Unpleasant news reached the organizers of the metal festival Ostrava in flames on Friday, who were thus forced to announce a major change in the program less than a day before the start of the event. The band UDO will not arrive, due to the sudden illness of its frontman Udo Dirkschneider (72), who is considered an icon of world heavy metal.
The festival organizers quickly managed to find a suitable replacement during Friday afternoon. UDO will be represented by the renowned Finnish power metal band Stratovarius.
“Our beloved 72-year-old metal god Udo Dirkschneider collapsed early this morning. He is currently in hospital undergoing a series of tests. His son, the drummer of his band, Sven Dirkschneider, informed us about it,” Patrik Kohut, the organizer of Ostrava in flames, told Novinky.cz, adding that an adequate replacement was found within a few hours.
Photogallery: STRATOVARIUS will replace the band UDO in Ostrava in flames
“We’ve turned the world upside down to secure a replacement for tomorrow night. Of course, Udo is irreplaceable, however, we will see another super band, the Finnish Stratovarius, who will return to us after nine years,” remarked Patrik Kohut.
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Next to Stratovarius on Saturday in Dolní oblast Vítkovice, for example, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, led by the longtime guitarist of the famous Motörhead, will perform. Fans can also look forward to the Finnish Beast In Black, the French-Irish Molybaron or the exotic Dark Phantom from Iraq.
You can find more information here.
