Down Announce Two Louisiana Shows After Wildfires Cancel New Mexico Gig
Tomorrow was supposed to be a momentous occasion for the supergroup Down. They hadn’t played a live show together since 2022 and the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero, New Mexico was supposed to be the stage for their grand return. Unfortunately, however, wildfires are raging through the region and the band’s had to postpone those plans.
Dubbed the South Fork Fire, the blaze apparently started on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, resulting in the partial closure of U.S. Highway 70 and the evacuation of homes throughout the area. Obviously it’s a dangerous situation for people living in the region that transcends a single metal show.
Rather than not play at all, the band has announced via social media that they’re putting on two pop-up shows in Louisiana. The first will take place tomorrow at the Southport Hall in New Orleans, while the second one will take place this Friday at Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge.
In a recorded video statement, guitarist Pepper Keenan explained the situation:
“Hey, guys, this is DOWN. We’re in a strange predicament right now and we were adapting by the minute as we talk here. But our show at the Inn Of The Mountain Gods clearly has been canceled because there’s a horrific wildfire that is raging through the entire Apache reservation, the South Fork fire. So we have had to adapt and jump ship and try and figure another way to not only to not — postpone the show, but now we’re trying to also help out as what we can.
“And being from Louisiana, we know how evil Mother Nature can be sometimes. So we are going to do two pop-up shows. One of them is on [June] 20th, Thursday, at Southport Music Hall in New Orleans. The second one will be on the 21st at the Varsity Theater in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.”
Both shows will feature supporting act NEST. Tickets will be $30 in advance and $35 at the door, with $5 of each ticket going to Mescalero Apache Nation Wildfire relief. So if you’re in the area or can get down to Louisiana, consider checking the show out and contributing in some way to the fund.
