Dead’s Bill Kreutzmann Sits Out Shows Due to Heart Condition
Dead & Company drummer Bill Kreutzmann has announced that he will not be participating at the upcoming Playing in the Sand, a two-weekend festival in Cancun, Mexico, that is scheduled to take place on Jan. 7-10 and Jan. 13-16.
In a new Instagram post, the founding Grateful Dead member revealed that he had been instructed by his doctors to take a break due to an ongoing cardiac condition.
“Playing in the Sand has become my favorite tour stop in recent years, and there’s so much about it that’s just so great,” Kreutzmann wrote. “And thus, it is with a heavy and still-recovering heart that I have to relay a note that I received from my doctor this morning, ordering me to sit this one out.”
Kreutzmann also missed several shows this past fall due to undisclosed health issues. "After a lifetime of playing special beats, it’s almost no wonder that my heart came up with its own idea of rhythm," he said. Drummer Jay Lane, a regular performer with another original Grateful Dead member, Bob Weir, replaced Kreutzmann at the time and is expected to do so again for Playing in the Sand.
"I wish my brothers in the band the best these next two weeks, and I look forward to meeting back up with them — and with you — before you know it," Kreutzmann concluded. "Please stay safe out there so that we can do it all again. And again."