Mastodon paid tribute to their former guitarist Brent Hinds during their first show following his death on Aug. 20.
At the end of the band’s show Friday at the Alaska State Fair, drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor told the crowd that he and his bandmates had “lost somebody very special to us.”
“Brent Hinds, 25 years with us as our guitar player, one of the most creative, beautiful people that we’ve ever come across in this world, tragically left us,” Dailor said. “Very, very unfortunate. We loved him so, so, so very much.”
Hinds was a founding member of Mastodon, and played with the unchanging lineup of Dailor, guitarist Bill Kelliher and bassist Troy Sanders for the band’s entire run until March 2025, when they announced they’d “mutually decided to part ways.” However, in the months following his departure, Hinds made several comments criticizing his former bandmates.
“We had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship,” Dailor said Friday. “It’s not always perfect, it’s not always amazing, but we were brothers to the end. And we really loved each other and we made a lot — a lot — of very beautiful music together.”
“We’re just at a loss for words,” he continued. “We’re absolutely devastated and crushed to lose him and to be able to never have him back again, but you guys made it O.K. for us to come on stage and do this tonight.”
Following the concert, Mastodon posted a statement on Facebook reading, “Alaska, thanks for showing up and lifting our spirits, you were exactly what we needed yesterday.”
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
