Now revealed why the Whitesnake show in Serbia got canceled

In an interview with Ernest Skinner of Canada’s Border City Rock Talk, Joel Hoekstra discussed the cancellation of a concert in Serbia by members of Whitesnake that occurred last year, as per blabbermouth. A press conference held in late May 2025 in Belgrade announced the participants of the 58th Guitar Festival in Zaječar, scheduled from August 28 to 30, 2025, at Kraljevica. Guests at the conference included Marco Mendoza, Dino Jelusić (also known as Dino Jelusick), and Ivan Keller, who revealed an exclusive performance by the band Whitesnake Experience By The Members Of Whitesnake. This event was intended to be the sole worldwide concert featuring members of the renowned band Whitesnake, including Hoekstra, Jelusić, Mendoza, drummer Tommy Aldridge, and keyboardist Michele Luppi. Nevertheless, the Whitesnake Experience concert was canceled within a few weeks, with Serbia’s Vreme reporting that some musicians booked for the festival objected to the mingling of politics and culture by other artists. It looks like there won’t be any shows this year.

No. That was something that was really just set up [to be a one-off thing]. We did one of those [in July 2023], technically in France, just over the border from Switzerland. I think we were staying in Switzerland, but the gig was in France [at the Guitare En Scène festival]. And it was just kind of called ‘all-star band featuring members of Whitesnake’, and it was just kind of something that David said, ‘Yeah, that’s cool with me.’ And that was fine. As it turns out, this ‘Whitesnake Experience’ thing, there was some language involved there that got out ahead of what we were doing. I mean, it was intended to be a one-off gig.

Anything long term with that, that would have to come from David. This was meant to be just kind of, like, ‘Hey, let’s get together and have some fun and do a one-off,’ and suddenly all [there was] this traction online about it being a project. The only thing David had given approval for was for us to do a one-off. There was no talk about this being a full-time thing. That was — I don’t know where it got started, I don’t know who to attribute that to, but it got out ahead of itself. I made a social media post trying to say, like, what’s everybody doing. That’s not what this is. [It was supposed to be] just a one-off. And David, to his credit, was cool with all that. And anything like that, somebody who spent their life building a brand, building Whitesnake, if it was gonna turn into anything — even a one-off was something that I personally wanted to talk to David about and be, like, ‘Is this cool with you?’, out of respect [and] out of loyalty. But anything long term, that, I think, would have to come from David. I don’t think that would be us putting something together and going, ‘Is it cool with you if…?’ So, that would be something that David would say, ‘I’m interested in doing this.’ And as far as I know, there’s not really anything really happening with that. There was, I think, rumors and not a whole lot there, to be honest.

Joel Hoekstra spoke about his relationship with David Coverdale.

[David] is absolutely a great guy to work for and with. So as far as that friendship and camaraderie, all that’s still there. And I don’t think that’ll go away just because he’s chosen to retire, which is well earned and has my full support. I mean, dude, what are you gonna say? That’s great. I’m really, really happy for David. What a career. I mean, what a career. Any of us would be so lucky to be able to say that: ‘Oh, yeah, I joined Deep Purple at a young age and then formed my own band and had this amazing 45-year run’ or whatever it’s been with Whitesnake. And not only that, but to do the Coverdale/Page stuff. And to be a great guy to boot, on top of it all. So, for me, everything with David is golden. And I wish him nothing but the best.