Cannibal Corpse’s Erik Rutan Leaves Tour to Deal with Hurricane Helene Damage Back Home
Over the weekend, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the U.S. southeast, disrupting the daily lives of millions in the region and claiming the lives of 100 individuals while causing billions of dollars in property damage. The category four hurricane was no joke.
Among those whose home was affected was Cannibal Corpse guitarist Erik Rutan. Though he hails from New Jersey, he now lives in Florida, which regularly sees itself in the direct line of fire when it comes to hurricanes. Sadly, this time around his home was damaged in the storm, forcing him to leave Cannibal Corpse’s ongoing European tour with Municipal Waste, Immolation, and Schizophrenia.
In an Instagram post, the band announced Rutan’s decision to go back home to help his family deal with the destruction. The post goes as follows:
“Due to catastrophic damage to his home from Hurricane Helene, Erik Rutan has left the tour to be present with his family at this time.
“Our hearts go out to Erik and his Wife as they deal with this situation.”
While sharing the official post, Cannibal Corse frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher shared a personal note about Rutan’s departure before letting fans know that the tour will continue without the guitarist:
“My heart hurts so much for @erikrutanofficial and his wife but let me tell you this….he is the toughest guy I know and he will come out of this stronger than ever.
“This man has done so much for me personally, for my musical career and for that I will forever be grateful. I’ve had so many laugh till it hurts moments in the studio with him that it didn’t even feel like we were working on records.
“When I was at my lowest point and wanted to give up, on one knee in the recording booth nearly in tears, he came from behind the console, put his hand on my shoulder and reminded me of who I am and urged me back on my feet and never give up. He never lost confidence in me and we finished the record with a lot of laughs and I never doubted myself again. He taught me how to conduct myself in a lot of areas I was deficient in and is no doubt the biggest reason I am the vocalist people say I am.
“I did not intend for this to be a long read, I was only going to repost what our CC insta posted but I really felt the need to share a story and a few words about what Erik means to me personally.
“We will continue the tour without him onstage but he will be there in our hearts and I urge everyone reading this to please send positive energy his way.”
If you’re in Europe and want to check out the band live, you can find the list of dates below.
Tour Dates
10/01/2024 Halle O2 – Heidelberg, DE
10/02/2024 Grosse Freiheit 36 – Hamburg, DE
10/03/2024 Amager Bio – Copenhagen, DK
10/04/2024 Klubben – Stockholm, SE
10/05/2024 Rockefeller – Oslo, NO
10/06/2024 Tradgarn – Gothenburg, SE
10/08/2024 Astra – Berlin, DE
10/09/2024 A2 – Wroclaw, PL
10/11/2024 Barba Negra – Budapest, HU
10/12/2024 Vienna Metal Meeting – Vienna, AT
10/13/2024 Kino Siska – Ljubljana, SI
10/15/2024 Alcatraz – Milan, IT
10/17/2024 Komplex 457 – Zurich, CH
10/18/2024 Felsenkeller – Leipzig, DE
10/19/2024 Music Hall – Geiselwind, DE
10/20/2024 Batschkapp – Frankfurt, DE
