Two of Jim Morrison’s old pals from The Doors had hoped to debut a reconstituted version of the band next week, but they’ll have to wait until next year because their new drummer, Stewart Copeland, broke his arm.
Copeland, a former member of the Sting-fronted rock trio The Police, was injured during the Thanksgiving holiday when he fell from his bicycle on a path near his Los Angeles home, the band’s publicists said on Monday.
The accident has forced members of the Doors’ new lineup to postpone their kickoff performance at the Palms in Las Vegas from Dec. 8 to Jan. 19.
The newly reformed Doors features two members of the original group, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and lead guitarist Robby Krieger. They are joined by Copeland, who replaces founding member John Densmore on drums, and singer Ian Astbury of The Cult, filling the shoes of Morrison on lead vocals. Densmore was forced out of the reunion by a severe tinnitus.
The three surviving members of the original group, which gained fame in the 1960s with such hits as “Light My Fire” and “Break on Through,” disbanded after Morrison succumbed to heart failure in Paris in 1971.
After the opening show of the new quartet, the band has planned a spring tour, followed by a series of performances on the summer U.S. and European festival circuits. A new album release is planned for next fall.
