DAVE SUZUKI Joins VITAL REMAINS On Stage For The First Time In Eight Years; Video

Last weekend, former member Dave Suzuki (1995-2009) joined Vital Remains on stage to play “Dechristianze” at Firehouse 13 in Providence, RI. Video footage of the performance can be seen here.  

Says the band: “After a tour that could only be called unforgettable to say the least, this was an amazing way to end it on a high note. From Frank Watkins passing away the first week, to being ejected from the club for fans moshing, to having a uniformed police officer join us on stage and subsequently being fired for it, now having Dave play “Dechristianize” just makes this tour go down in the bands history for sure.”

Orlando Sentinel recently reported that police officer Andrew Ricks ended his career in Sanford by taking the stage last week and singing “Let the Killing Begin” in full uniform while backed up by Vital Remains.

Ricks already had notified the city of his intention to resign effective Friday, but Police Chief Cecil B. Smith relieved him of his duties Wednesday morning, records show.

“An incident of this nature erodes the thin fibers of trust which already exist between the community and the police and it will not tolerated within the Sanford Police Department,” Smith said in a statement released Thursday.

Ricks was on duty when he sang at the West End Trading Co., a venue on the shore of Lake Monroe in Sanford, according to police.

Someone in the audience sent a video of Ricks’ performance to the police department late Tuesday. A YouTube video shows him hanging out with the band and throwing a “rock-on” hand gesture to the audience before singing.

More at Orlando Sentinel.