THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Mario Duplantier can't get into the United States because of an immigration issue, so Gojira grabbed Luigi Paraventi from Paleface Swiss to sit behind the kit for their immediate U.S. festival run †‡. The band made the obvious video game joke — "Player 2 has entered the game" †§ — but this is a real problem hitting more and more touring bands as visa processing times stretch out ¶. Duplantier "fought hard every step of the way to find a solution" †‡ but couldn't clear it in time.
THE DETAILS
- Paraventi fills in at Rock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin on July 16, Upheaval Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan on July 17, and Inkcarceration in Mansfield, Ohio on July 18 †§
- Gojira has a fourth U.S. festival date at Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky on September 20 — unclear if Duplantier will be back by then †§
- Paraventi just joined Paleface Swiss earlier this spring §
- His European festival schedule with Paleface Swiss runs late July through late August and doesn't overlap with the Gojira fill-in dates †
- Gojira joins a growing list of bands hit by immigration delays including Dogma, Nevermore, Calva Louise, Enter Shikari, and FKA Twigs ¶
WHY IT MATTERS
SKIP IT if you were planning to catch Gojira specifically to see the Duplantier brothers lock in together — half that equation is missing. This is becoming a pattern: visa processing used to be a hassle, now it's a tour-wrecker that's forcing bands to scramble for last-minute subs or cancel outright ¶.