Dokken Weighing Show With George Lynch … But There’s a Catch
Dokken singer Don Dokken told radio personality Eddie Trunk that he is considering reuniting with the band’s original guitarist George Lynch for a one-off concert in Minneapolis later this summer.
There is a catch, though. The show would not be a full reunion of the original band — Dokken, Lynch, drummer Mick Brown (who still plays in Dokken) and bassist Jeff Pilson — but a performance by the current lineup, with Lynch serving as a special guest.
Dokken indicated that his loyalty to his band’s current and longtime guitarist Jon Levin dictates such an arrangement. “I have to keep my respect for Jon Levin,” Dokken said. “I don’t want to step on Jon Levin’s toes. He’s my brother. He’s one of my best friends.”
You can listen to the interview below.
Levin first played with the band in 1998 and has been a member since 2003. Dokken and Brown reunited with Lynch and Pilson in 2016 for a series of shows in Japan and one performance in the U.S., at a festival in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Don Dokken indicated that he receives offers for shows with Lynch, but most times his acceptance of such offers comes with a caveat.
"When these, we call them ‘honey pot,' shows come up," he explained, "and they say, ‘Hey, would you mind if George played? We’ll give you a crazy amount of money.’ … They made an offer and I said, ‘I’ll play with George — we don’t mind playing with George — but it’s going to have to be George and Jon.”
Dokken and Brown both indicated that Lynch's involvement in such a show would be relegated to a handful of songs.
“We’re talking six to eight songs,” Dokken elaborated. “It’ll be an internet, Facebook [and] YouTube sensation, video-wise, because he’s going to do six to eight songs. But — and if you’re listening, George, I’m not banging on you — he has to remember them.”
Dokken and Brown joked about Lynch’s supposedly short memory when it comes to old Dokken songs, but Dokken finally said a two-guitar tandem would enable Levin to do most of the heavy lifting, leaving Lynch free to do what he does best.
“Let George just do what he’s famous for — shred,” Dokken said. “Let him shred.”
This year, Dokken (the band) released a CD/DVD/Blu-ray package, Return to the East 2016, highlighting the original lineup’s 2016 reunion. Additionally, Lynch recruited Brown and Pilson for a new project called Super Stroke, who should release their first album later this year.