Fans hoping to see Jason Bonham on tour with Sammy Hagar’s band were met with disappointing news as Bonham had to step away due to a family emergency. In a recent interview with KSHE 95, Hagar’s bandmate explained, “Jason’s situation came out of nowhere. His mother had a stroke and went into a coma, and it’s serious. His whole family rushed back to the UK. He held out for a few days but eventually said, ‘I gotta go.’ We fully supported him.”
With Bonham’s sudden departure, Kenny Aronoff stepped in as the touring drummer. Hagar shared how quickly Aronoff adapted: “We gave Kenny about 24 hours’ notice. He flew in, arrived at six in the morning, and played that night in Cincinnati. He nailed the show—honestly, I make more mistakes every night than he did. Hats off to him.”
During their performance at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Hagar dedicated the song “Eagles Fly” to Bonham and his family. “This one’s for the Bonham family in England. We’re all hoping everything turns out okay over there,” Hagar said.
Responding to a fan’s comment on Instagram regarding changes made to Bonham’s drum kit in his absence, Hagar explained, “I felt uncomfortable leaving the drum heads the same without Jason playing. He’ll be back, and our prayers are with his mother.”
The North American leg of the tour wrapped up on August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri. The band is scheduled to perform in Japan in late September, but it remains uncertain whether Bonham will be able to rejoin the tour by then.
