JEFF PILSON On Reunion Of DOKKEN's Classic Lineup: 'It Was Way More Fun Than I Expected'

Tigman of the Q103 radio station in Albany, New York conducted an interview with current FOREIGNER and former DOKKEN bassist Jeff Pilson. You can listen to the full chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the 2016 reunion of DOKKEN's classic lineup:

Jeff: "You know what? It was way more fun than I expected. [Laughs] It was great. We got along good; it was very productive. The fan response was really wonderful, really made it worthwhile. We ended up coming up with quite a product. We have a live DVD coming out by the end of the year. It's taken from shows in Japan and the one show that we did over here in the U.S. Then we did a new song which came out amazing. Then we did two acoustic remakes of old DOKKEN classics that came out really incredible. We did that in the studio together. A lot of good came out of that. It was just a wonderful experience. I was shocked."

On why DOKKEN didn't perform more reunion shows in North America:

Jeff: "It was down to time. This FOREIGNER gig is very full-time for me. It's really hard to make the time for it. It's a commitment when DOKKEN has to do something. Well in advance I knew I was going to have the three weeks off that we had with FOREIGNER, so Japan asked us if we could come over. When they found out that I had that particular time, they actually got a copy of the FOREIGNER schedule and built the schedule around that in Japan. It was impossible to say no and we wanted to do it anyway. The fact the Japanese promoter made it so easy for us, it all just fell together. It would have to be a confluence of a lot of events to make it happen again because things are so tricky with time. But we'll see. At least what we did was great and we had a good time and that was a step for us."

On his relationship with Ronnie James Dio, whom Pilson played with during various stints in the '90s and '00s:

Jeff: "He was a very, very dear friend. There's very rarely a day that goes by that I don't think about him at some point. I'll have dreams about him and stuff. He was just a wonderful…yes, he was probably one of the greatest metal singers ever. Yes, he was a great songwriter and great musician and a great bandleader and all that kind of stuff, but he was also just this amazing human being. I really miss that. It's still hard to believe he's gone even though it's been seven years. It was a very wonderful experience in my life that I will always treasure and will never lose sight of because it was great."

On FOREIGNER having original vocalist Lou Gramm take part in their fortieth-anniversary tour:

Jeff: "Those guys were really important parts of it. They're wonderful guys. I have so much respect and a lot of love for the old band. They're just great people, great musicians. They accomplished something pretty damn amazing. Those records are so special. They all were important. It's a great thing."

In addition to their fortieth anniversary tour, FOREIGNER is currently promoting a new career-spanning compilation titled "40" that features forty hits from forty years. Rhino released "40" on May 26 as a double-CD set that includes forty songs recorded between 1977 and 2017.

Pilson, Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown completed a short Japanese tour last October, marking the first time in twenty-one years the band's classic lineup had hit the road.

A new DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour is tentatively due before the end of the year. The set will feature footage from two of the Japanese shows — including Tokyo — as well as the band's very first comeback gig, which was held on September 30, 2016 at Badlands Pawn Guns Gold And Rock 'N' Roll in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Don told "The Classic Metal Show" that the main reason he doesn't want to continue with the classic DOKKEN lineup is that he "loves" the band he has now — which features Brown, alongside guitarist Jon Levin and bassist Chris McCarvil.