DOKKEN performed to a near capacity crowd at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona on July 17th. The Dokken line-up included Don Dokken, Mick Brown, Jon Levin, and Sean McNabb on bass filling in for Barry Sparks who is on tour with UFO. The bill also included MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, L.A. GUNS featuring Tracii Guns and BANG TANGO. Dokken performed a 90 minute set of all of their classic hits and also performed a new song off of their tenth studio album, Lightning Strikes Again called, 'This Fire'.

Bravewords.com correspondent Deb Rao spoke to Dokken frontman Don Dokken after the concert regarding Dokken's performance with THE SCORPIONS in Crete, Dokken's survival in the music industry, and the Dokken Phoenix performance.

"Dokken is proud to be an '80's band," says the singer. "I feel good that I can go to my grave knowing that Dokken has played with some of the greats including AEROSMITH, SAMMY HAGAR and VAN HALEN, JUDAS PRIEST, METALLICA and QUIET RIOT. Yeah know, we have played with newer bands like STAIND. They ask me: 'Why does Dokken play so many solos?' I said, 'Because we can!'

Dokken started in 1980. We had a dream. Two years later we played with Van Halen at the Whisky A Go Go. Six years later we played with Van Halen on the Monsters Of Rock Tour. I think the reason Dokken has survived is because we never followed any trends. We just played straight ahead rock and roll. Twenty years later and we are still here.

It is great to be playing here in Phoenix tonight with Michael Schenker. Michael is a good friend and one of the best guitarists in the world. Our drummer Mick Brown is from Phoenix. I have lost a lot of friends in the past couple of years. We played a song tonight, 'Just Got Lucky'; Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot used to love that song.

We just got back from Greece and played a show with The Scorpions in Crete. Dokken kicked ass. It was great to see Klaus again. Also on the bill that night in Crete was a band from Greece called FIREWIND. We had a lay over in Paris and almost didn't make it here tonight. But when I look out in the audience and see an eight year old singing a song I wrote 20 years ago, that is what it is all about. A good song is written from the heart."