Five Finger Death Punch to finish European tour without Ivan Moody
Ivan releases a statement saying he has fallen off the wagon
Last updated 14th Jun 2017
Five Finger Death Punch have confirmed this evening (14th June) they will finish their current run of European shows without vocalist Ivan Moody.
Bad Wolves vocalist Tommy Vext will stand in for the final eight dates of the summer jaunt after Ivan, whose struggles with substance abuse are widely known, relapsed.
Ivan said: "I am embarrassed and ashamed to admit that I have fallen off the wagon again. I was on shaky ground prior to our performance in Tilburg, and although a lot of the events of that show were out of my control, the shame of not delivering pushed me over the edge.
“It would not be fair to my bandmates or my fans to continue to perform in my current condition. One of the worst parts of addiction is the loneliness you feel, so having the support of my band and all the knuckleheads is what drives me. I am committed to getting better so I can get back out on stage as soon as possible."
Guitarist Zoltan Bathory added: “As a band, we are committed to supporting Ivan's road to recovery. We are as baffled and saddened as anyone to watch our brother continue to struggle.
“Almost everyone in the world knows someone who struggles with addiction, and can relate to how the self-destruction of someone they care about is very difficult to watch. Five Finger Death Punch has every intention of playing the dates we’re committed to and beyond. The band is bigger than any one member.”
Stand-in vocalist Tommy Vext said: “It is a tremendous honour to share the stage with Five Finger Death Punch on these remaining dates. Today I am blessed with over 8 years of sobriety, so I can certainly empathize with Ivan’s struggles.
“Not only do I feel a responsibility to deliver for the fans of Five Finger Death Punch on these remaining dates, but also to deliver for Ivan so he can get back to work as soon as he is healthy.
After playing a full set at Download Festival over the weekend, on Monday night (12th June) Ivan ‘quit’ the band on stage during their set at Poppodium 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands saying “this is my last show with Five Finger Death Punch.”
Ivan missed the opening two songs and when he did arrive on stage the band visibly argued throughout the aborted 45-minute set with Jason Hook throwing his guitar down in frustration during ‘Burn MF’.
Yesterday (13th June), the band released a slightly bizarre statement that read: “Those who have followed 5FDP from the beginning can tell you there has always been an element of danger and unpredictability in our music and in our shows. That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll. When you do over 150 shows in a year, you will inevitably have a few derailments, but the train always keeps on moving. Last night in Tilburg was one of those instances, but as they say, you aren’t a race car driver if you don’t wreck a car or two.
“We can’t wait to put on amazing shows tomorrow night at Nova Rock all the way to our just announced winter tour all over Europe. See you all on the race track....bring a helmet....”
Guitarist Zoltan Bathory had earlier released a statement on Twitter insisting Ivan’s antics were “not a publicity” stunt.
Five Finger Death Punch’s upcoming summer European dates are as follows:
JUNE 2017
Nova Rock Festival, Austria - Wed 14th
Matapaloz Festival, Germany - Fri 16th
Graspop Metal Meeting, Belgium - Sat 17th
Graspop, Belgium - Sat 17th
Hellfest, France - Sun 18th
Download Festival Madrid - Thu 22nd
Copenhell, Denmark - Fri 23rd
Tons Of Rock, Norway - Sat 24th
Following these dates, the band play dates in their native United States in August, September and October before finishing the year with a European tour that culminates with arena shows in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds and London with support from In Flames and Of Mice & Men.
Tickets to the UK tour go on sale from Kerrang! Radio Tickets at 10am on Friday 16th June.
They play the following dates:
DECEMBER 2017
Birmingham Barclaycard Arena – 17th
Glasgow SSE Hydro – 18th
Leeds First Direct Arena – 20th
London SSE Wembley Arena – 21s
Watch Johnny Doom’s chat with Five Finger Death Punch at Download Festival here: