The guitarist of Whitesnake and Winger, Reb Beach, shared his thoughts on the band’s “terrible” final tour during a recent interview, stating that not even David Coverdale’s retirement could provide closure regarding the ill-fated journey.

“It was the worst ending that it could have been,” Beach told Blabbermouth. “It couldn’t have been any worse than it was. It’s just how the cookie crumbled. We had a new management, and we had a terrible soundman, then everyone got sick, and it fell apart like Jenga, like all over the table: ‘Okay, guys, that’s it. We sucked. Goodbye.’

Beach elaborated on the sound issues, explaining: “I’m talking about front of house. The whole band’s sound was bad. We had terrible hotels. It was a terrible tour; that last tour. Now that’s going to be the headline!”

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How Did Health Issues Affect Whitesnake’s Farewell Tour?

Whitesnake performed their last show in June 2022 at Clisson, France’s Hellfest (where former guitarist Steve Vai joined the band for a remarkable rendition of “Still of the Night”). They were forced to cancel their remaining European farewell tour dates the following month due to several members’ various “health challenges.”

“Last year, I was incredibly compromised by, without any doubt, the worst sinus infection I’ve ever had in my life. And as a singer, I know them like relatives of mine,” Coverdale told UCR in 2023. “This was one of the ugliest illnesses I think I’ve had. For seven months, I was taking ever-increasingly strong antibiotics and horrifying Prednisone steroids.”

Coverdale announced his retirement from touring in November 2025, telling fans in a video message: “After over 50 years of an incredible journey with you — with Deep Purple, with Whitesnake, Jimmy Page — the last few years it has been very evident to me that it’s time really for me to hang up my rock ‘n’ roll platform shoes and my skintight jeans.”

What Did Reb Beach Say About Whitesnake’s Future?

Beach also mentioned his own health problems as one of the numerous issues affecting Whitesnake’s final tour — although there were occasional bright spots throughout the run.

“I got sick early on during the tour. I was the music director of that tour, and I wasn’t happy with what was going on with some of the sound issues,” he said. “It had nothing to do with David’s voice or anything. We weren’t the team we used to be. We had some great things on that tour, like Tanya [O’Callaghan], the bass player. She was incredible. We all loved her; if you even looked at her wrong, all of us would gang up on you. She was our sister. That was a beautiful breath of fresh air.”

He continued: “It’s really cool that they got to play with Steve Vai. I missed out on that one. That was super cool. Other than that, we had a whole tour scheduled with Scorpions. David couldn’t do it. He called me and said, ‘Rebel. I’m exhausted.’ He was having some issues at the time, so he told me to leave my equipment at his house in case we record something. That was three years ago. They called and said, ‘We’ve got your equipment. We’re sending it back.’

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Fans hoping for a comeback tour also shouldn’t hold their breath, according to Beach.

“That’s it. Whitesnake is definitely done,” he said. “It makes me sad, of course. We’d be there in a second if David were up for it, but what the hell? How old is David? Seventy-three? Let him retire. I think it’s lovely that he’s going to retire and go on the beach and just enjoy his later years. That stuff is impossible to sing; let’s face it. A 73-year-old guy singing that? Unless you’re a freak of nature like Mickey Thomas.

What Are Reb Beach’s Plans After Whitesnake?

Beach will be back on the road this year for a handful of shows with Winger, who ostensibly retired from touring in 2025. However, the guitarist still wants to play more frequently and said he’s weighing his options for other projects.

“I had some choices. It’s like, ‘Okay, do I want to take Reb Beach’s ’80s Guitar Extravaganza on the road?'” he mused. “Get great musicians and get some other has-been ’80s guys like me [laughs] and go out there and do Whitesnake, Winger, Cinderella songs. People love that! They would love that. It would be great. Is that what I want to do? Play cover songs of the ’80s stuff I’ve been playing forever? I’d like to play guitar. I notice when I have my band here, the Reb Beach Project in Pittsburgh, the songs that people like most are when I play guitar.

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