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Don Dokken Confirms Classic Dokken Lineup Will Reunite For Six Shows

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 23:17 PST, Jun 27, 2016

Don Dokken has finally managed to get a reunion of the classic Dokken lineup, but it will be short-lived. In an interview with Classic Metal Show, Dokken revealed that he and longtime drummer Mick Brown will reunite with former guitarist George Lynch and bassist Jeff Pilson for six shows in Japan this fall. The reunion comes nearly 20 years after the band’s most commercially successful lineup split up for good.

In the new interview, Don Dokken confirmed that someone finally stepped up to offer the payday that makes it worth it for the original four bandmates to put aside their differences for a temporary reunion, which will take place in October.

“Years and years ago, I made a comment offhandedly, like, ‘You wanna do a reunion tour? I’ll do it for this amount of money,” Don explained. “It was like a one and a lot of zeros. And that was my price, and everybody said, ‘You’re crazy.’ And now, fifteen years later, somebody came up with that price.”

Dokken revealed that he approached his former bandmates with an offer they couldn’t refuse.

“I approached George [Lynch] and Jeff [Pilson], and I said, ‘You guys wanna make a s******d of money for about one week of work?'” Don revealed. “And I told them the price, and I told them how much I wanted and how much they’d make, and, basically, they could make more money in one week than they’d probably make in several years.”

Don also revealed that he only agreed to do six shows in Japan — nowhere else — despite the fact that “everybody came out of the woodwork” to throw money at him to try to get the band to reunite in Europe or the United States.

“[I said] I’ll do it on the condition that I don’t wanna do it in America or Europe or anywhere else,” Dokken said. “Just six shows in Japan.’ ‘Cause we were very big in Japan, and it’s just a reunion tour. So they agreed, and we’re gonna do six shows in Japan.”

Don Dokken added that he is pleased with the current, drama-free lineup of his band and he made it clear he has no interest in permanently getting back together with Lynch and Pilson and that the 2016 reunion is “very temporary.”

“I feel bad for my agents, ’cause they’re getting bombarded from these offers for us to play these big festivals all over the world as a reunion, but I’m just not interested. I’m sorry, I’m just not,” Don said. “Jeff’s busy. He plays like crazy in Foreigner. He’s on the road. George is out, you know, playing the bars with Lynch Mob, so everybody’s busy.”

Dokken also joked that he has no room in his life for drama, but admits “there was always drama with Dokken” so he’s prepared. Don says he plans to keep himself removed from it all.

While the live shows will only play out for the fans in Japan, Don Dokken teased the possibility of a live concert DVD to be released later this year.

The classic Dokken line-up—Don Dokken (vocals), George Lynch (guitar), Jeff Pilson (bass) and Mick Brown (drums)— first came together in 1984 after Pilson replaced founding bass guitarist Juan Croucier. The hard rock band charted three big singles in the early ’80s: “Alone Again,” “In My Dreams,” and “Burning Like a Flame.”

The band was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1986 movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors with the song “Dream Warriors.” In addition, Dokken’s 1989 album Beast From the East was among the first hard rock albums to ever be nominated for a Grammy Award when the Best Metal performance category debuted in 1990. Metallica beat out Dokken for the award.

The successful Dokken lineup split up in 1989 then reformed four years later before parting ways for good in 1997. Only Don Dokken and Mick Brown remain in the current lineup of Dokken.

While Don Dokken has long talked about putting together a complete reunion with Lynch and Pilson, the closest they came was a 2009 appearance at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. Pilson and Lynch joined the current Dokken members onstage for two songs as a surprise to fans.

In an interview with Guitar Interactive, Lynch blamed Don Dokken for the dysfunction in the band, saying the frontman’s greed got in the way during the 1988 Monsters of Rock Tour.

“[Don] decided that he wanted it all, he didn’t wanna share it with [the rest of] us, and he let us know that,” Lynch revealed.

Indeed, money seems to drive this ’80s band—and drive it apart. In a recent interview on One on One with Mitch Lafon, Mick Brown said the band is reuniting for the wrong reasons.

“It’s the money we’re doing it for and I think that’s the wrong reason,” the Dokken drummer said. “The reason should be we want to play together – and I don’t think anyone wants to play together – but the money we’re being offered to do it, you just can’t say no.”

Don Dokken and his original Dokken bandmates will reunite in October to play two back to back shows at Loud Park with longtime pals the Scorpions. Dokken will play five others shows in Japan after the heavy metal festival.

Take a look at the video below to see Don Dokken’s band in its heyday.

[Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for EFG]

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