Savatage bassist Johnny Lee Middleton recently discussed the band’s future touring plans, including a potential return to the United States and their long-term strategy, during an appearance on Metal Mayhem ROC.
Middleton shared details about the band’s current timeline, upcoming music releases, and their efforts to schedule performances in South America, Europe, and the U.S. next year.
“We have a 10-year plan, so we’re on year two,” Middleton said. “So we’ve still got some time left. We have some more music we’re gonna release. We have a game plan. And we’re working on getting some stuff together in the States for next year. But, yeah, we plan on coming back to South America next year and in Europe again, and we’re trying to snake some stuff in the United States, whether it’s a package deal with a couple other bands or just doing some one-off shows with ourselves.”
He also explained the financial and logistical challenges of touring in the United States, comparing their current crew setup to their earlier touring days.
“The problem is we never did get to the point of drawing enough people in the United States to warrant the money that we need to pay the 18 guys that I gotta pay to do a gig,” Middleton continued. “And when we did the stuff back in the [earlier] Savatage days, we used a lot of our friends and stuff as crew guys. And it was, like, the music friends.”
Middleton noted that their current crew consists of Trans-Siberian Orchestra professionals, which increases the overall cost of their live productions.
“Now the guys we use are the TSO [Trans-Siberian Orchestra] guys, and they don’t work for cheap,” Middleton added. “So we have really good crew, but they cost a lot of money. And so we could make the guarantees in Europe that make it worth our time to do this, and we’re working on some stuff in the States right now that we’re… You’ll probably see us next year.”
These plans follow sporadic shows played by the band in Europe and South America throughout 2025 and 2026. Let’s see what comes next.
