Stage Buzz: Dead Daisies featuring Glenn Hughes at Arcada Theatre • St. Charles
Dead Daisies featuring Glenn Hughes
Dead Daisies featuring Glenn Hughes
May 30, 2026
Arcada Theatre
St. Charles, IL
By Kelley Simms
Since its 2012 formation, Australian-American rockers The Dead Daisies have been churning out energetic rock and roll one album after another. Formed in Sydney, Australia by Jon Stevens (ex-Noiseworks, INXS) and guitarist David Lowy (ex-Mink), the band released its well-received, self-titled debut album the following year. Releasing seven more studio albums and touring with veteran bands such as Black Star Riders, ZZ Top, KISS, and Aerosmith, The Dead Daisies have established themselves as a solid rock unit throughout their 14-year existence.
The Dead Daisies’ current lineup includes Lowy, vocalist John Corabi (ex-Mötley Crüe, The Scream), drummer Tommy Clufetos (Ozzy, Rob Zombie), bassist Michael Devin (Whitesnake), and guitarist Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio).
On May 30, 2026, at the legendary Arcada Theatre, former Deep Purple and The Dead Daisies vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes joins the rest of the band (minus Corabi) for an exclusive performance by delivering a blistering set of The Dead Daisies hit tracks, as well as carefully-selected Deep Purple classics.
From 2019 to 2023, Hughes fronted The Dead Daisies and recorded three albums with them. According to Hughes, reuniting with his old bandmates and playing this one-night-only show at the Arcada will be a special night.
“It’s great to be back with my friends,” Hughes explains during a recent Zoom chat. “This is my family; I love everyone in The Dead Daisies. Everyone is such a good friend of mine. So for me to go back and play the songs I did with The Daisies, and to, of course, play a set of Deep Purple songs, is a miraculous achievement.”
Both musicians cite Chicago as one of their favorite cities to play.
“Chicago has always been an amazing rock city, it’s just absolutely completely a great audience in a great city,” Hughes admits. “I’ve been playing Chicago for 50-odd years at all kinds of venues and all kinds of sizes. So, for me, I have the utmost respect for the people of Chicago who love rock music.”
“I second that,” Aldrich immediately exclaims. “It’s really one of America’s greatest cities. Chicago is very unique among any place in the world. As Glenn said, the fans are awesome; the food’s amazing. And there’s a music store that Glenn and I have been to a few times in Chicago, at the Chicago Music Exchange.”
The setlist for the night will be equally split between the two bands.
“Joining this great idea of having two sets, Daisies and then Purple, it’s exhilarating for me,” Hughes confesses. “I think it’s exhilarating for the people who are coming to see it. All the songs I did with Purple are classic songs, and I’m so grateful to have been in the band during that period of time. But there’ll be some other classic songs as well. I’m smiling because it’s a moment to celebrate both The Dead Daisies and, of course, the era of Deep Purple that I was in.”
Aldrich wholeheartedly agrees with his bandmate that this is going to be one special show.
“We’re bringing some brand new production that’s really exciting, and obviously it’s the Dead Daisies featuring Glenn. So when we do the Deep Purple stuff, it’s going to be something totally different, which is exciting. It’s going to be really something that we’ve never done before.”
Category: Featured
