WHITESNAKE legend David Coverdale has confirmed that he plans to retire from touring after the band’s next batch of concerts around the world.
Speaking to Planet Rock, here’s what David said:
“I’ve been very passionate about what I do. I try not to let my audience down. We’ve got a really loyal hardcore fanbase around the world.
“Last year, we were supposed to do what was gonna be my farewell tour, and it was sold out; it was amazing. Of course, everything was canceled due to COVID. So, God willing, I’ll be able to do it hopefully next year. I’m gonna show my appreciation and gratitude for the support that I’ve had, ’cause you can’t do it without an audience supporting you — it’s that simple. And they know — the hardcore [fans] who follow me know — I do my best, the best I can do at that time. And that’s been my work philosophy for as long as I can remember.”
He added:
“Mine’s gonna be the farewell tour ’cause I’m knocking on 70. Are you kidding?! It’s hard enough now to get into my jeans.”
On writing new music, David said:
“I’ll be still involved in music.”
“We’ve got a relatively long-term deal with Warners. We have a p*opload of projects to do under the WHITESNAKE banner. It’s just the touring. It’s not the performing so much that is exhausting, it’s the touring, and I can’t tour any more comfortably than I do. So I spoke to my agent and said, ‘I wanna do this [farewell tour] more than anything. It’s after 50 years of incredible support for me.’ Not to be able to say thank you to the U.K., not to be able to say thank you to Germany, to Japan, Brazil, it would be heartbreaking.
“I’m getting up there for this kind of stuff, and so it’s gonna have to be an easier tour schedule for me to be able to handle and recharge the batteries so I’m not hobbling around or doing wheelies in a chair.”
“I play guitar every day. The moment I start playing, I come up with ideas for songs. It’s impossible for me not to [play music]. It’s like my hobby. It’s something that I’m supposed to do; otherwise, I think I wouldn’t receive all these amazing ideas for melodies and naughty lyrics, including ‘Slide It In’, darling.”
Earlier Whitesnake’s David Coverdale had a chat with “The Rhino Podcast” , talking about the band’s “Red, White And Blues” trilogy was originally timed to coincide with his planned farewell tour, which was supposed to kick off this year.
Coverdale said:
“What could be a better age for the lead singer of Whitesnake [to retire] than 69? I’d even designed really terrible t-shirts to go with it. So the plan was to do literally an appreciation and gratitude [tour] for such extraordinary support for five decades, and then maybe go into 2021.”
Earlier this year, Whitesnake was forced to cancel its U.S. tour along with Sammy Hagar & The Circle and Night Ranger so that Coverdale could undergo surgery for bilateral inguinal hernia. Eventually, all of the shows were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.
“My agents now are calling, trying to get me interested in spring, which I think is just literally… I don’t have a crystal ball.
”I think the earliest we can look at, really — I don’t even know if it will be safe enough for people get in a large group and not have worries or concerns, even late ’21. I think we’re more [looking at] 2022. It’s very likely.
“It’s affecting every job — not just musicians and people affiliated with the music business. This is affecting everyone.”