Avenged Sevenfold kicked off the "Nightmare After Christmas" tour on January 20 in Reading, Pennsylvania. The show marked AVENGED's live debut with Arin Ilejay, formerly the drummer for Los Angeles-based Christian rock group CONFIDE, who is sitting behind the kit for Avenged's upcoming tour dates.
The relatively unknown Ilejay is the second drummer to play with Avenged Sevenfold following the December 2009 death of original drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan. The band recruited ex-Dreamtheater drummer Mike Portnoy to play on its latest album, "Nightmare", and all its 2010 tour dates before dismissing him at the end of the year.
Ilejay played on Confide's 2008 debut album, "Shout The Truth", and appeared on tour with the group.
Sullivan was found dead in his Huntington Beach, California home at the age of 28. His death was attributed to a lethal combination of prescription drugs and alcohol.
The latest single from "Nightmare", which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart last summer, is "Welcome To The Family.
(Courtesy of The Rock Report, 99.5 KISS)
With Three Days Grace and Bullet For My Valentine
Gates at 6pm
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