Kings of Leon suspends August tour dates following drummer’s injury

Kings of Leon is putting the band’s tour plans on ice for the rest of August to allow drummer Nathan Followill to recover from a broken rib. The group will, however, go ahead with its scheduled appearance tonight on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” with drummer Questlove from Fallon’s house band, the Roots, filling in for its performance of “Family Tree.”

Followill was injured when the band’s tour bus stopped suddenly to avoid hitting a pedestrian following a show on Saturday outside Boston. “I’m counting down the days until I can get back in the saddle and continue what has been our best American tour so far,” he said in a statement.

His brother, bassist Jared, tweeted on Sunday, “So sad this a.m.. Bus accident last night. Nathan has broken ribs. This was the most fun tour in a while. We’ll be back ASAP.”

Followill’s doctor, Mount Sinai Hospital chief of thoracic surgery Faiz Bhora, said in a statement, “The process is now to rest in order for healing to take place. To avoid complications and to make a full recovery, a break from performing to Aug. 28 is necessary.”

The band hopes to pick up its Mechanical Bull tour as of that date with a concert in Holmdel, N.J. The touring hiatus affects nine shows in New York, Virgina, Ohio, Indiana and New Hampshire. The group hasn’t announced whether those shows are canceled or whether they will be rescheduled.

The tour is slated to reach Southern California for an Oct. 3 date at the Hollywood Bowl.

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