MASTODON’S BILL KELLIHER HOSPITALIZED
Thursday, April 29th, 2010 at 1:00pm by Vince Neilstein
According to various eyewitness accounts, Mastodon’s show on Tuesday, April 27th at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, NY (with Between the Buried and Me, Baroness and Valient Thorr) was canceled due to guitarist Bill Kelliher’s hospitalization. The show was originally going to be moved to Wednesday, April 28th — an off-date on the tour — but according to the venue website has now been postponed until May due to “ongoing illness with Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher.” While Mastodon’s own official site confirms the initial rescheduling to April 28th, it does not comment on the most recent postponement or Bill Kelliher’s condition.
No other information is available. The hospitalization could be linked to the alcohol-related illness that forced Kelliher to sit out the band’s European dates in 2008, but there’s no evidence available to either support or shoot down any such rumors. All we can really do right now is wish Bill a speedy recovery and hope that he’s well enough to continue the tour tonight in Grand Rapids, MI — the band’s just not the same without him.
-VN
Thanks: Bryan Kemp, Alex Johnson
30 COMMENTS on “MASTODON’S BILL KELLIHER HOSPITALIZED”
Hope he’s alright and they get back to it pretty quick
That sucks for everyone…the band, the other bands on the tour, the fans that (like I will be in a few weeks) were pumped for the show, and his family.
Best of luck to him in his recovery
If this tour gets canceled my summer will be ruined.
Recover faster than a speeding bullet good sir!
Bill is the unsung hero of Mastodon. They killed it in Jersey last week, despite some technical difficulties in the Crack The Skye set. Hope he’s back on his feet and riffing the hell away soon.
Agreed. The band’s just not the same without him. Best of luck to him.
Noooooo! :(
Get well soon to Bill. May the Handlestache bestow unto him swift healing.
Best wishes for Bill to have a speedy recovery… I totally agree with the sentiment that he’s the unsung hero of Mastodon, great guitarist.
I met Bill once and that’s when I realized that how much the guy is the glue that holds Mastodon together. I wish him a quick recovery and hope that he’s able to finally give up the bottle for good.
Drove 90 minutes there and back the second day, to find out it was canceled again. So, so frustrated. Talked to other people who drove two or three hours each way, both days, to find out it was canceled. I understand there’s not really much they can do about it, I just hope they don’t decide to go ahead and put it over memorial day weekend, when myself (and a lot of other fans, I imagine) have obligations. Kind of figured it was Bill after what happened in Europe, really hope he’s going to be okay.
Yeah, I drove about 2 hours (I live North of Syracuse) the first night with 4 friends and find out it was canceled. The next day at school my mommy called Water Street for me to make check if it it was still on, so I got a warning not to go again (I love my Mom). I spent about $60 the first night between gas, Thruway tolls and food, nontheless I was pissed to see it canceled.
I’m near cuse too, and tried to get tickets a few days ago, only to see they had sold out. I was bummed, but now I dont feel as bad lol.
Sorry to hear you had to drive so far though.
Did the same thing too, except I spent $60 at a bar downtown when I got home. Didnt bother driving back the next night tho.
My family and I drove all the way out there the first day (I’m north of Syracuse as well) only to find out the show was postponed, which COMPLETELY screwed with all of our school and work schedules!!! I was so pissed! Now we have to wait until May!!! I was so excited for it and now I have to wait longer! :( Oh well, see you guys there when and if it happens! I’ll be the chick in the Mastodon shirt belting out Mastodon and BTBAM lyrics! XD
was at the show monday in pittsburgh.
great fucking show from all bands. hope he gets back at it soon.
Just caught them last week in Baltimore. It was a great show, I hope he gets better soon, he’s an integral piece of the Mastodon Machine.
Hope he gets well and isn’t drinking himself to death.
I just saw them Friday. I went to go eat lunch during Fall of Troy’s set at New England Metal Fest, and on my way back in, Brent Hines was right the fuck there. Dude was in a sling though. I have no clue as to why, and if there’s gonna be any Mastodon related news, I was thinkin it was gonna be him, and not Bill Kelliher. Hopefully that dude has a speedy recovery.
That is a shame to hear, I wish him a speedy recovery.
Pancreatitis is pretty serious. My brother had it and was told to NEVER DRINK AGAIN, and watch his diet,and he wasnt even an alcoholic. Bill Said in an interview that that was the problem last time, and he’s clearly been tempting fate on tour. You’ve got a family dude. Shape up.
i saw them in connecticut last thurs and he was drinkin stella on stage, it wasnt like he was pounding them like zakk wylde or anything, but if hes not supposed to drink hes making bad decisions. Hope he gets better
Oh shit man, that’s no joke. One of my friends got pancreatitis from drinking too heavily and he was in the hospital for two months straight. It’s been almost two years since then and he hasn’t had a single drink. He probably never will again. You’re really not supposed to drink if you’ve had pancreatits.
Best wishes to Bill for a speedy and, most important, complete recovery. Mastodon’s greatness is the sum of its parts and they need you. More importantly, your family and friends need you. Take care.
If something happens to Bill and brett michaels miraculously heals, Its fuckin over.
He wasn’t at the show tonight but they pointed out his absense and had the guys from Baroness fill in on a few songs.
man, they have some awful luck sometimes
i hope he’ll be already
.. alright. . .
That sucks man. I saw them in Pitt on Monday and it was an awesome show. The venue was horrible, I’ll never go to another metal show at a theatre/auditorium.
Yeah, I was there too. The security were assholes too, wouldn’t even let people stand up by the stage even though they weren’t hurting a damn thing.
Fuck that place! At first they let me take my beer to my seat, then right when BTBAM started I grabbed 2 and they wouldn’t let me in. I had to chug it in the lobby.
There were seats on the floor. SEATS ON THE FLOOR OF A FUCKING METAL SHOW!!
And they didn’t even have Yuengling. I thought it was PA state law that you had to sell Yuengling at every place with an alcohol license. Well, it should be anyway.
But the bands were awesome, I guess that’s what really matters.
i met Bill at that shithole bar around the corner from Irving Plaza before the Kylesa/Mastodon Crack the Skye kickoff tour and he spent a couple minutes chatting with me. very soft spoken, incredibly nice guy. he even complimented me on my Smurf t-shirt!
get well soon.