Alice In Chains drummer Sean Kinney as shared an update on his health with fans after the Seattle grunge legends were forced to cancel shows due to him being diagnosed with a "non-life-threatening medical emergency".
The group cancelled their show at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on May 8, at the 11th hour, and subsequently cancelled all additional shows they had lined up in May, including scheduled appearances at a number of major US festivals, including Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple.
"While we were all eager to return to the stage," the group declared on social media, "Sean's health is our top priority at this moment."
Kinney posted his update on the band's social media platforms on May 15, writing: "Firstly, to everyone who came out to the Mohegan Sun show and was affected by the short-notice cancellation, and to everyone who had tickets to come see the band at one of the other shows, thanks for your understanding. It's not lost on the band and myself that you spend money, make plans and alter your schedules to come and see us, and it's deeply disappointing to have had this happen.
"I was very much looking forward to getting back out there and playing with the band again, and it's been a difficult but necessary decision to make. I don't personally utilize social media and I'm not particularly fond of my health issues being made public, but I understand that people are concerned.
"When the doctors advised me against playing in the short-term, I quickly went through The 5 Stages of Grief:
1. Denial (I'm fine)
2. Anger (F*** this - I'm still going to play)
3. Bargaining (What's it gonna take for me to hear a better diagnosis?)
4. Depression (This sucks)
5. Acceptance (This sucks, but okay)
"I finally concluded that medical doctors with many hard-earned degrees on their walls might know a bit more about health than a musician with some shiny spray-painted records on his wall.
"The outpouring of love, concern and well wishes has been both extremely humbling and very much appreciated.
"The good news is that I'm going to be fine and I'm going to live. The bad news (for some of you?) is that I'm going to be fine and I'm going to live."
The band's next scheduled performance is at Black Sabbath's Back To The Beginning farewell show in Birmingham in July.
The concert will see the original Sabbath lineup – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – share a stage for the first time since 2005. It will also features a who's who of hard rock and heavy metal - Metallica, Pantera, Anthrax, Guns N' Roses, Tool, Gojira, Mastodon and more - paying tribute to Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne, who will also be making his last bow as a solo artist.
