Mastodon pay tribute to Brent Hinds at first show since his death: “We were brothers to the end”
Mastodon have paid tribute to Brent Hinds at their first concert since his death.
Hinds died on Wednesday (August 20) aged 51. His death was confirmed by a medical examiner’s report in Fulton County, Georgia, after police reported that a man riding a Harley Davidson was killed in a collision with a BMW SUV (via Atlanta News First).
On Friday (August 22), Mastodon played at the Alaska State Fair – their first show since Hinds’ passing.
“We lost somebody very special to us yesterday,” drummer Brann Dailor told the crowd as the show drew to a close. “Brent Hinds, 25 years with us as our guitar player, one of the most creative, beautiful people that we’ve ever come across in this world, tragically left us. Very, very unfortunate.
“We loved him so, so, so very much,” he continued. “And we had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship, you know what I mean? It’s not always perfect, it’s not always amazing, but we were brothers to the end.
“And we really loved each other and we made a lot, a lot of very beautiful music together. And I think that that’s gonna stand the test of time, evidenced by you people here tonight.”
He went on to say: “So we will continue to play Brent’s beautiful, beautiful music that he helped us make, that we formed this band together and travelled the world together, slept in a van together, laid our heads down on beds of fucking kitty litter, got way too drunk to remember anything the next day about a thousand, million times over and over again with the love that we shared and the beauty, all the audiences that we played for, all the stages we stepped on.
“I don’t know. We’re just at a loss for words. We’re absolutely devastated and crushed to lose him and to be able to never have him back again. But you guys made it OK for us to come on stage and do this tonight. So that was for fucking Brent, OK? Thank you guys so much.”
He concluded: “Thank you for helping us get through that one, it was fucking tough for us. But you guys are fucking amazing, so thank you.”
Hinds and Mastodon parted ways amicably in March this year after 25 years together. The band wrote at the time: “We’re deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we’ve shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavours.”
After his split from the band, Hinds made a handful of comments online suggesting that his departure was not as amicable as had been thought. He described his former bandmates as “horrible humans”, and shared scathing remarks that implied he was “kicked out” of the band.
Bill Kelliher described the split as a marriage that had run its course: “Like a marriage, sometimes people grow apart, and they get interested in other things. We wish nothing but the best for Brent in chasing his dreams. You know, it’s amazing that we made it 25 years with the four of us.”
William Brent Hinds was born on January 16, 1974 in Helena, Alabama, but left for Atlanta as a young man to pursue a music career. He met future Mastodon bassist Troy Sanders, with whom he briefly played in the band Four Hour Fogger, and shortly afterwards formed the original line-up of Mastodon with drummer Brann Dailor, guitarist Bill Kelliher and singer Eric Saner.
Saner left the following year, leaving the remaining members to share lead vocal duties. They went on to record eight studio albums together, including the highly acclaimed ‘Leviathan’ in 2004 and ‘Blood Mountain’ in 2006.
They were credited with leading the sludge metal scene, before going on to incorporate elements of progressive rock, complex rhythms and intricate melodies.
Garbage‘s Shirley Manson, Tool, Lamb of God‘s Mark Morton, and Exodus and Slayer‘s Gary Holt are among those who have shared tributes to Hinds.
The post Mastodon pay tribute to Brent Hinds at first show since his death: “We were brothers to the end” appeared first on NME.
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