We were supposed to interview The Dillinger Escape Plan on Sunday following their triumphant performance at the Orion Music + More fest. We call it “triumphant” because the band’s lead guitarist and songwriter Benjamin Weinman had broken his hand and it was unsure as to whether they would even be playing the festival. They persevered, playing without him as he played hype man onstage. We weren’t able to catch up with the band after their set, though, and chalked it up to their schedule. However, yesterday on our flight back to Newark, we ran into Weinman and bassist Liam Wilson, who were on our flight.
I got a chance to talk to Weinman about his hand, and he told me he’s getting it operated on this coming Thursday. He says that while the band will miss their European dates, he’s getting it done sooner rather than later in the hopes that he’ll be healed up in time for the band to play the Summer Slaughter shows. While the band is disappointed that they’ll be missing some of the biggest European fests of the Summer, at least Ben won’t be relegated to a lounge chair this time. He says that after the operation, there’s a chance he could start playing guitar again in as little as two weeks.
Also on the flight back to Newark was syndicated sports talk show host Scott Ferrall, also on his way back from Orion. And while you’d expect a sports talk show host to be more excited about, well, Metallica. He told us (and the band) that he’d actually gone to Orion just to see Dillinger. “I went to Orion in Atlantic City, and I went to, obviously Detroit,” he told us. “Watching Dillinger live was better than sex for me. It made the show for me. I’ve seen Metallica 30 times, I’ll always bow down and love them, but Dillinger got my rocks off. Being front row for Dillinger – my ribs hurt, my skull hurts, and the energy. Liam on bass is a violent human being on that stick. He’s just super, mega, evil thrashing on that bass. I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s a dangerous individual, and I’m concerned about his well-being. I became a fan of theirs when I had researched the band and saw their performance at the Golden Gods. I flew to Detroit specifically to see Dillinger.”
In case you didn’t catch them at Orion this past weekend, check out a few photos that Melinda Oswandel took for us during The Dillinger Escape Plan’s set in the gallery below
