The classic Dokken lineup of vocalist Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown have announced a string of dates in Japan this October. Reuniting for six shows only, this lineup will perform in Japan for the first time in 21 years. Dubbed Unleashed In The East, Don Dokken comments on the upcoming shows: “I am very excited to come back to Japan and play with the members of Dokken that I spent so much time with. Being that its only 6 shows, we are going to make as spectacular as possible.”

Prior to the Japanese dates, Dokken will play their only US reunion show on Friday, September 30th at Badlands Pawn, Gold, and Jewelry in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Rocker Gabbie Rae will open the show. Details and ticket information will be revealed soon.

Pilson recently spoke with My Global Mind about the reunion shows. An excerpt is available below.

Q: Do you have any favorite time or era of being in Dokken?

Jeff Pilson: "I have a couple. The whole Tooth and Nail writing process and tour was magical for me. I was new in the band and instantly established a bond with George as we spent a lot of time working on the CD. It’s a lifelong bond. The band was really hungry and there was a healthy competition. It was a positive experience all round.

The Dio tour that followed was great, we really turned from boys to men on that tour. George and I would watch Dio every night as they were amazing every night. It was a wonderful experience.

Another favorite was the tour we did with Aerosmith in 1987-88. They were great and we were at the peak of being a live band. I saw bootlegs of those shows and though we were great plus our popularity was big and the place was packed when we were on stage."

Q: When was Dokken’s last show and how did it end?

Jeff Pilson: "The last show with the four original guys would have been in 1997 when we were playing with Alice Cooper. It ended on a horrible note! It ended up with George and Don almost getting into a fight on the bus with George’s son having to come between them. It got nasty and ugly; it was very unfortunate. That show was how we parted ways at the end of the 90s. In 2009 (I believe) Lynch Mob was opening up for Dokken in Orange County so George and I got up on stage with Dokken and did a few songs with them. That was kind of when we were talking about a reunion; it went through a lot of phases where nothing really came about until now. What worked out so well this time is Dokken is working around Foreigner’s touring schedule. It was an offer that we couldn’t say no to."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

The Japan tour will launch on October 5th in Osaka, Japan, then heads to Fukuoka, Tokyo for the Loud Park Festival before continuing on to Hiroshima, Aichi and finally, back to Tokyo for the last show on October 12th.

Dokken’s Tooth And Nail, released in 1984, contained several hit songs including "Alone Again", "Just Got Lucky" and "Into the Fire", and sold over three million copies worldwide and the band continued releasing many more records with the same success.

Tickets for this once in a lifetime event, as well as VIP package experiences, will go on sale on August 27th. This will be the one and only opportunity for fans to see the original lineup play their iconic hits.

Tour dates:

October
5 - Osaka, Japan - Namba Hatch
6 - Fukuoka, Japan - Fukuoaka Civic Hall
8 - Tokyo, Japan - Loud Park Festival (on sale now)
10 - Hiroshima, Japan - BlueLive Hiroshima
11 - Aichi, Japan - Zepp Nagoya
12 - Tokyo, Japan - Zepp Divercity Tokyo

Drummer “Wild” Mick Brown joined Mitch Lafon for Episode #223 of One On One With Mitch Lafon back in May. He discussed the upcoming reunion and the confirmed Japanese tour dates.

About the Dokken reunion Brown said: “In spite of ourselves, we always seem to do well. You have to decide - I'm in or I'm out. Let it go and play ball... Somehow, it seems to work out. It's never very easy and I'm sure it's not going to be this time either."