Al Barr of the Dropkick Murphys has announced that he will not be playing with the band on their upcoming American and European tours. He will be sitting out the dates to look after his mother who was recently diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Ken Casey will cover his vocals on the tour and Jesse Ahern and Mikey Rivkees from The Rumjacks and Jen Razavi from The Bombpops will also provide vocals. The band released a statement that reads in part,

"Hello everyone -

We've been hard at work rehearsing for the first St. Patrick's Day Tour in THREE YEARS.

This morning, we have very sad news to tell you. Over the last few months, Al's Mother, Ingrid, has suffered a series of strokes. She has also been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Al, his sister and wife have been caring for Ingrid round the clock for months. Please join all of us in holding Ingrid in your prayers.

Dropkick Murphys have always been about FAMILY. And in the spirit of FAMILY FIRST, Al has had to make the very difficult decision to stay home for the rest of the year to care for his Mom, so he will not be with us on the upcoming tour or in Europe this summer. We appreciate your compassion for Al's family, and we know as part of our family you will understand and support us in dealing with these difficult times.

THE SHOW WILL GO ON with Ken covering most of Al’s parts…along with some special guests like Jesse Ahern, Mikey Rivkees from the Rumjacks and Jen Razavi from Bombpops joining us on vocals as well. Al will be cheering us on from home - and we will see each and every one of you starting next Monday when the tour kicks off in Reading, PA !!

Dropkick Murphys released Turn Up That Dial in 2021. See the post in full below.