Children of Bodom Drop off Lamb of God Tour Due to Laiho Injury
Finnish heavy metal band CHILDREN OF BODOM was forced to cancel its remaining live dates as part of the “No Fear Energy Tour” with Lamb of God due to injuries sustained by guitarist and front man Alexi Laiho. Laiho, 30, broke his shoulder two weeks ago when he was ejected from his tour bus bunk after the vehicle took an irregular sharp turn. Laiho and CHILDREN OF BODOM were touring North America in support of the band’s critically acclaimed album Blooddrunk. The axe slinger was recently named as the world’s “Best Metal Guitarist” in the 15th annual Guitar World Readers Poll.
Against recommendation, Laiho had decided to “bite the bullet” and remain on the tour, wearing the arm in a sling to restrict movement at all times when he was not on stage. But after performing ten live dates with both the broken shoulder and internal bleeding, the toll became too much for the guitar hero to endure and CHILDREN OF BODOM made the decision to cut its current tour short, placing Laiho’s long-term health as its first priority.
“After the New York show (May 9) I knew it was going to be over,” commented Laiho in an official statement. “During the 3rd song I started feeling like someone was stabbing me in my lungs, my heart and my ribs. That was the kind of pain that stubbornness, painkillers, nor alcohol could alleviate. I wanted to try to keep going but after seeing a second doctor in Philadelphia, I was basically told that I could f*ck myself up for life if I didn’t stop playing. Against all recommendation, I have played and sang for the last 10 days in violent pain which has only made my condition worsen. So, I decided to listen to everyone around me, who was telling me the best thing to do would be to go home and get some proper rest and give my shoulder some time to heal.”
“This was a hard decision for me and I feel bad about it,” he continued. “But it is the right thing to do if I want to keep making music. I apologize to our great fans for not being there for the remaining shows and I want to thank all the guys from the other bands; Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying, God Forbid and Municipal Waste for backing me up on this. Most of all I want to thank our fans for still being there, showing support, and continuing to rock out with me! I promise I will be back and I hope you all will too! Horns up!”
(+20 rating, 8 votes)
Although he may have been thrown from the bunk, this is not the first time Alexi has been injured while on tour. Based on what I’ve read and seen over the years, he sounds like a very reckless/careless individual offstage. His guitar playing and vocal performance have worsened steadily over the years as well. I don’t even see Bodom live anymore because the quality of their performances now are nowhere near what they were in 2003-2004. I attribute this to excessive drinking and/or drug use.
And if you disagree, then I suggest you listen closely to their live shows in recent years. Most of them are sloppy, off-time, and just plain unimpressive. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Alexi burns himself out in the next few years.
Saw this tour last night in Baltimore. Very happy when I found out Bodom wasn’t playing.
Last time I saw them which was at least 3-4 years ago I believe, they had to restart songs a few times because they were all so drunk and fucked up.
i agree that the band isnt the best live and there recent albums havent been as good but its still nice to see that drunk or not, he still loves to play and was willing to tough it out as long as he could for the fans
get well soon, dude.
really? Everytime I have seen Bodom live they were amazing. Their sound is always spot on and the show is full of energy. Saw them on this tour and they blew lamb of God out of the fucking water.
I was at the new york show. Even though I was drunk as hell I still noticed that something was wrong. He didn’t seem happy to be there at all, he started missing notes and practically gave up towards the end of the 3rd song.
…Busted my eye open on someones fat head while moshing half way through lamb of god and had to sit out of moshing and holding it up in the front the rest of the show. =/ Blood all the fuck over me. …I never though I’d be that guy…