Blink-182 to tour Australia with fill-in drummer, Travis Barker makes statement to fans

Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker will not be joining the band to play their Australian tour, which kicks off in a few days. Barker cites his fear of flying as the reason for his absence. As a result, Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman will be filling in for the dates.

The band made a statement about the situation:

“The trip to Australia was planned during our European tour last summer. The band knew the chances of Travis overcoming his fear of flying, which was magnified after the horrible plane crash in 2008, would be a challenge, but we wanted to play for our fans in Australia nonetheless. The three of us tried all measures to get us all there in full form. Travis has been working to overcome his fear of flying. Since we now know we have to make the trip without Travis our friend Brooks Wackerman (Bad Religion, Tenacious D) has stepped in. We love our fans in Australia so canceling was not an option so we still plan to come and play some kick ass shows. Mark, Tom, and Travis”

Barker also posted an update on his personal page:

“I'm sorry to announce i won't be joining Blink-182 on this Australian tour. I still haven't gotten over the horrific events that took place the last time i flew when my plane crashed and 4 people were killed, two being my best friends. I gave the band my blessing to take another drummer if they still wanted to do the tour without me. I hope to come to Australia again some day perhaps by ship if need be. Unfortunately, there wasn't a boat that worked with the schedule this time around. Once again I'm sorry to all the fans.”