A collective of musicians from legendary rock group Whitesnake will perform an exclusive tribute concert at the 58th Zaječar Guitar Festival in Serbia. The one-off performance, billed as Whitesnake Experience by the Members of Whitesnake, was announced at a press conference last week in Belgrade.
The project was created specifically for the festival, which runs from August 28 to 30, and will feature an all-star lineup of current and former Whitesnake members: drummer Tommy Aldridge, guitarist Joel Hoekstra, bassist Marco Mendoza, keyboardist Michele Luppi, and Croatian vocalist Dino Jelusić. Whitesnake founder David Coverdale has reportedly given his official approval for the project.
During the press conference, Marco Mendoza explained why the group chose Serbia for this unique event. “Tradition and quality are very important to us, and the Guitar Festival, with its 58-year history, is something you must respect and cherish. Your audience is one of the best in the world, and I believe they will enjoy this performance with us,” he said.
Vocalist Dino Jelusić, who was part of Whitesnake‘s last European tour, shared his excitement about fronting the special performance. “We’re preparing a special setlist of Whitesnake‘s greatest hits. Singing the songs of my childhood idol David Coverdale is a special honor and pleasure for me,” Dino said. “Although I’ve performed with big names in the rock world in the meantime, Whitesnake‘s songs suit me best, and playing with such a fantastic group of musicians is pure hedonism for me”.
The performance comes after long-standing speculation about Jelusić’s role in Whitesnake, with some rumors suggesting he was brought in to eventually replace Coverdale. In a November 2023 interview, Jelusić addressed the rumors with respect for the band’s iconic frontman. “To me, Whitesnake is David Coverdale, and I would never wanna take that spot, to be honest with you,” Dino stated. “If the band should end because he wants to retire, the band should end because he wants to retire”.
He did, however, confirm his significant vocal role on the last tour. “I sang a lot, obviously, live,” he explained. “I sang ‘Slide It In’ half-half with him, and I covered a lot of ground, along with Michele [Luppi], the keyboard player. So there was a lot of work; it was a lot of work”.
