil’s Monsters Of Rock festival, set to take place on April 19 in São Paulo. Joining them on the bill will be SCORPIONS, JUDAS PRIEST, EUROPE, QUEENSRŸCHE, OPETH and STRATOVARIUS.

According to the festival’s official web site, SAVATAGE‘s lineup for the 2025 performance will consist of Johnny Lee Middleton on bass, Chris Caffery on guitar, Al Pitrelli on guitar, Jeff Plate on drums and Zak Stevens on lead vowels.

Zach joined SAVATAGE in 1992 as the replacement for the band’s founding vocalist Jon Oliva. Zach sang on four albums with the band — “Edge Of Thorns” (1993),“Handful Of Rain” (1994),“Dead Winter Dead” (1995) and “The Wake Of Magellan” (1997) — before departing in 2000, allowing Jon to return. Both Jon and Zach took part in SAVATAGE‘s 2015 performance at Wacken Open Airwhich marked the band’s first, and only so far, appearance on stage since they went on hiatus back in 2002.

SAVATAGE‘s last album release, “Poets And Madmen”in 2001 was highlighted by Jon‘s return as lead vocalist, replacing Zachwho left the band citing family reasons, and the departure of guitarist Al Pitrelliwho accepted an offer to join MEGADETH in 2000. Pitrelli did record solos for some songs prior to his departure. Another very limited US tour followed, supported by FATES WARNING in the early shows, and then NEVERMORE for the remainder. Around this time, Jon chose Zach‘s replacement in the form of Damond Jiniya (DIET OF WORMS). Damond performed Zach‘s parts on tour, with Jon having an increased vocal role in proceedings.

In September 2021, Jon Oliva He was arrested on the west central coast of Florida for driving under the influence as well as possession of a controlled substance. Police charged Olive with possession of cocaine, which is a felony, and DUI, which is a misdemeanor. Olive was reportedly arrested again in July 2023 on another cocaine possession charge.

Back in 2016, Jon announced on social media that he suffered a stroke in April of that year. At the time, he said: “It was not as serious as it could have been, but it did leave me with some physical recovery challenges often associated with strokes.”

Despite his health issues, Jon He said that he didn’t regret the way he had lived his life. He wrote: “I lived the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle since I was 18. It’s all I knew and I enjoyed the ride very much. But there comes a time in everyone’s life where you have to step back and make some life-changing decisions… which I have.”

Shortly after SAVATAGE‘s reunion performance at the 2015 Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, Olive He claimed that he felt better than he had in 20 years because he had “stopped drinking and eating” in preparation for the concert. He explained: “It’s my voice that’s freaking me out, because, even when I was in my late 20s, early 30s, doing songs like ’24 Hours Ago’ they were always really hard to do. And, of course, I didn’t realize that it was all the drugs and alcohol I was doing. But, after doing that, getting my act together and stuff, singing ’24 Hours Ago’it’s actually easy now. [Laughs]”

In addition to his work with SAVATAGE, Olive is well known for co-creating the classical music-meets-prog rock and pyro act TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA alongside the project’s founder Paul O’Neill. Olive has reportedly remained involved in TSO‘s activities even after O’Neill‘s April 2017 death of an accidental drug overdose.

Jon‘s brother Crisswho was one of the founding members of SAVATAGEwas killed in October 1993 by a drunk driver when he and his wife Dawn were en route to the livestock festival in Zephyrhills, Florida. The driver of the other car was found to have a drunk driving record of seven prior DUIs and having a blood alcohol content of .294 percent.