ADRIAN VANDENBERG cancels august 2026 U.S. tour: “a bacterial infection invaded my body”
03-08-2026
Acclaimed Dutch guitarist Adrian Vandenberg has canceled his previously announced “My Whitesnake Years” August 2026 U.S. tour. The trek, which was scheduled to launch on August 3 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, was supposed to feature an all-star lineup including acclaimed guitarist Vinnie Moore and veteran bassist/vocalist Marco Mendoza, celebrating decades of iconic rock music spanning WHITESNAKE, THIN LIZZY, UFO, Ted Nugent and beyond.
Adrian released the following statement via social media: “Amigos, Never in my roughly 50 year long career as a touring guitar player have I had to cancel a show or tour. Not even when in 1987 I had my face totally ripped open in an early morning traffic accident in New York. I still played the show that evening because I didn’t want to miss playing a sold out show at Madison Square Garden.
“Needless to say I’m really, really sorry to have to announce that I’m strongly urged by the medical specialists involved to not do this upcoming USA tour at this point. Right now, it would just be too soon after a bacterial infection invaded my body, which needs to get taken care of right away. Those creepy bad boys need to get their treacherous asses kicked out of my body asap.
“I’m in great expert hands in the hospital and things are fortunately moving in the right direction. But, as always, these kind of things will need some time.
“Our management and USA agency Paramour Group are already working on rescheduling this tour. And of course, you’ll be kept up to date.
“See you guys soon!”
Vandenberg first rose to prominence in the early 1980s with his band VANDENBERG, earning international success with hits including “Burning Heart” and “Friday Night”. His success led to a longtime collaboration with David Coverdale and WHITESNAKE, where he contributed the unforgettable guitar solo to the multi-platinum smash “Here I Go Again” and co-wrote material for the “Slip Of The Tongue” and “Restless Heart” releases. He also appeared on WHITESNAKE‘s “Starkers In Tokyo”, “Live At Donington” and the band’s celebrated “Greatest Hits” reunion tour.
Beyond WHITESNAKE, Vandenberg has continued an extensive recording career with multiple solo releases and albums with VANDENBERG’S MOONKINGS. In 2024, he co-healined with Geoff Tate on the latter’s “Operation: Mindcrime” tour, followed by performances aboard the 2025 Monsters Of Rock cruise and a successful East Coast headline run.
Vandenberg was a member of WHITESNAKE for 13 years at the height of the band’s fame, contributing the solo on “Here I Go Again”. He was also part of supergroup MANIC EDEN, and more recently released a number of albums with VANDENBERG’S MOONKINGS.
Vandenberg‘s namesake band released its comeback album, titled “2020”, in May 2020 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. A follow-up LP, “Sin”, arrived in August 2023.
The group’s fifth full-length offering, “Sin”, was produced by Bob Marlette (OZZY OSBOURNE, ALICE COOPER, ROB ZOMBIE).
Recalling his refusal to return to WHITESNAKE when Coverdale resurrected the band in 2002, Vandenberg told “White Line Fever” that the singer “wanted to stop altogether because he was kind of worn out on the road. He didn’t want to do it anymore… When he called me up and said he wanted to start it up again, I couldn’t do it because I had all kinds of obligations for exhibitions for my paintings. And those are always planned a year ahead, because art galleries reserve the space a year ahead because exhibitions usually last three to six months or something. I couldn’t do it but we did keep in touch always. We still do.”
The guitarist added that he and Coverdale became “very good friends over the years, so you never know what might happen… We actually have pretty specific ideas about maybe doing a blues album or an acoustic thing or whatever… Sooner or later it might happen, but right now we’re really involved in other projects. So this is probably not the time. But I wouldn’t be surprised if, sooner or later, we end up doing something together in some kind of format. I was in WHITESNAKE for 13 years, which is quite a long time. I still hold the record, I think.”
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