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25 июн 2025
CHRIS CAFFERY On Playing With SAVATAGE Again: 'It Just Seemed Like We Never Stopped'
"Life goes through so many ups and downs, and as you get older, it seems to me like the downs tend to jump out a lot when you don't expect them," Caffery explained. "And now that comes from the health of your family members and things around you like that. But having SAVATAGE back in my life has really been like a good anchor in the middle, 'cause TSO is the greatest fricking musical gig on the planet— I love being a part of that band and going and doing that every year. It's so amazing to be part of what Paul created with TSO. It's the greatest rock show that I could possibly ever imagine being on inside of an arena. The production's amazing. The songs are amazing. The singers and musicians are amazing. The crew — the whole thing is just so, so great. It's that anchor there. Then you go all the way over to the other side of your life, and you've got all these things. And there's time between when you're out with TSO. And having SAVATAGE to balance that time, it's equally as strong as TSO, and it sits in the middle of that. So where you might have a rubber band kind of up and down with everything, SAVATAGE in the middle has kind of given me a nice calming knowing that my childhood band that I got into when I was 19 is back as an everyday part of my life now. I'm doing SAVATAGE press, and I see letters and posts, and we have shows booked and my next performances live are that. It's a great feeling to have that, that be back. And I know everybody in the band is so excited to be back on the stage again, and we're all just bouncing around like a bunch of little kids. It's so much fun."
Caffery also talked about the fact that Jon Oliva has mentioned in several interviews over the course of the last two years that he was working on a new SAVATAGE album that originally had the working title of "Curtain Call". Chris said: "Yeah. It's funny, because Jon mentioning that record [in a 2023 interview with Sakis Fragos of Greece's Rock Hard] is probably a lot of the reason why we're playing, because he did it in one interview around the COVID time, and the next day I got all these e-mails and messages and DMs: 'This is great. SAVATAGE is doing another record. I saw [the article on] Blabbermouth.' And I'm, like, 'We are?' But I think that got agents going to me and the band and the management, and through that, our management came up to us and said, 'Hey, we wanna have a conference call with you guys.' And then they did and they said, 'Well, there's a lot of good offers for you guys to play some shows.' And I think a lot spurred out of that.
"Jon wants to do this music and we're gonna get it done," Caffery confirmed. "I kind of am hoping that his idea of [calling it] 'Curtain Call' is not [a reference to] the curtain going down, but the curtain going up. I have two different versions of where I think that should go. I think that this version of curtain call should be the new chapter starting over again. And hopefully that's where it goes. For me, nothing would make me happier. I know we plan on playing, and I hear the guys talking, and we talk about a 10-year touring plan and this and that. So if we're gonna be out there, there might as well be some new music. And it'll be fun to add a few things into the crazy good fricking back catalog."
Chris added: "I'm just happy that we're playing again. I can't imagine time going by faster than that. But to see 23 years go by with the blink of your eye, it's just crazy, man. It's crazy. It really is."
Regarding the possibility of SAVATAGE playing shows in the U.S. and other territories, such as Asia, Caffery said: "Well, that's the plan. The plan is for us to go anywhere that wants to have us. I don't book the shows. I haven't seen dates, but whenever they show up, to me it'll kind of be like 'The Song Remains The Same'. If I'm in the backyard doing my garden, then that e-mail comes, I'm gonna pack the suitcase and go. That's the way it's gonna be."
SAVATAGE played four shows in South America in April and kicked off a 10-date European tour on June 13 at the Into The Grave festival in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
SAVATAGE played its first non-festival headlining concert in more than 20 years on April 21 at the Espaço Unimed in São Paulo, Brazil. The show took place two days after SAVATAGE performed at the Monsters Of Rock festival at Allianz Parque in São Paulo.
Appearing with Middleton, Caffery, Pitrelli, Plate and Stevens are SAVATAGE's two new touring keyboardists, Paulo Cuevas and Shawn McNair.
In a recent interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, Caffery spoke about the fact that SAVATAGE's comeback doesn't include Jon Oliva, who in 2023 suffered a T7 vertebra fracture in three places, a severe injury that has left him relying on a wheelchair. Additionally, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and Ménière's disease, conditions that have further complicated his health. Chris said: "He's had a lot of punches. He's lost so many people that are close to him. So many people have passed away around Jon. [But] he's the mountain king, man. He had a fall, and then he's had some health stuff and he has his M.S. that he's dealing with and some other things. But I saw him go from being in a wheelchair, a motorized wheelchair, and being with walkers to watching him walking in and out of the studio when we were rehearsing for the [recent SAVATAGE] South American tour. And then I just saw videos of him and pictures online from a ceremony that happened [last week] for Morrisound Studios in Florida. He looked even better than he did when I saw him a month ago. So I think the SAVATAGE thing playing [again] is an inspiration to him. I think it's the best thing that could have happened to all of us in a lot of different ways. But I think Jon, he wants to be there. I want him to be there. I was, like, 'Dude, I've never done a SAVATAGE show without you.' He was, like, 'Just go play the fucking music.' And it's so important to me that he's around. And he had a big part to do with what we were doing [with the SAVATAGE comeback], and he recorded that piece for the video [that we are using in the live show during the performance of the song 'Believe']. But I know Jon — he wants to be there. And I think that seeing just how much people missed him and his music and the legacy of the band, it's inspiring him to get back out there and walk up on that stage and have people fricking say hi to him the way he deserves."
Zak joined SAVATAGE in 1992 as the replacement for Jon Oliva. Zak sang on four albums with the band — "Edge Of Thorns" (1993),"Handful Of Rain" (1994),"Dead Winter Dead" (1995) and "The Wake Of Magellan" (1997) — before departing in 2000, allowing Jon to return. Both Jon and Zak took part in SAVATAGE's 2015 performance at Wacken Open Air, which marked the band's first appearance on stage since they went on hiatus back in 2002.
SAVATAGE's last album release, "Poets And Madmen", in 2001 was highlighted by Jon's return as lead vocalist, replacing Zak, who left the band citing family reasons, and the departure of guitarist Al Pitrelli, who accepted an offer to join MEGADETH in 2000. Pitrelli did record solos for some songs prior to his departure. Another very limited U.S. tour followed, supported by FATES WARNING in the early shows, and then NEVERMORE for the remainder. Around this time, Jon chose Zak's replacement in the form of Damond Jiniya (DIET OF WORMS). Damond performed Zak's parts on tour, with Jon having an increased vocal role in proceedings.
In addition to his work with SAVATAGE, Jon Oliva is well known for co-creating the classical music-meets-prog rock and pyro act TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA alongside O'Neill. Oliva has reportedly remained involved in TSO's activities even after O'Neill's April 2017 death of an accidental drug overdose.
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