Five Finger Death Punch Guitarist Jason Hook to Sit Out Upcoming Touring, Andy James Filling In
Five Finger Death Punch fans catching the band on their current European tour with Megadeth will be doing so without guitarist Jason Hook up on stage for the immediate future. Hook, you may recall, was forced to leave the band mid-tour back in December to have emergency gallbladder surgery, and it seems he hasn’t fully recovered from the procedure just yet.
Hook has elected to bow out of the tour mid-way through, starting last night (February 5) in Hamburg, as a result of his continued recovery efforts. In his place for the rest of the run will be Andy James, an accomplished guitarist mostly known for his solo material and YouTube output.
Five Finger Death Punch released the following statement:
“Hamburg Knuckleheads,
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, our brother Jason Hook will not be able to perform tonight. He needs additional time for his recovery and must step back from the current tour in order to have the opportunity to do so. We discussed this as a band and Jason’s well-being is our priority – health comes first.
“It was Jason’s express wish that we continue the tour so with Jason’s blessing we have invited our friend Andy James who has agreed to step in and finish the tour for Jason.
“We are grateful for Andy stepping up and will continue to deliver the great show the fans deserve every night.
“We’ve been having an incredible run with our friends in Megadeth and Bad Wolves so far, and the vibe of the tour has been amazing. We look forward to seeing all the German fans next and appreciate all of you joining us in wishing Jason a speedy recovery.
Andy James offered his gratitude for the gig on Instagram while promising not let fans down:
“As some of you may have heard I have been asked by @5fdp to come and fill in for Jason Hook as he heads home to better health as they finish their European tour. I’ll do my best to help maintain the high level of show these guys smash out every night and do the material justice not just from a professional standpoint but also being a huge fan of the band! I’d like to thank @ivanmoody @zoltanbathory @5fdpchriskael @charlieengen and their amazing crew for making me feel very welcome as we complete the rest of the European shows for all you knuckleheads out there that wanna come and throw down. AJ
James will finish out the final week of the band’s current European tour. Hook will presumably return for their spring U.S. run with Papa Roach, I Prevail and Ice Nine Kills, although they haven’t explicitly stated that yet.
I, for one, would be semi-interested in seeing FFDP with James in the band — way more than I would otherwise — dude rips!
Upcoming Five Finger Death Punch tour dates:
With Megadeth and Bad Wolves:
Feb. 06 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Festhalle [tickets]
Feb. 08 – Oberhausen, Germany @ Koenig-Pilsener Arena [tickets]
Feb. 09 – Stuttgart, Germany @ Schleyerhalle [tickets]
Feb. 10 – Munich, Germany @ Olympiahalle [tickets]
Feb. 12 – Warsaw, Poland @ Torwar [tickets]
Feb. 14 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Tipsport Arena [tickets]
Feb. 16 – Milan, Italy @ Alcatrazz [tickets]
Feb. 17 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion [tickets]
Feb. 19 – Vienna, Austria @ Stadthalle [tickets]
Feb. 20 – Budapest, Hungary @ Budapest Sportarena [tickets]
With Papa Roach, I Prevail and Ice Nine Kills:
4/8 – Sunrise, FL // BB&T Center [tickets]
4/10 – Duluth, GA // Infinite Energy Center [tickets]
4/11 – Pelham, AL // Oak Mountain Amphitheater [tickets]
4/13 – San Antonio, TX // AT&T Center [tickets]
4/14 – Ft. Worth, TX // Dickies Arena [tickets]
4/16 – Houston, TX // Toyota Center [tickets]
4/18 – Phoenix, AZ // Talking Stick Resort Arena [tickets]
4/19 – San Diego, CA // Viejas Arena [tickets]
4/21 – Los Angeles, CA // The Forum [tickets]
4/23 – Tacoma, WA // Tacoma Dome [tickets]
4/25 – Portland, OR // Veteran Memorial Coliseum [tickets]
4/27 – Morrison, CO // Red Rocks Amphitheatre [tickets]
4/29 – Kansas City, MO // Sprint Center [tickets]
5/3 – Baltimore, MD // Royal Farms Arena [tickets]
5/5 – Worcester, MA // DCU Cente [tickets]
5/6 – Newark, NJ // Prudential Center [tickets]
5/8 – Cincinnati, OH // Heritage Bank Center [tickets]
5/12 – Detroit, MI // Little Caesars Arena [tickets]
5/14 – Pittsburgh, PA // PPG Paints Center [tickets]
5/15 – Camden, NJ // BB&T Pavilion [tickets]
5/17 – Nashville, TN // Bridgestone Arena [tickets]
5/19 – Rosemont, IL // Allstate Arena [tickets]
5/20 – St. Paul, MN // Xcel Energy Center [tickets]
