VOLBEAT has canceled its concert tonight (Friday, January 29) at Ford Idaho Center Arena in Nampa, Idaho after the band's drummer, Jon Larsen, tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. VOLBEAT is expected to resume its co-headlining U.S. tour with GHOST tomorrow night (Saturday, January 29) at Portland, Oregon's Veterans Memorial Coliseum, with former SLAYER and TESTAMENT drummer Jon Dette filling in.
Earlier today, VOLBEAT issued the following statement: "Boise Volfam: unfortunately this morning Jon tested positive for COVID, so we will have to cancel our appearance tonight at Idaho Center. Jon is asymptomatic and feeling fine, so we're hopeful he will be back behind the kit soon. GHOST and TWIN TEMPLE are still playing, but refunds are available from your point of purchase if requested. In the meantime, our great friend and amazing drummer Jon Dette is dropping everything to meet up with us in Portland and will be filling in until our Jon is cleared to return, so we can resume the tour tomorrow night.
"Boise, we hope to be back soon. Please stay safe in the meantime!"
VOLBEAT's "Shotgun Blues" single, which is taken from the band's latest album, "Servant Of The Mind", recently topped both the Billboard Mainstream Rock and Mediabase Active Rock charts, the Danish/American group's tenth top-charter, and cemented VOLBEAT's record for having the most No. 1 singles on the Mainstream Rock chart by an artist based outside of North America.
Revolver called "Servant Of The Mind" "excellent⊠the darkest and heaviest VOLBEAT offering yet." For the LP, the band, which consists of Michael Poulsen (guitar, vocals), Larsen, Rob Caggiano (guitars) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass), took its signature heavy metal, psychobilly and punk 'n' roll sound up a notch while showcasing Poulsen's keen ability for songwriting and storytelling. "Rarely has such a successful band sounded so ravenous," says Kerrang! magazine of the album.
"Servant Of The Mind" was written and recorded during the shutdown and quarantine necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The LP includes the "double barrel" of summer songs the band released this past June: "Wait A Minute My Girl" and "Dagen FĂžr" (featuring Stine Bramsen), the former of which became the band's ninth number one single on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
VOLBEAT has racked up nearly three billion cumulative streams over the course of its career, notched a "Best Metal Performance" Grammy nomination for "Room 24" (featuring King Diamond) from 2014's acclaimed (and gold-selling) "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", and has grabbed multiple Danish Music Awards.
Since forming in 2001, VOLBEAT has gone from the clubs of Copenhagen to headlining stages around the world, including the famed Telia Parken stadium in Denmark (becoming the only domestic artist to ever sell out the venue). Over the course of seven record-breaking albums the band has picked up number one songs (including nine No. 1s on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and counting, the most of any band based outside of North America), multi-platinum certifications, awards and accolades all over the planet. Most recently, they contributed a cover of "Don't Tread On Me" to "The Metallica Blacklist", with all proceeds from the track benefiting METALLICA's All Within My Hands foundation and the BĂžrne Cancer Fonden of Denmark.
Photo credit: Ross Halfin
