Blink-182 is set to embark on a nine-venue concert tour in Australia but drummer Travis Barker is sitting this one out because he is deathly afraid of flying.
Barker posted Saturday on Facebook “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.”
He continued, “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 am sorry to all the fans.”
The rocker spent 11 weeks in hospitals and burn centers and endured 16 surgeries following a plane crash in Sept. 2008. The only other survivor, Adam Goldstein, died of a drug overdose less than a year later, after struggling with depression in the aftermath of the accident.
Photo: WENN