Mastodon Pays Tribute to Brent Hinds at First Show Since Guitarist’s Death: ‘Brothers to the End’

Mastodon is honoring the memory of their late bandmate and co-founder Brent Hinds.

On Friday (Aug. 22), the heavy metal band paid tribute to the guitarist during a performance at the Alaska State Fair, part of the ConocoPhillips Alaska Concert Series at the Borealis Theatre in Palmer, Alaska.

At the end of the set, drummer and vocalist Brann Dailor stepped to the front of the stage to deliver a heartfelt message about Hinds, who died earlier in the week following a motorcycle accident in Atlanta. He was 51.

“We lost somebody very special to us yesterday,” Dailor told the crowd. 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. Very, very unfortunate. We loved him so, so, so very much.”

“We had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship. You know what I mean? 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. And I think that that’s gonna stand the test of time, evidenced by you people here tonight.”

Dailor aslo reflected on the band’s decades-long journey with Hinds. “So we will continue to play Brent’s beautiful, beautiful music that he helped us make, that we formed this band together and traveled the world together, slept in a van together, laid our heads down on beds of f—king kitty litter, got way too drunk to remember anything the next day about a thousand, million times over and over again with the love that we shared and the beauty, all the audiences that we played, for all the stages we stepped on,” he said.

He concluded, “I don’t know. We’re just at a loss for words. We’re absolutely devastated and crushed to lose him and to be able to never have him back again. But you guys made it okay for us to come on stage and do this tonight. So that was for f—king Brent, okay? Thank you guys so much. We will see you real soon.”

Hinds co-founded Mastodon in 2000 in Atlanta alongside bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher and Dailor. Over a 25-year career, the band released nine albums that charted on the Billboard 200, including The Hunter (2011), Once More ’Round the Sun (2014), and Emperor of Sand (2017) — the latter two peaking at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart. In 2018, Mastodon won a Grammy for best metal performance for “Sultan’s Curse.”

In March, Mastodon announced that Hinds would be stepping away from the lineup. The band initially claimed the decision was mutual, but Hinds later said he was “kicked out” of the group.

Following his passing on Wednesday (Aug. 21), Mastodon shared a statement on Instagram.

“We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief… Last night, Brent Hinds passed away as a result of a tragic accident,” they wrote. “We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we’ve shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many. Our hearts are with Brent’s family, friends, and fans. At this time, we kindly ask that you respect everyone’s privacy during this difficult time.”

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.