Update from Europe...

This 5th and final leg of the Whitesnake 2008 world tour has been amazing so far.

We saw Jerusalem, hung on the beach in Cyprus for 4 days, then moved to the colder temperatures of Switzerland and Deutchland. 

Once we hit Germany, we started touring with Alice Cooper, which in practice might not have been the best billing. I love those guys, but we really didn't seem to have many crossover fans, unlike on the Def Lep tour. I did however get to see Steve Gadd play with Joe Sample, then drive a nice Mercedes with Chris from Hamburg to Hannover on the Autobahn.

In Hannover I had the great pleasure of meeting with Kerstin B., who is interviewing me for the newest German bass mag, Bass Quarterly. I will be in the January issue, along side her other article with Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller & Victor Wooten! That's wicked!

Another month left out here... Freezing cold! We are in Poland, and will hit Russia, Finland, Sweden & more before returning home. It's been a long year. My back hurts. I also keep ripping the ballz-area of all my leather pants- I'm down to 1 pair (that had already been fixed TWICE!). But all in all this year has been unforgettable, mostly in good ways.

-UD

some pics coming up...

Berlin (E&W) & Warsaw Crowd, Dec 1 & 2, 2008

Jerusalem

Our friend Yuri took us on such a special trip to the Holy land... So rich with history. Thanks Yuri!

Japan is Awesome!

Slide Show:

Two nights in Tokyo @ Budoukan; a night each in Osaka & Nagoya...

So many great friends & fans on this short stay. Shout out's to:

Ruth & Azuza

Emi & Kumi

Yoko, Myongsuk & Hirayama at Rock Rock

Nobuyoshi & Ryuta Doi @ Gravity Bar

Ucchan!

Billy Sheehan & Toshi Hiketa - Great seein' you again!

Steve Lukather - Happy B-Day w/The Parrots!

Def Lep Cast & Crew- We still really work well together.

Mikey Mac & Aki-san for the good hangs.

About 15 bowls of RAMEN!

And of course the rest of the fans that follow us and hang at the hotels & train platforms... Thanks for the continued Support!

Here's some bootleg footage playing Still of the Night:

SOTN live in Japan.

Nobuyoshi plays Vai with Chris & I...

Ramen Samurai™

Our 2008 World Tour Resumes in Japan: 2 Nights at Budokkan.

I write this from the airplane high above the Pacific on our way to Japan. This will be my 3rd time there. I've enjoyed this summer to the fullest of my ability while at home in the San Francisco area for the past 2 months. But the time has come once again to gather and pack up all gear and necessities needed to produce a rock show for thousands of paying fans. I gladly oblige, but not without a slight shock to the system, inevitably caused by such adjustment of my reality. We've been touring on and off for the better part of 2008, with only a few stops at home in-between. It's at these transitional stops and starts that I notice emotions- not necessarily of sadness- but more of reflection. Of Friends and Family. Of times when we are truly alone, even when we are surrounded by many people. I often wonder if I'm still on the right path. To calibrate myself, I ask a few questions: Do I make others feel happy? Do I enhance the lives they already enjoy? Am I myself happy? Right now, the answer is still 'yes'. So off I go to ride out the rest of the year performing more music not just for ears... but to make the world a better place through happiness- one show at a time. See you out there (and I'll see you at Bass Player Live in LA on our break!).

After much success this year touring with our dear friends Def Leppard, I'm pleased to announce we will once again be rejoining forces for our Japanese fans.

For many of our European dates you'll find us with Alice Cooper and his wonderful band.

Remaining shows:

Oct 23 Nippon Budoukan Tokyo, Japan

Oct 24 Nippon Budoukan Tokyo, Japan

Oct 27 Castle Hall Osaka, Japan

Oct 28 Rainbow Nagoya, Japan

- home 1 week for Halloween, Bass Player Live (in LA) and VOTING.

Nov 11 Exhibition Grounds Tel Aviv, Isreal

Nov 14 Palais Des Sport Limassol, Cyprus

Nov 16 Schutzenhaus Albisguetli Zurich, Switzerland

Nov 18 Sporthalle Hamburg, Germany

Nov 20 AWD Hall Hannover, Germany

Nov 21 Grugahalle Essen, Germany

Nov 22 Oberfrankenhalle Bayreuth, Germany

Nov 25 Messehalle Erfurt, Germany

Nov 26 Olympiahalle Munich, Germany

Nov 28 Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt, Germany

Nov 29 Porsche Arena Stuttgart, Germany

Dec 1 Max-Schmelinghalle Berlin, Germany

Dec 2 Stodola Warsaw, Poland

Dec 4 Siemens Arens Vilnius, Lithuania

Dec 7 SportPalace Kiev, Ukraine

Dec 9 BI Moscow, Russia

Dec 11 New Arena St. Petersburg, Russia

Dec 12 Icehall Helsinki, Finland

Dec 14 Saku Arena Tallin, Estonia

Dec 16 ISStadion Stockholm, Sweden

Dec 17 Scandinavium Gothenburg, Sweden

Dec 19 KB Halle Copenhagen, Denmark

Dec 21 Tilburg, Holland

Introducing the new bass.

People, this is one of the best basses I've ever played. Maybe it just suits me. Whatever it is, it sounds great!

I believe there may even be a lil blurb coming out in a certain German Bass Magazine by the years end. I didn't build it from scratch- I merely customized an existing Fender to my specifications, and ended up with a monster. Take a look:

Uriah's new axe of choice:

"I play both 4 and 5-string basses equally, preferring the 4 if possible. This new bass is a tribute to a Fender Jazz bass I once owned that was stolen. It was a '98 Mexican Standard in sunburst finish. That bass was not only dear to me, but was also sonically superior to anything I had played- I'll tell you why. Over 6 years I had modified it just right to where anyone that played it fell in love with it. It even had bright blue Simms LED's in the neck, but most of all it had love. I used the bass throughout my career including my time with The Family Stone Experience (the reunion of Sly and the Family Stone, 2004-2005), and over 100 shows with Whitesnake from 2005-2006. Ever since it was stolen in late '06, I've been looking for the perfect 4-string for me. Re-building that lost bass myself ended up being the best option. This new bass was completed & customized by myself in September of this year." 

Here's a run down of it's features:

2004 Mexican Standard FMT Sunburst

All gold hardware

Hipshot Ultralight Tuners w/Xtender key

2nd String Tree

Bartolini Single Coil pickups

BadAssII Bridge

Aguilar OBP-3 Preamp

Why I love it:

You can play it delicately or pound on it as hard as you can, and it yields warm, stanky vintage Fender Jazz tones for funk, rock, or any style one may need. Look for it on tour this year with Whitesnake in Japan, Europe and the US in 2009.

Home Stretch - WS Nominated!

So- we have been nominated for 3 awards so far this year.
• Best Event of the Year
• Best Album of the Year
• Best Band of the Year

Let's see what happens- we've got some big classic rock company to compete with...
Full Article Here

We hit the UK with 3 more shows with Def Leppard- what a blast. We said our goodbyes and parted ways- we'll see 'em again in Japan. The show in Hungary was great, as was Italy. I got to visit my 2 close friends in Venice who just had a baby- what a treat! The city is so picturesque. Some good (but hot) walks. Now we're in Spain on the home stretch... just a few more shows to go. I got to hang out with Shilo once again, this time in Barcelona. His mom and family in Denmark made their way down for a little Spanish vacation time.

The Spanish shows are by far the hottest shows I've ever done. Do they know nothing of adequate ventilation systems here? Last night, I took a cold shower during the drum solo and after the show, and was still hot and soaked with sweat! Great crowds though- reminds me of being back in South America- passion!