Tom DeLonge, vocalist and guitarist for Blink-182, announced Wednesday the band’s entire Latin America tour is postponed due to Travis Barker’s finger injury.
Barker tore the ligaments in his finger and required surgery, leaving the band without their key drummer, according to DeLonge’s Instagram announcement. “This has been something we’ve been aiming to do for so long, and we’ve worked so hard, and we just had one of those freak accidents that nobody saw coming,” DeLonge said in the video.
“I’m so sorry to everyone in South America that we couldn’t be down there.”
47-year old Barker revealed his finger injury Feb. 8 on Twitter.
“I was playing the drums at rehearsals yesterday and I smashed my finger so hard I dislocated it and tore the ligaments,” he wrote.
I was playing the drums at rehearsals yesterday and I smashed my finger so hard I dislocated it and tore the ligaments ????
— Travis Barker (@travisbarker) February 8, 2023
DeLonge emphasized how excited he was about the upcoming concert, and how unfortunate the situation is for everyone involved.
“This has been something we’ve been aiming to do for so long and we work so hard and we just kind of had one of those freak accidents that nobody saw coming,” he said.
He also spoke about the process Barker must undergo to heal his finger.
“Travis needs to go in and have surgery on his finger and we have to get that well, we have to get that strong before we can do anything else. This is just so sad.” (RELATED: Blink-182 Bassist Mark Hoppus Admits To Contemplating Suicide During Battle Against Cancer)
“These were the biggest shows we ever played. These are some of the most important places in the world for a band, this is like the pinnacle of our career, was coming down and playing for you guys,” DeLonge continued.
The Blink-182 star ended his video message with a promise of hope and a plan for an epic return.
“I know it seems like you waited so long … and we waited so long, too. This is just devastating on so many levels, but we’re going to get Travis better,” DeLonge said. “And we’re going to come down, the three of us together, and we’re going to rock, and we’re going to have an incredible time with you guys.”
The Blink-182 musician sent love to his adoring fans before signing off.
“But I really want you to know, from my heart to yours, how important you guys are to us, and this is not something that we could even have saw coming. It’s just devastating. But we love you. Blink-182 loves you. We will see you soon.”
