Orianthi is out of action and will miss the forthcoming Alice Cooper tour of North America.
The Australian electric guitar star is recovering from a torn hamstring and damage to her hip, inflicted during a recent trek, and has been ordered to sit it out.
Orianthi was tapped to join the heavy metal legend’s band for shows January 31st to February 16, filling in for Nita Strauss, who had “conflicting obligations of her own”.
An official statement from Cooper’s band claims Orianthi was out “due to unforeseen circumstances” and is “unable to do the tour.”
Orianthi shared more details on her Instagram.
“Unfortunately I have a torn hamstring and damage to my hip after Last tour,” she writes, “not sure exactly when it happened but the pain I feel/ felt is bad .. getting it fixed up now.”
By recruiting Orianthi, Cooper was getting the old band back together. She toured with Alice from 2011 to 2014, along with longtime band members Chuck Garric, Glen Sobel, Tommy Henriksen and Ryan Roxie.
“When Orianthi moved on to pursue her own career in 2014, we were lucky to find Nita,” Cooper remarked last November, as Orianthi returned to the band. When these shows came up, Strauss had already committed to another tour. “So I reached out to Orianthi, and thankfully she was available to jump back in,” he continued, “so we’re all really looking forward to doing these shows with her. I’m so fortunate to always have such great musicians to work with.”
Former Guns N’ Roses member Gilby Clarke will take Orianthi’s axe duties.
It’s not the first time Orianthi has missed out due to events beyond her control. Hailing from Adelaide, the six-string master was a member of the touring entourage for Michael Jackson’s ill-fated 2009-2010 This Is It residency at London’s O2 arena, a 50-show run that would have seen Orianthi and Co. perform to more than one million people.
Jackson died from acute propofol intoxication just 18 days before the first scheduled performance. For the last three months of Jackson’s life, Orianthi worked closely and intensely with the King of Pop. “It was so devastating for all of us involved, working with him for three months preparing for the biggest show on Earth,” she told this reporter in 2009. “But I got to play music with him-I’m so grateful I got that time. The experience made me believe in myself more.”
Orianthi has a handful of US concerts booked for March and April, followed by a slew of summer shows in Continental Europe. Her latest single, the bluesy “Some Kind of Feeling,” dropped in November 2024, ahead of a studio album coming this year.
