Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon says he made "a big mistake" by waiting too long to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
A month ago, the band announced it was postponing some shows after Hannon tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. At the time, Hannon wrote in a social media post that he “wasn’t able to move all week.” He also revealed that he woke up with a fever of 39 degrees and “could barely breathe” on the day Tesla was scheduled to leave for the tour.
In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock , Hannon spoke about his battle with Covid-19, saying: “I waited a long time to get the vaccine. I’ll be honest, I heard a lot of opinions that weren’t qualified. That’s a big mistake that’s happening in the world today. I paid the price for it. I ended up waiting too long, too close to the tour, close to when we were supposed to leave, and I got sick.”
Hannon urged others to take the coronavirus seriously and to get vaccinated.
“[My wife and I are] fully vaccinated now and this is real, man. This shit is no joke,” he said. “We just lost three more friends. You know, you either make it or you don’t. It’s a really bad thing that we need to come together and get rid of.”
Tesla performed the first two shows of their 2021 summer tour, August 5th in Grants Pass, Oregon and August 6th in Grand Ronde, Oregon, without Frank Hannon. In his place was Howie Simon ( Jeff Scott Soto, Graham Bonnet, Stryper ), who previously filled in for the artist in September 2018.
At the end of last month, Tesla released the official music video for his new single, “Cold Blue Steel.” The video was directed by Brandon Gullion and produced by Frank Hannon .
Tesla's latest album, Shock , was released in March 2019 by UMe . The follow-up, Simplicity , from 2014, was produced by Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen .
READ ALSO: Bruce Dickinson defends the importance of vaccination: "COVID-19 can cause erectile dysfunction"
