Black Keys Cancel European Tour After Patrick Carney Injury
The Black Keys have been forced to cancel their upcoming European tour after drummer Patrick Carney sustained a serious shoulder injury in early January. “We are very sorry to have to cancel our upcoming performances through March 10th. Patrick needs time to heal,” the band said in a statement. “We thank all of our fans for their support and we’re looking forward to getting back on the road.”
While the band hoped to simply postpone the European gigs, due to “prior scheduled commitments and venue availability,” the Turn Blue duo were “unsuccessful” in rescheduling the trek and were forced to scuttle the European leg entirely. In total, 17 concerts were cancelled, including six shows in the United Kingdom highlighted by a March 3rd performance at London’s O2 Arena. Three concerts each in Germany and France, most notably a pair of shows at Paris’ Zenith, were also cancelled due to Carney’s dislocated shoulder.
A rep for the Black Keys confirmed to Rolling Stone that the band will also be unable to perform at the 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute to Bob Dylan. That all-star concert is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on February 6th, two days before the Grammys, where the duo are nominated for three awards: Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for “Fever” and Best Rock Album for Turn Blue. The band’s Australian tour, set to kick off April 2nd in Brisbane, and their subsequent summer music festival appearances, including a stop at Governors Ball, are currently unaffected by the injury.
On January 3rd, Carney was taken to a hospital on the island of Saint-Barthélemy after slamming his shoulder on the ocean floor while swimming. The drummer was rushed to the hospital and administered anesthesia so doctors could reset his dislocated shoulder. Carney, who was still in significant pain following the accident, poked fun at the situation by posting photos of his messed-up shoulder in the hospital on Instagram.