Thirsty Merc Announce Tour Return Following Car Crash Tragedy

Following on from the devastating car crash that claimed the life of their stage manager, Shane Cooper, and seriously injured their touring drummer, Mick Skelton, Thirsty Merc have announced that their The Good Life tour will kick back into gear on Wednesday, 7th October in Canberra.

It follows an outpouring of support for the band, whose tour plans were placed on hiatus in the aftermath of last week’s tragedy.

The Aussie rock heroes have released the following statement:

“It’s been a really hard time for us. There were moments where we seriously questioned whether we’d be walking out on stage at all for the rest of the year. We’ll always be thinking of Shane. We find some comfort in knowing that he had so many happy moments in his last days with us.

Our thoughts are also with Mick every day as he continues to make a recovery – we’re sending him all the strength we can muster up. We want to say our deepest thanks to everyone who has reached out recently. It’s been overwhelming; it’s changed our perspective on life on the road. We’ve been shown a lot of love through that support, and it really has helped us as a band in getting through a truly devastating time.

The Merc would like to share the love with everyone at the upcoming shows, so we can send as much as we can back to Shane, Mick, and their families, who need it most right now.”

Thirsty Merc have also announced plans to donate a percentage of the proceeds from every ticket sold for the rest of The Good Life tour to assist the grief-stricken families involved through this difficult period.

A benefit concert is also in the planning stages, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, fans have been stoked to hear that Mick Skelton – who is also the permanent drummer for Aussie rock legends Baby Animals – is out of intensive care and improving steadily.

Thirsty Merc have not announced who will be replacing Mick behind the kit for their remaining tour dates, nor whether they have any plans to reschedule the dates that they’ve been forced to miss in the aftermath of the disaster.

Check out all the date, venue and ticketing details for the remainder of The Good Life Tour, below.

Watch: Thirsty Merc – The Good Life

The Good Life Tour Dates

Wednesday, 7th October 2015
ANU Bar, Canberra, ACT
Tickets: Ticketek

Thursday, 8th October 2015
Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale, NSW
Tickets: Oztix

Friday, 9th October 2015
Halekulani Bowling Club, Central Coast, NSW
Tickets: Oztix

Saturday, 10th October 2015
Baroque Room, Katoomba, NSW
Tickets: Oztix

Sunday, 11th October 2015
Club Forster, Forster-Tuncurry, NSW
Tickets: Offbeat

Wednesday, 14th October 2015
The Basement, Sydney, NSW
Ticket: Moshtix

Thursday, 15th October 2015
Panthers, Port Macquarie, NSW
Tickets: Offbeat

Friday, 16th October 2015
Armidale Services Club, Armidale, NSW
Tickets: Offbeat

Saturday, 17th October 2015
Grafton District Services Club, Grafton, NSW
Tickets: Offbeat

Sunday, 18th October 2015
Hoey Moey Beergarden, Coffs Harbour, NSW
Tickets: Free Entry

Wednesday, 21st October 2015
Spotted Cow, Toowoomba, QLD
Tickets: Oztix

Thursday, 22nd October 2015
Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast, QLD
Tickets: Oztix

Friday, 23rd October 2015
The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets: Oztix

Saturday, 24th October 2015
Villa Noosa, Noosa, QLD
Tickets: Villa Noosa

Wednesday, 28th October 2015
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets: Northcote Social Club

Sunday, 1st November 2015
King George Gardens – Wangaratta Jazz Festival, Wangaratta, VIC
Tickets: Wangaratta Jazz

Saturday, 7th November 2015
Belmont 16’s, Newcastle, NSW
Tickets: 16’s

Sunday, 8th November 2015
Heathcote Hotel, Heathcote, NSW
Tickets: Heathcote Hotel

Thursday, 12th November 2015
Friends Restaurant, Perth, WA
Tickets: Friend Restaurant

Friday, 13th November 2015
Wintersun Hotel, Geraldton, WA
Ticket: Moshtix

Saturday, 14th November 2015
Charles Hotel, Perth, WA
Tickets: Ticketmaster and Charles Hotel

Sunday, 15the November 2015
Ravenswood Hotel, Perth, WA
Tickets: Ticketmaster

Friday, 20th November 2015
SSA Club, Albury, NSW
Tickets: Free Entry

Saturday, 21st November 2015
Mulwala Ski Club, Mulwala, NSW
Tickets: Free Entry

Saturday, 28th November 2015
Palmerston Tavern, Darwin, NT
Ticket: Moshtix