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Panic At The Disco Drummer Spencer Smith Leaves Tour To Battle Addiction
Friday 9th August 2013 | Christina
Spencer Smith Leaves Tour To Continue Battle With Addiction
At the end of last month, Panic At The Disco drummer Spencer Smith posted a message on the band's website explaining the details of his battle against drugs and alcohol. He tweeted "I wrote this to hopefully relate and inform. It's a battle, but I'm happy to be on the winning side of it now."
Smith explains how the band lifestyle affected his addiction and how his place as drummer in Panic At The Disco allowed him "the ability to maintain a drinking habit that wouldn’t have lasted a week at a day job" and how being on tour left him with a "with a very distorted view of what drinking habits are considered “normal”'.
Perhaps surprisingly, he also talks about how life after the tour was just as difficult. He doesn't ask for sympathy when he talks about struggling with his addiction away from the other members of the band. Leaving a tour he states "can be a shock to the system." The transition from being around his band members for over a year on tour to suddenly being left alone with no idea what to get up and do that day was hard for Smith to cope with.
Last year, with the support of his friends, family and band mates, Spencer Smith was admitted into rehab. At the end of last month he posted the message after achieving sobriety after his time recovering. He ended the piece "looking forward to seeing you all on tour."
Sadly however, it was announced yesterday that Smith would in fact not be carrying on with the Panic At The Disco tour. Understandably, the pressures of performing on tour and the temptations that would surround him are just too much to cope with, so close after recovery.
Lead singer Brendan Urie released a message telling fans he understands that Spencer needs more time to recover. He stated "I can’t expect him to be fighting addiction one minute and be fully immersed in a national tour the next."
With the support of his band mates as well as all the Panic at the Disco fans, Smith may once again be able to tour, but for the moment he will leave his band mates to perform without him as he continues to recover.
You can read both Smith's and Urie's messages on the band's website by clicking here.
Below is the video to the band's latest release 'Miss Jackson' ft. Lolo.
Christina Hirst
