Drummer Jason Bonham has opened up about his absence from the last four shows of Sammy Hagar's "The Best Of All Worlds Tour" due to a family issue. The son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was replaced on the closing dates of the trek by Kenny Aronoff, who previously played with Hagar, bassist Michael Anthony, and guitarist Joe Satriani, when he replaced Chad Smith in Chickenfoot.
Earlier today (Sunday, November 3rd), Jason Bonham released the following statement via social media:
"I wanted to take a moment to explain my absence over the past few weeks. As many of you know, my mother has been facing some serious health issues, and it's been an incredibly challenging time for our family. I'm grateful to share that she's on the mend and has been discharged from the hospital! She's now home and recovering, which brings me immense relief."
"It was truly difficult to step away from 'The Best Of All Worlds' tour with only four shows left. The energy, the connections, and the experiences were nothing short of incredible, but my priority had to be with my mother during her fight for life."
"I'm excited to announce that JBLZE [Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening] will be back on tour starting November 19th! I can't wait to see all of you and share this journey together once more."
"Thank you for your understanding and love. See you soon!"
"Much love, JB."
Back in September, Sammy Hagar revealed the reason why Jason Bonham was forced to leave "The Best Of All Worlds Tour" in an interview with St. Louis’ KSHE 95.
Hagar explained: "Jason's [family emergency] was a sudden thing.His mother had a stroke and went into a coma and it's serious. So [his] whole family went over there [United Kingdom]. And he held out for two or three days, and he says, 'I gotta go. I gotta go.' I said, 'You go. Go.' So we told Kenny. He had about 24-hour notice. And he came in the first night. He got there at six in the morning. We played that night in Cincinnati. And he did a 90-percent perfect show. I swear to you, I make more mistakes every night than he did. So that's big hats off to this guy."
Produced by Live Nation, and featuring special guests Loverboy, the 28-date "The Best Of All Worlds Tour" concluded on August 31st in St. Louis, MO.
(Photo - Timothy Morris)
