Shakeups in a band’s lineup are nothing new, but they’re usually met with things like a press release and a statement from people involved, but at last night’s Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California, Rob Zombie suddenly brought Mike Riggs back into the fold after a “20-year absence,” taking John 5‘s place.
Riggs used to play for Zombie from the late 90s until his eventual departure in 2004, meaning he was in the lineup for the recording of Hellbilly Deluxe, American Made Music To Strip By, The Sinister Urge, and The Past, Present & Future.
During last night’s show, Zombie didn’t mention why John 5 wasn’t back with the band less than two weeks after his last performance at the Louder Than Life festival. John 5 had been playing guitar in Rob Zombie’s band since 2006, during which he helped co-write on all of the band’s studio releases.
One interesting wrinkle to this whole thing, according to Rock Feed, is that John 5 and Rob Zombie don’t follow each other on social media anymore. I know, social media drama doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but those are the times we’re living in.
As it stands, we’re waiting for some sort of announcement, press release, or statement from either Rob Zombie or John 5 about what may have happened. Once we get it, we’ll be sure to update this story.