In a recent interview with Barbara Caserta of Italy’s Linea Rock, Savatage’s Al Pitrelli addressed fans’ backlash over the reunion without Jon Oliva.
“There’s people who are gonna complain and I understand their complaint — I get it,” the guitarist said of the criticisms. “The two original members, Jon and Criss [Oliva, late Savatage guitarist] — well, Jon is not healthy enough to do this this year.”
He added, “And we’re gonna do everything in our power to make sure he can come back, ’cause I want the Mountain King to come out and be amazing, not just be there for the sake of being there. And he doesn’t wanna be there unless he can do a spectacular job. Now, Criss Oliva passed away 35 years ago. I have no control over that.”
“I know that if you enjoyed the ‘Dead Winter Dead’ and ‘The Wake Of Magellan’ tours that we had done, and everybody seemed to have, albeit Jon Oliva was with us, then come out and see for yourself,” Pitrelli continued.
The rocker concluded, “Don’t live in disappointment now. Come out and see it, and if you hate it, then I’ll buy the ticket back from you. [Laughs] I don’t know what to tell you.”
In 2023, Oliva suffered a severe injury to his T7 vertebra and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and Ménière’s disease, which have affected his health. The current Savatage lineup includes Johnny Lee Middleton on bass, Chris Caffery on guitar, Jeff Plate on drums, and Zak Stevens on vocals.
Savatage will play their first show in almost ten years at the Monsters of Rock festival in São Paulo, Brazil, on April 19, 2025. Four days later, they will perform in Chile at the Masters of Rock festival. Due to his health issues, Oliva will not be performing at these shows.
The singer recently told Igor Miranda, “I can’t even sing right now because of the pain. I can’t stand for too long, and I need time for my vertebra to heal naturally. They wanted to put metal in my body. But people I spoke to told me not to do it, that I would regret it. So, I chose to let it heal naturally.”
In the spring and summer of 2025, Savatage will also play their first European shows in over 20 years. These include headlining shows and festivals like Into the Grave in the Netherlands, Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, and Rock Fest in Spain.
