JOE LYNN TURNER Comments On BIG NOIZE's Upcoming Trip To Iraq

Vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN),bassist Phil Soussan (OZZY OSBOURNE),guitarist Carlos Cavazo (QUIET RIOT) and drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC) will bring their band BIG NOIZE to Iraq and Kuwait in September. This rock and roll invasion is designed to increase morale and solidify the united force that bonds most all human beings around the world: Music!

Commented Joe Lynn Turner: "We really have no idea how long our shows will go in Iraq... Lol. We talked about it today in a conference call. If we feel like playing for 90 minutes or two hours, we will do it!! We are very excited about entertaining our troops!!! They deserve so much! And for a time they can forget about whats happening around them and just 'rock out!'

"There are so many things about touring Iraq and Kuwait that are unique. For example, we are issued military orders. We have to carry our orders everywhere. We may be musicians but for those days in the Middle East we will be part of our allied forces!

"I'm so psyched!!!

"When we arrive in Kuwait, we will be issued 'IBA' (a.k.a. individual
body armor). And no!! I am not joking!!! This will weigh about 40 pounds and we will have to wear this on all flights on the tour and in any situation where we are told to wear it. It's for our own protection! Also, we must stay together as a team!!! No one is allowed to go off anywhere on their own!!! So it will be a strong bonding experience as well!

"We look forward to meeting the brave men and women of the multi-national forces on bases, in camps and in hospitals. We will do many meet-and-greets as well!!! As performers, we have some special privileges!!! It will be so cool to be invited to the flight deck of a C-130, ride and drive a tank and Blackhawk helicopters and maybe shoot howitzers into the hillsides! Pretty crazy!! We have been told that we may have to endure the legendary 'corkscrew' or 'combat' landing which has been described as similar to what used to be an 'e' ticket ride in Disneyland...Lol... If you are close to my age, you know what an 'e' ticket is. Lol!!! Most civilians pass out or vomit due to the rough maneuver!!!

"Some of the things we are not used to... They include possibly having to walk 50 feet to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night (no big deal considering!) and hanging out in 136 [degrees] Fahrenheit in the shade!!

"We will stay in barracks with the troops. It's very rare that we will get any 'Hollywood' treatment as far as accommodations!! No hotel suites in the desert!!! But I'm sure we will get through it. We will also be eating with the servicemen and women at scheduled meal times and if we are hungry after a show we hear there is a thing called 'midnight ration.' one thing the military does is feed you very well!!...

"I am absolutely sure I will have a life-changing experience and I am going into this with a 100% positive attitude. I am not going to lie and say it is not scary... it is!! But the united force that is music is so powerful that I am willing to bring it to the troops!! They give us the freedom to follow our dreams... and this is at the very least what we can give to them! Wish us luck!"

The tour is organized by Jeff Thornton of Lone Wolf Entertainment and is part of the Multi National Corps Iraq program headquartered at Al Faw Palace in Baghdad, to bring entertainment to the multinational forces stationed in Iraq and Kuwait.

Thornton says,"It's great to be taking a stellar group like BIG NOIZE to the Middle East to play for and meet the all-star men and women defending our freedom: freedom that allow the guys in BIG NOIZE to play the music that they want and rock the world."

What makes BIG NOIZE unique is its heritage and concept. All members have a related and connected past. The band plays a power-packed set of favored hits that its individual members were known for because they wrote or performed them during their times of biggest chart success. A BIG NOIZE concert is a tribute to the bands that the members were integral parts of and a reunion for its extensive and loyal fan base. The set list is a explosion of anthems that topped rock and pop charts in the 70s and 80s and includes: "Crazy Train" (OZZY OSBOURNE),"Smoke On The Water" (DEEP PURPLE),"Cum On Feel The Noize" (QUIET RIOT),"Stone Cold" (RAINBOW) and more.

Tour dates:

September
5 - Kuwait
7, 8, 10 and 11 - Iraq

"The five shows that the guys will be doing in Kuwait and Iraq are not only open to the men and women of all U.S. forces," Thornton explains, "But, also to all of the allied forces joining us in the fight against terrorism and the contract personnel stationed at the bases who are performing important jobs in support of our militaries. All of the shows are free of charge to everyone in attendance. BIG NOIZE will truly draw an audience from around the world as personnel from England, Australia, South Korea and even Iraq, to name a few, will be able to rock out to the hits of the classic rock bands represented by the band."

Fan-filmed video footage of an early 2008 concert by BIG NOIZE can be viewed below (courtesy of "mokumeitame").