2001 - SOLO AGAIN - CHARITY & BOUNCED PLANS

Back in the States John Waite and his band take part in VFA (Volunteers For America) in October. The two-day benefit festival is raised by Tommy Shaw (Styx) and it´s dedicated to the victims of the terror attacks of
September 11, 2001. The concerts take place on October 20, in Atlanta, and October 21, in Dallas. The proceeds are for the benefit of the bereaved of the New York Fire Department and the New York Police Department, and for the American Red Cross.
Well-known musicians such as Styx,  Edgar Winter, Eddie Money, Bad Company, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Kansas, Survivor, and many more, participate. (Footnote: John has the opportunity to meet his „All-Time Hero“ Paul Rodgers personally. Rogers is the exceptional Bad Company vocalist, and he and his legendary band Free count to John´s earliest musical influences.) The two concerts raise more than $ 1.000.000.

The show at London´s Garage, scheduled for November 13,  is going to be cancelled, like some other of his gigs in the USA round that time. John isn´t very pleased about that: „It has nothing to do with the trouble in the East“, he assures. Many musicians postpone their concerts in the face of the World Trade Center tragedy or cancel them completely.  However, that doesn´t apply to John´s London gig and he frustrated vents his anger: „It's purely that we had only one  date and Gold Circle didn´t want us to go for one date. But me, myself, I would have go for one date.
It's Great Britain, it's my home. I can't believe we cancelled it, really… it's not sitting well with me at all.“ The expected European club tour has to be put off as well for the moment, and John hopes to play leastwise Germany, France and not least his native country.

On December 14, John again takes part in the Shade Tree festivities which take place at the House of Blues,
Las Vegas. Again, it´s a tremendous success.

From time to time, the rumour goes about unreleased John Waite Archives. John´s statement: „MTM asked me to release previously unreleased material so I put together some stuff from the last 15 years. There was great material between I was really proud of, especially this killer ballad with Adrian Vandenberg (photo below) and the unreleased Bad English stuff.

It was important to me, that it was someone that really cares about my music. But when they heard it they blew it. They wanted a more middle of the road pop album. One song even had this slight country-touch, which obviously shocked them. With that album I wanted to bridge the time to my next record and it was thought as a Thank You to my fans. I wanted to give them something special.“
Probably we will never have the chance to hear this material. But who knows, maybe he changes his mind one day…

Better chances then for a live record? „Well... It would contain songs I really care for. A couple of BAD ENGLISH songs I never played live before and that wouldn´t have raise their heads.“

Courtesy of www.whitesnake.com

As a sideline, John Waite works with Neil Schon on a greatest hits album: „Neil asked me to write a song with him and sing on his album and we've been hashing out ideas. Hopefully it works, that would be a really great thing.“
(Obviously it didn´t... Petra)

Again, rumours about a movie go round, this time about John´s live. His reaction seems to be rather amused: „Oh, really? I hope they have enough film because I have an eventful live.“
But nobody apporached him to talk about it, he says...

32

Contents   Back   Ahead   Home