Watch: WHITESNAKE Plays First Show With New Lineup At Farewell Tour Kick-Off In Dublin

WHITESNAKE launched its farewell tour Tuesday night (May 10) at Dublin, Ireland’s 3Arena. The band’s 14-song set, which was part of a European tour with special guests EUROPE and co-headliners FOREIGNERmarked WHITESNAKE‘s inaugural performance with the group’s two latest two additions, keyboardist, guitarist and backing vocalist Dino Jelusickand Irish bassist Tanya O’Callaghan.

WHITESNAKE kicked off the concert with “Bad Boys” / “Children Of The Night” and played a set which drew heavily from the “Troubles” (1978),“Ready An’ Willing” (1980),“Saints & Sinners” (1982),“Slide It In” (1984),“Whitesnake” (1987) and “Flesh&Blood” (2019) albums. WHITESNAKE also performed its staple cover of “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City”a 1974 R&B song written by Michael Price and dan walshand first recorded by Bobby “Blue” Bland for the “Dreamers” album.

After the concert, WHITESNAKE front man David Coverdale shared a number of photos on Twitterwriting in an accompanying message: “THANK YOU, DUBLIN!!! You Brought Tears To An Old Snakes Eyes…Blessings On You & Yours For An Unforgettable Evening In The Company Friends…The Irish Whitesnake Choir Was In Exceptional Form…XXX” He later added: “Once Again Our Sincere Gratitude For Such An Emotional Beginning To The Farewell Tour…Please Know You Are Truly Appreciated & Love DUBLIN!! God Bless Your Beautiful Hearts!”

O’Callaghan wrote on Instagram: “Thank you Ireland. My heart is so full, your energy was out of this world. Goodnight from a very sleepy, very smiley Irish woman. Sláinte! Oíche maith.”

WHITESNAKE‘s setlist was as follows:

01. bad boys / Children Of The Night
02. Slide It In
03. Love Ain’t No Stranger
04. Hey You (You Make Me Rock)
05. Slow An’ Easy
06. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City
07. Fool For Your Loving
08. Trouble Is Your Middle Name
09. Crying In The Rain
10. Is This Love
eleven. Give Me All Your Love
12. Here I Go Again
13. Still Of The Night

Encore:

14. Take Me With You

Coverdalewho turned 70 in September, recently opened up about his plans to retire from touring after the band’s next batch of concerts around the world, telling the “Appetite For Distortion” podcast: “I planned to retire on the 2020 tour when I was 69. I thought that was the perfect age for the singer of WHITESNAKE to call it a day. But sadly, it was not to be, as we know; other events were in store. So now the t-shirt designs don’t resonate as well for 70. But it’s mind-blowing to me that I’m preparing my farewell tour. and it is — make no mistake, this is the farewell tour. I’m 70. It’s a very physically challenging thing for me to do at the best of times. But it’s very important for me to achieve completion and to express my appreciation and gratitude to all the people — the millions of people over the years — who’ve supported me for five decades, fifty years. It blows my mind — it really does.”

“A lot of my peers and contemporaries are on their 20th retirement tour. I don’t intend to plan that,” he clarified. “I must explain, though — it’s me, just David Coverdalewho’s retiring from touring at that level. WHITESNAKE will still make projects. I’ve been writing music all through COVID. I wrote some beautiful new ideas. I have ideas in case Jimmy [Page] wants to do anything—write on face time, which is an alien concept to him. But all songs that we can use for a WHITESNAKE project. But the music of WHITESNAKE will continue. That’s most important that people know. I’m just stopping touring at this level — that’s it.”

According to Coverdalethere could very well be new music from WHITESNAKE in the years following his retirement from the road.

“I’ve got a bunch of ideas for WHITESNAKE, so we may have another project there — I don’t know — without the pressure of having to go on tour,” he said. “We have such a solid fanbase, I think fans are gonna buy the record with or without a tour . This is just emotionally for me to be able to go out there and do stuff. And also, you’ve gotta remember, we’ve started this legacy series of box sets, similar to the 25th anniversary. We have, I think, the 35th anniversary of ‘Slide It In’; the 30th anniversary of the WHITESNAKE ’87album; we have a very special project planned to accompany the tour; we have another box set planned for this time next year. And then in 2023, we have the 30th anniversary of COVERDALE/PAGEand the 50th anniversary of me joining DEEP PURPLE. Mind-blowing. So it’s not like I’m retiring. [Laughs]

“Thankfully, physically and vocally, I still have the goods,” he continued. “As my wife reminds me, I was actually touring up to spring in 2020, before lockdown. And I was 68 years old, and I’m still kicking ass. Of course, having an amazing band and an incredible and enthusiastic audience gives you that energizing aspect. It’s just the traveling is challenging for me. But music is oxygen to me. I’m not gonna go fishing or take up crochet; I’m gonna definitely be doing projects. I’m lucky enough to have my own studio. It’s the best of a bunch of worlds. And I have to thank people in person around the world for helping me to be in this position that I am in my life at this time. I don’t want to do it through a video [on] social media: ‘Sorry we can’t get out there, but thank you for 50 years.’ That would be heartbreaking for me.”

Coverdale had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.

WHITESNAKE had been touring in support of its latest album, “Flesh&Blood”which was released in May 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Image credit: metalreporterjuso / Youtube