Health issues have forced Slipknot off the road, just as the band was beginning a two-week tour of the United States.
Band frontman Corey Taylor came onstage to announce the 11 concert cancellations on August 22 at the Pain in the Grass music festival in Auburn, WA. Joined by seven of his Slipknot bandmates, all unmasked, Taylor broke the news of a “serious medical emergency” involving drummer Joey Jordison just moments before the band was scheduled to take the stage for the first concert on its late summer schedule.
The band’s concerts on August 22 and August 23 at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, WA, have been postponed until a later date.
However, Slipknot’s remaining August and September performances are cancelled and will not be rescheduled. Fans have been asked to check with their local concert promoter about ticket refunds for those nine shows, booked through September 5 at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, WI.
Details were vague at first about the “severe medical emergency,” which required Jordison’s sudden hospitalization. However, a source close to the band reportedly told the “Pulse of Radio” on August 27 that Jordison suffered a burst appendix. The band has not officially confirmed that information.
The recent cancellations had sparked early speculation among some fans about the health of Slipknot’s members and its status as a band. Bassist Paul Gray addressed fan concerns in a statement issued to Road Runner Record’s news blog, Blabbermouth.net, in which he reiterated the reasons behind the cancellations.
“As you know, touring is our life; getting in front of you guys and playing keeps this band alive. So it hurts us and much as you that we had to do this,” Gray wrote in part, adding that “personal issues” were to blame for keeping the band off the road at this point.
Gray also reiterated that the band is alive and well, as are all of its members. The band is also looking at its options for making up some of the cancelled dates during an upcoming October tour.
The musician adamantly explained, “We are not canceling our October tour, the band is not breaking up, we are all alive. I am setting the record straight.”
Details about the planned October tour have not yet been announced.
