Dokken Reunion with George Lynch in the Works
Unless you live in Japan or had the means to drop a ton of cash on a trip there, you likely missed the brief 2016 reunion of the classic Dokken lineup featuring namesake Don Dokken, George Lynch, Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown, the first time in 21 years those four had performed together.
But you may still have a chance: Dokken and Lynch are in communication about getting together again, according to the guitarist.
In a new interview with MisplacedStraws.com, Lynch — who wrapped up Lynch Mob last year but currently plays with Pilson in The End Machine and is active in KXM — was asked if any more shows with the above lineup were planned. He replied:
“I’ve actually been talking to Don a little bit, and we’re both in agreement that that should probably happen — meaning some kind of a meaningful reunion done in the right way, carefully and with proper preparation and time and rehearsals and not just throwing it out there like we did last time.”
George also said that Mick Brown’s brother Steve would be “the obvious choice” to replace the recently retired drummer. Steve performs on the upcoming The End Machine album, Phase2.
In a separate interview with Alamo True Metal, Lynch revealed that he wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the shows the reunited group put on in 2016, saying:
“I think I was slightly disappointed in it — not overwhelmingly disappointed, but I have some regrets. I wish we had prepared more. And I know we all feel that way. ‘Cause of the logistics, we all had things we had to do right after the time we had allotted and beforehand. So we just were barely able to even pull it off with everybody else’s pre-existing commitments. The fact that we got to do it at all was… you know, we were fortunate for even being able to pull it off. So we were a little underprepared, I feel. And yes, we were offered a good amount of money to go to Japan and do some other things, so it made it just kind of a no-brainer.”
Don Dokken underwent spinal surgery in 2019 and had not regained function in his hands as of last July, leaving him requiring assistance with basic functions at home and unable to play guitar. Dokken caught flack for playing a show in Virginia in July in the midst of the pandemic; regular Dokken guitarist Jon Levin sat the showout for that reason while Reb Beach (Whitesnake, Winger) filled in.
The End Machine will release Phase2 on April 9 via Frontiers Music. You can watch the video for the debut single, “Crack the Sky,” below while you hold out hopes for an eventual full-blown Dokken reunion.
[via Blabbermouth]
