Don's Illness

[Prettymaid]

Now I'm really confused. Do we completely disregard the firsthand info from the band's crew and believe Irving's statement? How do we know that they didn't want the truth leaked and came up with this knee story? Would a bad knee prevent Don from playing drums?

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well, I definitely think a bad knee could prevent him from playing the drums. Maybe Don had a stent placed in his knee, and the reporter just assumed it was his heart. I'd be surprised if they were lying in an official statement.

[Troubadour]

Drummers use their feet, so yeah, I'd assume a bad knee (certainly one that required surgery) could definitely stop him playing drums for a while.

I know what you mean though, PM... I'm still cautiously excited.

[TimothyBFan]

I'm kinda with PM on this one! Seems rather strange but if indeed someone misspoke, I bet heads will roll!!!! And sorry, but I can totally see them trying to cover it up and keep it hush. JMO tho.

[tequila girl]

I really, really, really hope it is his knee, not that I wish Don ill at all - but it's better to have a dodgy knee than a dodgy heart, but I can't help thinking as has already been said would "the powers that be" tell us the truth? Either way 'Get Better Soon Don'

[AzEaglesFan]

There are no secrets, just a matter of finding the one person willing to spill the beans. lol I can believe Don's knee would stop him from playing the drums. Sitting with your knees bent for even a little while can be very painful if you have something wrong. I know because I had knee trouble for years and if I sat for long I had a hard time standing up and walking.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well - it seems to me that if they had just been forthcoming about the illness in the first place, it would have stopped a lot of the speculation. Why in the world didn't they just announce the nature of the illness at the time the shows were postponed is beyond me. I respect the desire for privacy, but these guys are public figures, and their fans want to know if they are ill enough to have to cancel shows. They don't have to give us all the gory details, but just a general statement would be nice.

At this point, the official statement was made to presumably stop some misinformation that had been given out. Honestly, I have no idea what purpose it would serve for Irving to not be forthcoming at this point, and if that were to turn out to be the case, then I would definitely give them a big in PR!!!

But the important thing is that, hopefully, Don is going to have a quick and full recovery.

[Peekaboo]

Whoa!! Talk about an emotional roller coaster I was just on while reading these last few pages. First i'm worried by the fact that Don has any sort of illness at all. Then I'm happy that he's back in concert so quickly with the rest of the guys at the ACL music festival. Now i'm a bit confused about the cause of the illness. At first, the early speculations of his back being the culprit seemed like a good assumption but then the announcement of a stent being put in for his heart seemed like a viable reason too. I agree with Cathy and Willie that this seems a bit strange. Whether it was the stent or because of his knee, I can completely understand why he wasn't on the drums but what gets me is if he really did have a knee injury of any kind I would think that it would still be really difficult for him to be standing up for a couple of hours for a concert. I've also had knee injuries and surgery on my knee and even with excellent trainers working with me and helping me with physical therapy I still had a difficult time standing and walking for some time after. I know it took more than a week after my surgery before I could walk fairly normal. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy and relieved that Don is now doing well and back on stage so quickly after the recent postponements but i'm just a bit skeptical of the reason that Irving gave.

[sodascouts]

Whatever the problem, Don was energetic at ACL and I see no reason to be concerned. Yeah, he wasn't drumming, but that was the only indication that something was amiss. His voice was dead-on, he was moving around well, and there was no visible indication that he was in any pain or discomfort. Indeed, he seemed in high spirits, making jokes and talking more than usual. If he is suffering, he's hiding it well. I personally believe he's simply making a speedy recovery and we all should relax.

[Troubadour]

Thanks for that, Soda. Reassuring.