KsE Continue Headline Tour With Guest Vocalist Due To Howard Jones’ Unexpected Absence
New York, NY: Last week, it was announced that Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones had to unexpectedly leave the band’s current headlining tour, leading to a flurry of rumors and questions about the status of the tour and the band. The band has further issued the following statement addressing the matter, saying: “It became overwhelmingly obvious to all of us around Howard that he is in no condition to be on tour right now and that he needed to get off the road and get himself better. It’s a personal matter and while we understand everyone’s curiosity and concern for Howard and the band, we appreciate everyone respecting Howard’s privacy at this time.”
Longtime friend Phil Labonte of All That Remains was able to fill in and help out the band for a few shows and it appears as though he will be filling in for the remainder of the tour, which runs through March. KsE endured and survived a similar situation in the past, where guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz was forced to sit out a tour due to a back injury. KsE also said, “We seriously considered cancelling the tour since we don’t want to give fans that paid good money anything less than KsE at full-strength. But after trying a few shows with Phil, and after feeling the love and support that we were getting from the crowd, it became increasingly apparent to us that the shows came across as fun and unique, and the fans seemed to be enjoying it. We quickly realized that we had to keep going and that we couldn’t possibly stop.” Refunds are available for any fans that have already purchased tickets, but as the band said, this tour will offer a chance to experience KsE in a unique way that you won’t be able to witness again.
Furthermore, KsE would like to thank all fans who came out to support them during this difficult stretch, exclaiming “We really do feel that our fans are the best fans in the world.” The band also thanked Labonte for pitching in, saying “We can’t thank Phil enough for helping us out when we needed it the most.”
For a taste of KsE with Labonte on vocals, check this footage from the Baltimore show this past weekend at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp4IJq0ou_g. (Note: This footage can be viewed in full 720 HD resolution by simply locating the “360p” under the video in the tool bar, clicking on it and then moving your cursor up to select “720p.”)
Post Comments
how selfish of me…hope you get through ur personal issues. ur in my prayers.
People need to stop hating on Phil and Killswitch! Phil is doing an incredible job filling in given the circumstances. I enjoyed the hell out of the show that I went to and I know a lot of other people did too. So if you are just gonna talk shit about Phil, Howard, or anything else relating to KsE then I suggest you leave this site because this is for fans not ignorant fucks!
This very well done story must be used at the already written essays, because that’s really simple to buy an essay choosing the reliable essay writing services.
You guys fucking rocked the show on valentines day. Phil was awesome. I cant wait until kse comes back to chicago because i will definitely go.
I plan on going to the show in AZ with Phil (I love ATR) but OVERALL I really don’t want to see Howard leave the band, Howard is the only singer I like for Killswitch. Hope all is well Howard and I hope you can rejoin Killswitch and continue to put on killer shows.
No one said hes leaving, how about instead of being so negative all the time we just have HOPE, like all the KsE songs have, thats what being a KsE fan is, or at least thats what i believe. A lot of their songs are about having hope and getting over tough obstacles in life, just like all of US Howard has problems too. I just wish that it didn’t have to happen like this, im sure he does too. i flew down to Orlando from Buffalo, New York to visit a very good friend who has moved down there and to see my favorite band, Killswitch. I was devastated when they came out and said they werent gonna play the show that night, i thought nothing could be worse, but then my friends and I realized that we got to scope out the venue and see what is was like and where we wanted to stand for when they played which was the following night. ALSO we had no BUD that night and we were able to find some the next day for the show 
. Then when KsE finally exploded on stage, it was worth it. Yeah sure i didnt get to see the big black man on stage but i got to see the 4 horsemen and PHIL who was puking most of the time cause he claimed he was hungover, that didnt matter, what mattered was the fact that they played Vida Infra and Temple From Within, the TWO songs that really hooked me on KsE. It also didnt matter that he didnt hit Howards rang, i didnt care, i was still one of the first to witness PHILLSWITCH ENGAGE, its never gonna happen again, and to be honest i hope it doesn’t happen again. If you were a true KsE fan you would just wait and see what happens with Howard before pointing fingers and jumping to conclusions. And if they do break up, yeah its gonna suck but theres not much WE can do besides give them all the SUPPORT WE CAN. So goto the show if your still undecided, you worried about it being ‘bad’? Dont forget its a Five member band, only ONE is out and yes i know its Howard FUCKING Jones but theres not much we can do, the first kse show i have ever been to Adam couldnt go because he messed up his back but that didnt stop me from having a good time, or anyone else. I know none of you give a shit what i say, but im just putting it out there since im sick of reading everyone talk shit about the band or just be negative about it.
Ugh…guy above me…nice life story…also, KsE is who I wanted to see but I settled for Philswitch and I loved it..but honestly if anyone is that much of a douche to skip this concert cause of Howard…atleast go to see The Devil Wears Prada…They were named the band of 2009 by AP and for a good reason…they were the best band of the night and the whole tour now that Howard is out…they will be bigger than KsE in end and thats epic being a Christian band Gods blessings to TDWP.
I plan on refunding my tickets to the Wallingford show. No disrespect to Mr. Labonte, but that is not what I payed for. You can replace guitar players, bass players and drummers with competent players. Vocalists are just a completely different animal. It is not going to be half the show they usually are. The blame goes to you people who showed up and settled for less than 100%. They should have cancelled or postponed if they had any respect for their fans. Get well soon Howard; the band needs you.
Glad to see you guys are continuing the tour, will see in you Salt Lake City!! Just by chance, is there anywhere we can send get well gifts for Howard? Like the jerky run when Adam’s back was out??
@croc… I went to the Fargo show last night and Phil did an an amazing job of filling in… he’s no Howard Jones of course but it is still worth going to
Maybe Jesse Leach back:)
As tough as this is to handle, on the other end of the metal spectrum, Dave Ellefson is back in Megadeth…
Went to the MPLS show in MN last night…..They had eveyone amped as is Howard was there. TRUST me fuckos this is still one hell of a show and might I add TDWP is a huge perk!
so how do i go about getting a refund? I called frontgate tickets and they said no refunds… btw I have ticks to the stubbs show in austin
I wish howard would come back just on the 23rd thats the show on my birthday. not a couple days b4, no on the date i was born. well at least it wont be as bad with the other dude cause iv seen KsE b4 wen they came to OKC during the Mayhem Fest