Sean Kinney Issues Statement on Recent Medical Emergency

Alice In Chains drummer Sean Kinney has issued a statement on his recent medical emergency that forced the band to cancel their 2025 tour dates.

The band initially canceled their May 8 performance at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Ct. after the drummer sustained a “non-life threatening medical emergency” during their soundcheck.

The following day, Alice canceled the rest of their shows and festival appearances scheduled for 2025. They revealed that Kinney required immediate medical condition, though he was given a positive long-term prognosis.

Kinney issued a statement on the band’s social media today (May 15). Read it in full below.

The Good, The Bad & the WTF?

Firstly, to everyone who came out to the Mohegan Sun show and was affected by the short-notice cancelation, and to everyone who had tickets to come see the band at one of the other shows, thanks for your understanding. It’s not lost on the band and myself that you spend money, make plans and alter your schedules to come and see us, and it’s deeply disappointing to have had this happen.

I was very much looking forward to getting back out there and playing with the band again, and it’s been a difficult but necessary decision to make. I don’t personally utilize social media and I’m not particularly fond of my health issues being made public, but I understand that people are concerned. When the doctors advised me against playing in the short-term, I quickly went through the 5 Stages of Grief:

1. Denial (I’m fine)
2. Anger (F— this, I’m still going to play)
3. Bargaining (What’s it gonna take for me to hear a better diagnosis?)
4. Depression (This sucks)
5. Acceptance (This sucks, but okay)

I finally concluded that medical doctors with many hard-earned degrees on their walls might know a bit more about health than a musician with some shiny spray-painted records on his wall. The outpouring of love, concern and well wishes has been both extremely humbling and very much appreciated.

The good news is that I’m going to be fine and I’m going to live.

The bad news (for some of you?( is that I’m going to be fine and I’m going to live.

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Alice In Chains only had a handful of performances booked that they had to cancel, and as of now, their website still says they will play Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne‘s “Back to the Beginning” show in July.

As for their Welcome to Rockville appearance scheduled for this weekend, Danny Wimmer Presents moved quickly to fill the void. Social Distortion will take over the slot left vacant by Alice in Chains’ absence.

Stay tuned for further updates. Loudwire sends our best to Kinney.