Asking Alexandria drummer James Cassells will sit behind the kit for the band’s fall tour
Breaking Benjamin drummer Shaun Foist has seemingly retired from touring. The group announced Thursday that Foist will be sitting out their fall tour that starts tomorrow, August 29, due to an ongoing medical issue. Asking Alexandria drummer James Cassells will be filling in for the tour.
Foist issued a lengthy statement, describing his on-going battle with Hashimoto’s disease since 2017. The issue has made the grind of touring practically impossible. While he is stepping away from the road now, he also vows to “play drums again.”
“Friends, family, and most importantly, the fans – I’ve been battling Hashimoto’s Disease since 2017, facing fatigue, leg weakness, stiffness, weight changes, and overall drum playing control issues. During the Awaken the Fallen Tour, I was experiencing extreme leg fatigue and complications, making drumming nearly impossible. We ran tests on my back that came out fine thankfully, but tests confirmed Hashimoto’s had flared, pushing my thyroid into ‘hyper’ mode, causing weakness and weight loss. After speaking with my family and doctors, I’ve decided to step away from the road at this time to focus on healing. Please continue supporting the band and enjoying the shows. I care deeply about our legacy, and I don’t want my health to affect performances. Thank you for the years of love and support. I will play drums again.”
Tomorrow, Breaking Benjamin kick off their co-headlining tour with Three Days Grace. Known for their explosive live shows and chart-topping hits, both bands have defined the sound of 21st-century hard rock. Breaking Benjamin has amassed an impressive string of mainstream rock radio hits and a devoted fanbase while Three Days Grace, with 19 No. 1 songs at rock radio, continue to build on their legacy as one of rock’s most successful rock bands with over a billion streams globally.
Upon releasing their first single in five years, hard rock giants Breaking Benjamin’s latest single “Awaken” quickly shot to No. 1 on the Rock Digital Songs charts and landed in the Top 20 on multiple additional Billboard charts including Hot Hard Rock Songs, Digital Song Sales, Hot Alternative Songs and Hard Rock Songs. The single has also since surpassed 50M streams globally.
The co-headlining tour follows the recent announcement of Adam Gontier’s official homecoming to Three Days Grace, who recently returned to the stage with Matt Walst amid their first live performances as co-vocalists, the pure magic in the arenas was so palpable and only reinforce this next era of Three Days Grace as seemingly the best one yet. Their most recent single “Mayday” skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Mediabase active rock charts, remaining there for six weeks. Three Days Grace fans are eagerly anticipating their forthcoming full-length album, which is near completion and will be released later this year.
Tickets for all shows are on sale now.
Breaking Benjamin are no strangers to the upper echelons of the rock charts. Since bursting onto the scene with 2002’s Saturate, the band has amassed an impressive string of mainstream rock radio hits, with ten songs hitting No. 1, numerous platinum and multi-platinum songs and albums, 8.5 billion combined streams worldwide and a social imprint of over 6.5 million — a testament to the band’s global influence and loyal fan base. Breaking Benjamin’s studio album, EMBER debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 and marked the multi-platinum band’s fourth Top 5 debut on the Billboard Top 200, following 2015’s No. 1 debut for DARK BEFORE DAWN (Gold), 2009’s DEAR AGONY(Platinum) at No. 4 and 2006’s PHOBIA (Platinum) at No. 2. EMBER spun off two #1 hits at Active Rock Radio with “Red Cold River” and “Torn in Two.” AURORA and EMBER charted Top 10 across numerous countries worldwide and topped #1 charts across multiple genres, including Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Digital Albums.
