How A Near-Death Experience Brought Coal Chamber Back Together
Like the scene in Almost Famous when the plane nearly crashes, nothing will turn issues into water under the bridge like a near-death experience. According to Coal Chamber frontman Dez Fafara during a radio interview, it was a very scary bout with COVID that naturally evolved into the nü metal icons getting back together for this year’s editions of Blue Ridge Rock Fest and Sick New World (via Blabbermouth).
“Unbelievable turn of events. That actually happened… I was on my way out from COVID. And my wife called [the other members of Coal Chamber] and said, ‘Hey, you guys may wanna text Dez or call Dez ’cause I don’t know if he’s gonna make it through the night. He’s telling me where he wants to be buried and not to sell his ’78 Cadillac.’ So they started to call me, they started to text me, and over a period of six, seven, eight months, we didn’t talk any business at all. And we realized that, you know, why are we not playing shows? Those guys are totally different people than when we broke up. I have always been the same — I’ve just been solid as a rock; and I told them, ‘I’m solid as a rock. If I come out of this, I would love to do at least one show with you guys.’ And that’s how this all started — very organically.”
Fafara also acknowledged the hype behind the reunion and left the door open for future plans.
“Coal Chamber is a very unpredictable thing, all the way from its beginning, playing with Pantera and Black Sabbath, to where we were when we put out ‘Rivals’ to where we are now.
“I’m very excited for the Sick New World fest and to see what we’re gonna do. There’s a lot of tours that have been offered. But we’re gonna take it slow and we’re gonna do what’s appropriate for the brand and for the band and especially the fans that have been with us for so long.”
He did admit that a tour is looking possible, though.
“I’ve had e-mail after e-mail after e-mail with offer after offer after offer, and it’s really just up to the camp to what we’re gonna do. As of right now, we have these few festivals. There’s an amphitheater tour that’s offered to us in June or July. We’re not sure what’s gonna be happening. We will see. And only the future time will tell. But we’re gonna do what’s best for us and for the fans.”
Coal Chamber Shows:
Sick New World – May 13, 2023
Blue Ridge Rock Fest – September 7-10, 2023
