Sleep Token kicked off their European arena tour on Tuesday (November 5th) in Zurich, Switzerland, but they were down two members.
Prior to the concert, the UK band announced that both their bassist, III, and guitarist, IV, had fallen ill and would not be performing that night. But rather than cancelling the gig, the show would go on via the use of pre-recorded tracks.
“The show will go ahead as planned, using pre-recorded tracks from both III and IV, captured during our recent tour preparations,” the band wrote in a post on Instagram. “We always endeavour to avoid cancelling a Ritual unless completely unavoidable, and we hope this outcome is more acceptable to you than a last-minute cancellation.”
Impressively, Sleep Token didn’t veer from the same 16-song set they played — as a full band — during their spring North American tour.
The setlist featured seven songs from 2023’s Take Me Back to Eden, five songs from 2021’s This Place Will Become Your Tomb, and four from the debut album Sundowning. In fan footage of the performance, the use of pre-recorded tracks is pretty much undetectable, as the alt-metal act still fill out a lush soundscape even on these phone recordings.
After the show, Sleep Token made a follow-up Instagram post thanking concertgoers in attendance: “Zurich, thank you for your unwavering support and for raising your voices with us last night. In the absence of our brothers III and IV, your energy filled the room and carried us through. We are grateful beyond words for this collective, and for each of you who shared in the Ritual with us. Your presence means everything.”
There’s been no update as to whether III and IV are well enough for the next show in France on Thursday (November 7th). Sleep Token’s European/UK tour runs through early December, and you can get tickets here.
Watch fan footage from the Zurich concert below.