I first heard Savatage in about 1984. I was completely blown away. I was an instant fan. At the time, I had just started seriously playing guitar and Randy Rhoads was my biggest influence. In the years that ensued, I began to truly appreciate the guitar mastery of Criss Oliva, the pure originality of the Savatage sound, and the truly unique and inspiring songwriting and vocal talents of Jon Oliva.
Some of you probably remember cassette tapes. I wore out or broke 4 copies of Gutter Ballet as I could not listen to anything else for about 2 years. Then Streets came out and due to the circumstances of my life its message of addiction, failure, tragedy, and redemption changed my life. I was fortunate enough to see Savatage on that tour at the Omni in Oakland, California. There were probably 50 people there, maximum. The room had a capacity for about 300. It was a crappy, raining November night, and Criss, Jon, Johnny, and Doc just totally blew my mind. I had won tickets on a local radio station to see the show. The question to win the tickets was to name 4 of the songs from the new album. Probably doesnt sound like much of a contest but the album had just been released three days prior to the show and I had already word THAT cassette out completely.
I remember hearing that Jon had left the band for greener pastures. I was truly bummed out believing that I would never again have the opportunity to see the master perform again.
One day in 1993 I was flipping through the Savatage collection at a record store in the mall (yeah, they actually still had records AND record stores in 1993) and I saw a cover that I had never seen before. I thought that maybe the band had an import I hadn't heard of and that is when the title jumped out at me. It was called 'Edge of Thorns'. Shaking with excitement I plunked down my $8.99 (yeah, they used to be cheap too) and raced to my waiting Iroc-Z in the parking lot, slammed the tape into the deck, and waited to hear just how much I was going to hate this new, Zachary Stevens guy. I get goosebumps even now remembering the experience of hearing what was not just an adequate replacement for the legend that is Jon Oliva, but a man that created an entirely new era for a band that set standards that are even just today being hungrily pursued by so many musicians from my generation, and from the new.
I had a similar experience in finding Dead Winter Dead in a record store, completely unaware that a new album had been released. This was just around the time that the internet had started becoming widely used and there were as of yet limited resources for finding out what was due out for my metal hungry ears.
I found Caffery and Middleton on AOL in about 1998. Both of them responded to every email I sent them and we had developed an internet friendship that has actually blossomed into a personal friendship. Caff and I have hung out on many occasions and JLM and I have talked at several TSO shows.
When the Wake of Magellan was due for release, I had planned a listening party in Vegas where I was living for 30 of my closest friends. I bought the album the day before the party and sweated it out for 24 hours not listening to the CD until the party started. I emailed Caffery about it and he sent me his personal phone number so that we could call him from the party and tell him what we thought. I am sure that any of you that remember hearing it for the first time were just as blown away as we were. I called Chris and we talked for an hour or two, passing the phone around to the other people at my listening party so they could give him their impressions as well.
I remember Caffery saying to me something like "hey man, listen to this sound and tell me what you think it is' - I listened for a moment, and I heard the sound of what had to be some impossible buzz saw making a HUGE racket on the phone. Chris came back on the line and asked me what i thought it was. I told him I had no idea. He laughed and said 'No man, that is the Mountain King. He is asleep on my couch" and proceeded to laugh his ass off. I guess it was MLB PLayoff season and he and Jon were at his apartment in New York watching the game and Jon fell asleep. Hilarious!
A few years ago, I was introduced to Zak Stevens by Circle II Circle bass player Mitch Stewart. Zak and I became fast friends. I was asked to join CIIC on their 09 European tour to fill in for Bill Hudson on certain dates because of visa concerns in certain countries that may have created a problem for his playing in those countries. I learned the CIIC set in a few days and flew to Italy to meet the band.
Touring with CIIC and Zak was an incredible experience for me. And playing the set closer "Edge of Thorns" every night with Zak and the boys was a soggy dream come true. Zak, Mitch, Andy, Bill, and Tom are some of the best friends I have ever had and we are all still in close touch.
When I listen back to my album with Futures End 'Memoirs of a Broken Man' there is a completely unmistakable Oliva influence in my guitar playing, piano playing, and songwriting. It's funny because I never realized just how big the impact of the Oliva brothers was on my playing until I listened to my own record. Some of those guitar riffs are SO Criss its scary.
I saw JOP at Progpower a couple of years back. I was fortunate enough to be standing on the stage just off to stage right during the entire set. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I have to tell you that what I experienced was the music of Jon Oliva no matter how you slice it. Sure, the personnel is different, but the power and brilliance of Savatage, of Jon Oliva, of Criss Oliva, of JLM, of Doc Wacholz, of Jeff Plate, of Zak Stevens, of Al Pitrelli of Matt LePorte, of Tom McDyne, of Chris Kinder, of John Zahner, of Damond Jinaya and of Paul O'Neil is completely unmistakable with every note, and with every song. I was totally blown away with the band and with the songs that this genius and all those whom have worked with him brought us that night.
I have met so many rock stars and my old heroes since I have been in the business that I never get starstruck anymore... Until I met Jon Oliva after the show that night. And he was funny, kind, caring, engaging, and full of life and incredible stories. One of my most prized posessions is the picture I had taken of me and the Mountain King that night.
I understand the dissapointment of so many fans that will never see Savatage play. Honestly though, Criss died 14 years ago. Zak left 11 years ago. Doc left 12 years ago. Even when I was fortunate enough to see Savatage Chris Caffery was not with the band anymore, and that was all the way back in 1991. When you go see JOP you are STILL seeing the masterful metal power of what WAS and will ALWAYS BE Savatage. And that is Jon Oliva and his incredible team of some of the most talented players in the world. Please don't cheapen that amazing expereince of seeing JOP or CIIC play by wishing it was simply with a different line up of musicians. The song remains the same...
Christian David Wentz
Futures End
