Bad news, sports fans. The upcoming Byron Bay Bluesfest just lost one of its main attractions on the eve of the start of the festival.
American rock duo The Black Keys have announced that, due to a rather nasty sounding injury, they’ve had to cancel the entire Asian leg of their world tour, meaning dates in Japan, New Zealand and here in Australia have all sadly had to be binned, with no hope of rescheduling anytime soon.
Back in January, drummer Patrick Carney suffered a broken and dislocated shoulder whilst holidaying in the Caribbean after being dumped by a large wave. The injury was severe enough to warrant surgery. It was hoped that he would have recovered in time to make the trip out here, where the band would headline Bluesfest and play a swathe of dates across the country, but unfortunately it appears his recovery has hit a snag, forcing the band’s hand.
A statement posted to their website a few short hours ago conveys their dismay and reads thusly.
“We are very sorry to have to cancel our upcoming performances through April 23. Patrick sustained a dislocated and broken shoulder in January that required surgery. Working with the doctors, surgeons and physiotherapists since January, we had expected Patrick to be ready to return to touring in April. The recovery process and physical therapy has taken longer than anticipated and unfortunately Patrick is still unable to perform and needs additional time to heal. We thank all of our fans for their ongoing support and we look forward to getting back on the road as soon as possible.”
Even more unfortunate is that this cancellation has had the knock-on effect of forcing the Rolling Green outdoor concert series to be abandoned altogether as well. The concert series was set to take place at wineries in both the Yarra Valley and Hunter Valley, featuring the Black Keys headlining a bill comprising of Spiderbait, Band of Skulls and Bad//Dreems.
The Black Keys also had a run of headline shows scheduled for Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide, again with Band of Skulls as support. Those too have been cancelled.
All tickets for the tour will be refunded – except for Bluesfest tickets – from their point of purchase.
Band of Skulls will still make the trip out for Bluesfest, and will play their previously announced sideshows in Melbourne and Sydney.
Photo: Theo Wargo via Getty Images.
