Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery has announced that the band has some big plans ahead of them.
During an interview on SiriusXM’s ‘Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk,’ Caffery talked about the band’s upcoming headlining shows, their first since 2002, and explained how the decision came about. “Everybody asks me what’s coming next. And I’m taking it one day at a time right now, because I had no idea this was gonna be happening. So I have all the answers you have. And when I get the news, everybody else will. So, I mean, we’ve talked. We wanna play everywhere. Everybody is really excited about it. So hopefully this is the beginning of a new run for Savatage,” he explained.
“So I can’t really answer exactly what’s happening next, but I’m just gonna tell you, we’re going day by day on it and we’re just really excited about it. And we know, you’ll know. That’s kind of how I look at it,” Caffery continued. “But right now, I just look at it on my news and on the post and I see these things come out, and I’m, like, ‘Wait a second.’ I’m looking at this poster and it says Scorpions and Judas Priest and Savatage, and I’m, like, ‘This is awesome,’ ’cause it’s what I’d seen for decades before in the past with that, and now that part is back in my life.”
“And like I said, that puts me full circle. Because I never really joined another band. I worked with Doro [Pesch], and when people needed help, I did some stuff with Metal Church. But I mostly just did my own solo records and kind of laid it to the side, because I never wanted to place myself into another band that I couldn’t commit to,” he added. “And with TSO and my scheduling and I do a lot to take care of my mom, I just didn’t have the time to give to something else. And now it’s like Savatage is such an important part of my life and my career and it’s back. And like I said, it just feels like I’ve went full circle. And I was so happy every day of my life since I heard that announcement.”
The news came when vocalist Zak Stevens shared a statement in December last year. “As you can imagine, there are so many special things about these shows that are racing through my mind. We get to play a series of headline shows for the first time in over twenty years that will put us right back in front of all of the unbelievable fans who have given us so many unforgettable memories over the last three decades. Here’s our chance to directly give back to everyone who’s been there supporting us all these years!”
“All the great festival shows are going to be off-the-charts amazing. It’s even hard to imagine the scale of excitement that’s going to take place with those shows,” he added.
The 2025 tour will feature Stevens on vocals, Johnny Lee Middleton on bass, Caffery and Al Pitrelli on guitars, and Jeff Plate on drums. However, Jon Oliva will not be joining the band on the road due to health issues.
Savatage’s first tour in 20 years will kick off on April 19 in Brazil at the Monsters of Rock festival. The band will then head to Europe on June 13, performing in the Netherlands, Germany, the U.K., Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Greece throughout the rest of the month.
The comeback also includes a new album titled ‘Curtain Call,’ their first since 2001’s ‘Poets and Madmen.’
