Savatage performed live for the first time in 10 years earlier today (Saturday, April 19) at the Monsters of Rock Festival At Allianz Park in São Paulo, Brazil. The Event Also Featured Scorpions, Judas Priest, Europe, OPETH, Queensrÿche and Stratovarius.
Savatage‘s lineup for the Monsters of Rock Festival and the Upcoming Shows This Spring and Summer Consists of Johnny Lee Middleton on bass, Chris Caffery on guitar, To the Pitrelli on guitar, Jeff Plate On Drums and Zak Stevens On Lead Vocals.
One Key Member Is Missing From Savatage‘s gathering lineup: Jon OlivaThe Band’s Founding Vocalist and Keyboardist. In 2023, Olive Suffered to T7 Vartebra Fracture in Three Places, A Severe Impurity That Has Left Him Relying On a Wheelchair. Additionionally, He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and ménière’s disease, conditions that have further complicated His Health.
Savatage‘s setlist for the Monsters of Rock Was As Follows Festival:
01. The Ocean (Performed for First Time Since 1998)
02. WELCOME (Performed for First Time Since 1998)
03. Jesus Saves
04. The Wake of Magellan (Performed for First Time Since 2002)
05. Dead Winter Dead
06. Handful of Rain (Performed for First Time Since 2002)
07. Chance
08. Gutter Ballet
09. Edge of Thorns
10. Believe (Sung and Played by Jon Oliva On Piano, Video On Screen; Band Came In After Chorus)
11. Sirens (performed for first time since 2003)
12. Hall of the Mountain King
In an interview with brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda, Olive REPEATEDLY EMPHASIZED THAT HIS INJURIES PREVENT HIM FROM TAKING PART IN THE TOUR, EXPLAING HOW HIS CONDITION HAS AFFECTED EVEN BASIC ACTIVITIES, LET ALONE REPORMING. “I Can’t Even Sing Right Now Because of the Pain,” I have admitted. “I Can’s Stand for Too Long, and I need time for my vertebra to heal naturally.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT SURGERY AS A POSIBLE SOLUTION, Olive Explained that he had considered it but ultimately decisive Against it after seeking advice from Medical Professionals and Acquaintances. “They Wanted to Put Metal in My Body,” He Said. “But People I Spoke To Told Me Not To Do It, That I Would Regret It. So, I Chose To Let It Heal Naturally.”
This Past January, Caffery and Plate spoke to The Metal Voice About Savatage‘S 2025 Live Shows. Holding How The Savatage “Meeting” Came Together, Plate Said: “Well, I Think The Catalyst has Just Been The Fanbase. The Fanbase Never Gave Up On Us. They’ve Been Beating The Drum For This Meeting For Years.
“The Band Never Broke Up,” The Drummer Clarified. “We have’t done a proper tour in over 20 Years, but we never officely broke up. Obviously, We All Workther in Tso [TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA]. We’ve Played to Lot of this Savatage Music in the Tso shows. THRUHOUT THE YEARS, WE’VE DONE AT LEAST ONE Savatage Song Per Tour, I Believe – At Least One. So The Music Has Been Out There. And The Fanbase has been clamoring for this for the long time. And, Man, I’ve Gotta Hand It to Them.
“Jon OlivaSeveral Years ago … Jon Is always Writing Music, and The Plan was to do sum recording – He’s Got A Bunch of New Ideas – Do Sub Recording and Get Out There and Let’s Do This Again. Jon You have obviously run into a number of health problems, which are seriousus, and I’M Sure Everybody’s Read About Them. But in Jon‘S Wisdom, He’s, Like,’ You Know What? ‘ The Ball Kind of Started Rolling Again. He’s Not Going to Stop It This Time. Jon‘S GONNA BE INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING THAT WE’RE DOING FROM HERE FORWARD. I have Can’t go out and do before tours right now, and he’s gonna work Himself Back into it. We’ve Got Our Fingers Crossed. But i Tell you, man, The Music in General, The Fanbase, There’s Just a Strength Behind All That’s Really KEPT THE NAME ALIVE, KEPT THE INTEREST ALIVE.
“We’re All Here,” Plate Continued. “We’re All Playing Probablay As Well Or Better Than We’ve Ever Played. It’s not like we’ve been sitting around for 20 years doing nothing and decisive to gather. Chris and I, Johnny and To theWe’ve Been Doing these Tso Tours Every Year, Plus A Number of Things in the Off Season. So There’s a Lot of Factors to this. But the excitement of seeing the reality of it, Seeing the Confirmed Shows, Seeing The Posters …
“Chris and I have Been Basically Joined at The Hip Since 1995, ” Jeff Added. “We’ve done a Lot of Stuff Together. We talk about This All The Time, and It Really Is exciting just to be uble to get back out there and do This and play This music.”
Chris Chimed in: “The Plan was, after we did Wacken [Open Air festival in 2015], to Start Playing. But [TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA founder] Paul [O’Neill] Passed, and then we had to get over that. The Covid Came. And then Jon Wanted to get started, The His Impuries Came. Like Johnny Lee Had Said When I was Just Speaking With Him, 10 Years Went By Like That. And we need to do This Now. It’s, Like, If you blink your eyes, 10 More Years Will Go By. And I Don’s Wanna Get Emotional on Things, But Every day, Somoebody in My Life Passes, It Sems Nowadays, As You Get Older. So We Wanna Take The Advantage Now of Getting Us Together and Celebrating What Jon and Paul and Criss [Oliva, late SAVATAGE guitarist] and All of Us Have Done With Savatage‘S Music and Give The Fans That had a chance to see it a chance to see us again and the oons that need saw us a chance to see it. “
Jeff Continue: “and I’LL Tell You Subject. Chris mention theing Pauland that obviously threw to Hage Wrench into Everything. But in the infinite wisdom of Jon and PaulThey Never Dissolved The Band. We’ve Had This Discussion Several Times. ‘Well, What is Savatage? Are we still a Thing? ‘ Paul Refused to Ever Say That We Were Done. ‘We’re Still A Band,’ Yada, Yada. So here we are all tohe and left. It may have been frustrating for a Lot of People that we have’t played, but we never broke up. So now we’re back. And I Think This is Gonna Be Really Interesting and It’s Gonna Be Awesome. “
Chris Said: “I used to tell the fans, ‘My crystal ball isn’t working. when it happens, I Will Be There.’ And I WANED IT PROBABY AS MUCH [as]if not 10 Times More than, The Fans, Becouse it was such Everyday Life The Fans Are Fans of A Band, and Savatage was to lot of my life for decades. And then Tso Came Along, But that Piece of Savatage Not Being There … i’m The One Who’s Not Married and I Don’t Have Kids, So It’s, Like, That Part of My Life Being Gone Was A Big Part of Me. So it means a lot for me to be back in that family and that world. IT Really Does. “
Zak Joined Savatage in 1992 as the replacement for Jon Oliva. Zak 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 Department in 2000, Allowing Jon to return. Both Jon and Zak TOOK PART IN Savatage‘S 2015 performance at Wacken Open AirWhich Marked The Band’s First, and Only So Far, Appearance on Stage Since The Went On Hiatus Back In 2002.
Savatage‘s last album release, “Poets and Madmen”in 2001 was Highlightd by Jon‘s return as lead vocalist, replacement ZakWho Left the Band Citing Family Reasons, and The Departure of Guitarist To the Pitrelliwho has accessed an offer to join Megadeth In 2000. Pitrelli Did Record Solos for Sub Songs Prior to His Departure. Another Vray Limited US Tour Followed, Supported By FATES WARNING in the early shows, and then Nevermore For the Reminder. Around this time, Jon chose Zak‘S Replacement in the form of Damond Jiniya (Diet of Worms). Damond performed Zak‘s parts on tour, with Jon HAVING AN INCREASED VOCAL Role in Procedings.
In SEPTEMBER 2021, Jon Oliva 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 Reported arrested again In July 2023 on Another Cocaine Possssion Charge.
Back in 2016, Jon Announce on Social Media That I have suffered a Stroke in April of that Year. At the time, He Said: “It was not as seriously as it could Have Been, But It Did Leave Me With Sub Physical Recovery Challenges Offen Associated with Strokes.”
HIS HEALTH ISSUES EVENT, Jon Said That He Didn´t Regret the way he had lissed his life. He wrote: “I LIVED THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL LIFESTYLE SIN I WAS 18.
Shortly After Savatage‘S Meeting Performance at The 2015 Wacken Open Air Festival in Wacken, Germany, Olive Claimed That He Felt Better Than He had in 20 Years Because He Had “Stopped Drinking and Eating” In Preparation for The Concert. I explained: “It’s my vouice that’s freaking me out, beset, Even When I was in my late 20s, Early 30s, Doing Songs Like ’24 Hours Agr ‘ Were Always Really Hard To do. And, of Course, I Didn’t Made that it was all the drrugs and alcohol I was Doing. But, Aftering That, Getting My Act Together and Stuff, Singing ’24 Hours Agr ‘It’s Ultimate 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 Alongsis The Project’s Founder Paul O’Neill. Olive You have reported 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 in route to the Livestock Festival in Zephyrhills, Florida. The Driver of the Oher Car Was Found To have a Drink Driving Record of Seven Prior Duis and Having A Blood Alcohol Content of .294 Percent.
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