Mastodon played the first show of a spring tour on Thursday night (May 8th) during a headlining show at The Factory in Chesterfield, Missouri. The veteran metal band unveiled Nick Johnston as their latest touring guitarist following the departure of longtime band member Brent Hinds earlier this year.
Previously, Mastodon had performed at the Tool in the Sand festival with YouTuber Ben Eller on guitar, but it appears his stint with the metal band was short-lived.
Presumably, Johnston will stay on for the entire spring run, which includes a set at the Sonic Temple festival today (May 9th) in Columbus, Ohio, before Mastodon’s co-headlining US tour with Coheed and Cambria properly kicks off Saturday (May 10th) in Salem, Virginia (pick up tickets here).
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While Johnston may not be a household name, the virtuoso guitarist does sport an impressive résumé. The Canadian musician has recorded with Polyphia, Periphery, and Intervals, among others, and went on tour with Between the Buried and Me and The Contortionist in 2019. He’s also released a string of solo albums — which have featured guest spots from the likes of Paul Gilbert and Marco Minnemann — and his videos have totaled roughly 19 million views on YouTube.
The departure of Hinds marked the first lineup change for Mastodon in 25 years. At the time of the announcement, Mastodon stated, “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 endeavors.”
Watch fan-filmed video of Nick Johnston performing with Mastodon below.
Content shared from consequence.net.