Mastodon Dedicate Recent Show to Ex-Guitarist Brent Hinds Following His Passing
As if the metal world hasn’t already been rocked to pieces lately with the loss of our God a few weeks ago, we’ve lost another. Brent Hinds, a founding and integral member of Mastodon, passed away August 20 in a tragic motorcycle accident. Last night (August 22), the band played their first show since Hinds’ passing, and the moving tribute that followed it will bring a tear to your eye.
At the end of last night’s set at the Alaska State Fair, guitarist and vocalist Brann Dailor shared some words in honor of Hinds and his history with the band.
Dailor said: (as transcribed by Blabbermouth):
”We lost somebody very special to us yesterday. Brent Hinds, 25 years with us as our guitar player, one of the most creative, beautiful people that we’ve ever come across in this world, tragically left us. Very, very unfortunate. We loved him so, so, so very much. And we had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship. You know what I mean? It’s not always perfect, it’s not always amazing, but we were brothers to the end. And we really loved each other and we made a lot, a lot of very beautiful music together. And I think that that’s gonna stand the test of time, evidenced by you people here tonight.
“So we will continue to play [Hinds]’s beautiful, beautiful music that he helped us make, that we formed this band together and traveled the world together, slept in a van together, laid our heads down on beds of fucking kitty litter, got way too drunk to remember anything the next day about a thousand, million times over and over again with the love that we shared and the beauty, all the audiences that we played, for all the stages we stepped on.
“I don’t know. We’re just at a loss for words. We’re absolutely devastated and crushed to lose him and to be able to never have him back again. But you guys made it okay for us to come on stage and do this tonight. So that was for fucking [Hinds], okay?! Thank you guys so much. We will see you real soon. Okay? I’m gonna give you guys some fucking pieces of wood, okay? We love you.
“Thank you, Alaska, for having us. It’s the 50th state for us to cross off of our bucket list. So thank you for the amazing milestone and thank you for helping us get through that one. It was fucking tough for us, but you guys are fucking amazing, so thank you, thank you, thank you once again. We’ll see you real soon, okay?! We love you, we love you, love you, love you so much. Goodnight.”
Dailor’s words are a heartfelt and heartbreaking addition to the official statement the band released on Thursday, August 21:
“We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief… last night Brent Hinds passed away as a result of a tragic accident. We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we’ve shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many. Our hearts are with Brent’s family, friends, and fans. At this time, we please ask that you respect everyone’s privacy during this difficult time.”
Hinds was unfortunately killed in a car accident accident on August 20, colliding with a SUV who failed to yield at an intersection while on his Harley. His passing comes just five months since Hinds amicably parted ways with the band.
