Slipknot will be without co-founder and percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan as their European tour kicks off Wednesday night (June 7th) at the Nova Rock Festival in Austria.
Clown took to social media to inform fans that he would be missing the band’s upcoming shows to take care of his wife, who is suffering from undisclosed health issues.
He wrote on Facebook:
“Hello to all of our fans, it’s the clown. I would like to take a moment to tell everyone that I’m back home supporting my wife through some health issues, and I’ll be back on the road as soon as I can.
We’ve been through this before and as always, we appreciate the love and support. See all of you very soon.”
It’s undetermined how much time Clown will miss. Slipknot will remain in Europe throughout June, playing numerous festivals such as Download and Copenhell, before returning stateside for festival dates in July (Rock Fest and Inkcarceration) and September (Blue Ridge Rock Festival).
Despite his busy schedule with Slipknot, Clown has kept a family-centric life. In a 2005 interview with The Des Moines Register [via Blabbermouth], he opened up about his wife’s battle with Crohn’s disease and how he missed a number of Slipknot gigs when she was hospitalized.
“That’s the thing I fight for most in this biz, is family,” he said. “Family can and is being incorporated into rock ‘n’ roll. You can have a wife, you can have a child or children, and be a rock ‘n’ roller.”
Tickets to Slipknot’s upcoming shows are available here for US gigs and here for international dates.