DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB In St. Petersburg, FL With Photos!

Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 10:11 AM

By Travis Failey, Planet Earth Contributor

At Ferg’s Pavilion On August 22nd

All Live Photos By Travis Failey Photography

It’s May 27th 1988 and the first show of the biggest Hard Rock Festival is taking place in Alpine Valley Wisconsin. That’s right, the highly anticipated Monsters of Rock Festival is finally underway as KINGDOM COME, METALLICA, DOKKEN, and SCORPIONS are all on the bill with VAN HALEN headlining the show.

There are so many things that I remember from that concert as it’s still one of the greatest lineups I have witnessed. METALLICA played “Blackened” without any lyrics as they were still writing 'And Justice For All' and were on the cusp of being the biggest metal band in the world. VAN HALEN had some technical difficulties but were really strong. The SCORPIONS put on the best show out of all five bands and were completely on top of their game.

DOKKEN on the other hand were on the verge of collapse and the animosity between Don Dokken and the rest of the band was obvious as the opening notes of the first song in “Just Got Lucky” rang out from the stage. We watched from the 6th row as tensions between Don & George got more and more heated as the 10 song set continued. My friends and I talked and wondered if DOKKEN would be able to make the whole tour and they did but not more than a year later, they disbanded. They would reunite a couple times for various reasons, but old wounds would always resurface leading to Don, George, Jeff and Mick going their separate ways.

Why do I start my DOKKEN with LYNCH MOB review from Ferg’s Pavilion in Saint Petersburg this way you ask? Because on this hot muggy Saturday night 34 years later, former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch will take the stage to perform the final three songs of DOKKEN’s set with his former frontman Don Dokken.

For the thousands of fans at Fergs’ including myself, this was the first time seeing the two of them share the same stage and play classic and fan favorite DOKKEN tunes together. How would this reunion work out? Well plenty of inquiring minds showed up to witness it firsthand.

George Lynch and LYNCH MOB took the stage and absolutely put on a rock show clinic for the hour they were on stage at Fergs. Their set was a “Best of Lynch Mob” set with only the instrumental “Mr Scary” coming from the DOKKEN catalogue.

On stage with Lynch was former GREAT WHITE and LAST IN LINE vocalist Andrew Freeman, Jaron Gulino on bass and the amazing Jordan Cannatta on drums. Cannatta plays like a complete beast on stage which is apropos as he has a little stuffed “Animal” toy from the Muppet show on his kit.

They opened with “No Bed Of Roses” and went right into “River of Love” and then “Sweet Sister Mercy” all from LYNCH MOB’s stellar debut album 'Wicked Sensation'. George looked and sounded great once again as he has been touring non-stop with different versions of LYNCH MOB and under the GEORGE LYNCH moniker the last five years with multiple stops in Florida. The video screen graphics were a perfect backdrop to the songs throughout the set and other bands should take a cue on how these were presented as they added another element to the show as a whole.

I went to many of those Lynch shows and not to take anything away from previous singers but Andrew Freeman truly seems like the best to handle the LYNCH MOB material. Freeman’s stage presence is intense and his voice is extremely powerful with amazing projection especially on “Hell Child” and “All I Want.” Freeman also picked up the guitar and shredded along with George and Gulino on “Machine Bone” from the most recent LYNCH MOB release in 'Dancing With the Devil'.

A LYNCH MOB set would not be complete without George taking center stage to perform his opus in “Mr. Scary.” As George shredded on his Gibson Les Paul, all eyes were on him except for mine as Cannatta was smiling and slamming the skins behind the kit. He did stick tricks throughout the set never missing a beat. He truly loves performing and his energy feeds into the crowd.

LYNCH MOB finished the set with “Wicked Sensation” of course and got a roaring applause from the crowd. All four members of the band and the crowd had smiles on their faces including myself, all though personally, I wish their set would have been a bit longer especially seeing what transpired next.

What happened next? As Tom Petty once wrote, “The Waiting Is the Hardest Part”, and wait we did. Don Dokken and his band were scheduled to take the stage at 9:30-9:45 at the latest but Don took an extensive amount of time at the Meet and Greet with him and the band finally taking the stage at 10:35. I get it, the fans pay big money for M&Gs but having long conversations with them while the other 1400 fans wait in an outdoor venue in Florida in August is selfish or Don at this point is just oblivious to what is occurring. The fans were pissed and let the band and Don know it prior to them starting their set with “Kiss of Death” from the classic 'Back For The Attack' album.

The band was really strong with long time guitarist Jon Levin handling the guitar duties. Levin has played with Don Dokken since 2003 and is a virtuoso in his own right. Such a strong player and he needs to be to handle the Lynch material and for the audience’s attention to be on him, bassist Chris McCarvill and drummer BJ Zampa and not on Don.

We all know that Don can no longer sing the material that made him renowned as one of the great singers and songwriters of the 80’s but he also struggles to stand on stage and move around. He sat on a stool for a lot of the set while performing DOKKEN classics like “The Hunter” and “Just Got Lucky” while mixing in more recent material in “Fugitive” and “Saving Grace.” Don also told extended stories and how songs like “Breaking the Chains” came about while he was in Germany.

I’ve never been very critical of bands and singers talking about songs during a show but you should really know your audience and to be able to read the room. A lot of people were just tired of waiting around and then listening to a vocal performance that was in all transparency, awful. If it wasn’t for Chris McCarvill handling the higher registers, and knowing that George Lynch would be taking the stage with Don to close out the set, I think everyone would have left the venue.

Prior to starting “Into The Fire” Don actually went so far as to mention that he had pictures of women and their private areas that he had been with in the past and to mention that is a bit shocking and completely uncalled for especially with a large amount of women in the crowd.

After a butchered version of “Alone Again” and finishing off the main set with “Too High To Fly,” George Lynch joined DOKKEN to a roar from what was left of the crowd to perform “In My Dreams” from the 'Nightmare On Elm Street 3' movie.

Just like on the aforementioned Monsters of Rock stage, Don looked annoyed at George from the jump as originally they were to play “Unchain the Night” first but Don changed the set and must not have provided George with the memo.

George took it in stride and smiled throughout the three songs which also included “Unchain..” and “When Heaven Comes Down.” Don’s bandmates were also all smiles while they played with George especially drummer BJ Zampa.

The crowd loved seeing George back on stage with Don as it gave them a blast from the past and a chance to relive some of their own history and wonder what could have been if DOKKEN would have stayed together at least for a little while longer in the 80s.

As we departed the venue, I felt bad for the fans who paid a lot of money for VIP etc but then again, anyone who knows anything about Don Dokken and his performances over the last 20 years, knows that he just can’t sing anymore, or at least not in the same key or range. All you had to do was watch one video and you would see and hear it. But once again, we all want to be taken back to a time when life was just a bit easier and when our lives were more in front of us then behind.

After some reflection, I also understand why Don still takes the stage while his body and his voice break down. Anyone who is an artist and people as a whole I believe, are looking for affirmation and there’s no other feeling to me than to be able to perform on stage and have the people in the crowd react to your art.

I don’t think he is doing it for money as Don has made a lot throughout his career and could sell the DOKKEN catalogue for a good chunk of change. But I also think that Don knows that the sands of time and performing are running very low and he needs to maximize while he can and that bringing George up on stage will sell a lot of tickets. A lot!!!

While Don and George may do additional shows together, it’s unfortunate but it’s time for Don and a few others in the genre we love to hang it up. We all have our peaks and valleys but when you’re the frontman and you have to rely on your bandmates to carry the show because you can’t anymore and the valleys are much larger with no more peaks, it’s time to step away.

Don is still a great songwriter and should focus on that and provide material to younger bands. It’s difficult to be honest with ourselves but it has to happen with everyone at some point in life and hopefully Don has that talk with himself soon.
Even though this night at Ferg’s in Saint Petersburg may have left a bad taste in some people’s mouths, it will never take away from the legacy and the amazing songs and material we still love from Don, George, Jeff and Mick and we will still be………. ”Rockin' with Dokken” on our stereos for many years to come.

LYNCH MOB