It has just been officially confirmed by the band that David Desrosiers will unfortunately not be joining them on the upcoming tours across the USA and Canada (August to September). Back in May, it has been revealed that David has been suffering from depression for quite a while and that this mental illness has forced him not be able to attend certain tours. The last time David performed with Simple Plan was in the USA in April earlier this year.
Read the official statement from David and also from the rest of the band below:
I tried my best, worked very hard and I really believed I could make it. There’s nothing that I wanted more than to be ready for our upcoming US and Canadian tour. Unfortunately, there are some things you just can’t control and I will regretfully have to miss our upcoming August and September shows.
Even if I’m starting to feel better, out of respect for you and my band, I don’t feel I should be on stage if I’m unable to give my best performance. I believe this is a temporary setback and that it’s only a matter of time until I’m able to join the guys and you at the shows and do what I I love the most, once again.
I would like to thank all our fans for their support and positive messages; it means a lot to me and I can’t wait to see you all again.”
Depression is a complex issue and there’s no “quick fix” or “magical solution” to overcome it; it takes time and hard work and David is doing everything in his power to do so. We fully support his decision to stay home and rest longer and have nothing but love and support for our friend and bandmate. We know how bad he wants to be back on stage playing with us, but his health is the number one priority for all of us and we all agreed together that this was the right decision for now.
We would like to thank all of you for the incredible amount of positive messages you sent David; it means a lot to him. We know some of you will be disappointed by the situation, and we apologize. We simply ask for your understanding, kindness and compassion in these difficult times for David.
With David’s blessing, all the August and September shows will go on as planned. We look forward to seeing all of you on tour and to welcoming back David on stage with us as soon as he’s ready.”
We hope that all fans will understand and respect David’s decision to stay at home and keep working on his mental health, as I’m sure we all want him to come back stronger and healthier than ever. And we applaud Pierre, Jeff, Seb and Chuck for sticking with their friend and respecting his decision.
As far as who replaces David on tour, if nothing’s changed then Chady should be stepping in for David during some parts of the show in more or less the background of the performance set, just like he did on the South American and European tours.
