Gojira have confirmed that drummer Mario Duplantier cannot appear at their upcoming US festival shows because of “visa issues”. Luigi Paraventi will temporarily take his place behind the drums.
The French metal stars shared the news on social media earlier this week, only a few days before their scheduled performance at Rock Fest in Wisconsin last night, Thursday July 16.
In the statement, the band explained that Duplantier remained “dealing with an immigration issue” which had “made it impossible for him to travel to the US in time for our shows”.
“Mario is heartbroken not to be here with us and has fought hard every step of the way to find a solution,” they added. However, the planned performances will continue after Paleface Swiss drummer Luigi Paraventi agreed to fill in at short notice.
“We’re so grateful for the incredible Luigi Paraventi of Paleface Swiss, who has stepped in on short notice,” the message continued.
Referencing Mario and Luigi, the famous brothers from Nintendo’s video game series, the group added: “Player two has entered the game — RESPECT. We can’t wait to see you all out there!!”
After completing their Wisconsin appearance last night, Gojira will perform at Michigan’s Upheaval Festival tonight, Friday July 17. They will then play the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival in Ohio tomorrow, Saturday July 18.
These festival appearances arrive after the band recently finished supporting Metallica across the UK and Europe. That tour concluded with two concerts at London Stadium earlier this month.
Gojira are not the only performers whose American concerts have recently been disrupted by visa problems. Enter Shikari announced in May that similar complications had forced them to cancel their full North American tour. FKA Twigs also abandoned every US date on her ‘EUSEXUA’ tour in 2025 for the same reason.
The band’s most recent album remains 2021’s ‘Fortitude’. Since its arrival, Gojira have released two individual singles, ‘Our Time Is Now’ in 2022 and ‘Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)’ in 2024, which they performed during the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony that year.
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