Usually, when a singer gets COVID, that singer's upcoming shows are canceled altogether. That's not what Blues Traveler did over the weekend when John Popper got COVID. The band are currently on tour with fellow '90s alt-rock mainstays Spin Doctors and Gin Blossoms, and so the singers of those bands filled in for Popper at their shows in New Braunfels, Texas on Friday and Thackerville, Oklahoma on Saturday. It was interesting.
Gin Blossoms and Blues Traveler jammed together on Kimmel a few months ago, and the band's Robin Wilson has been joining Gin Blossoms onstage occasionally during the tour, so they do have some experience with each others' songs. And for some more historical context, Popper actually co-founded the band that became Spin Doctors after his departure; he and Spin Doctors' current vocalist Chris Barron have played together since high school. But Barron still needed the assistance of a lyric sheet for Blues Traveler hits like "Run-Around" and "Hook," and he didn't even attempt the motormouth third verse in the latter. (I guess Emma Stone was busy.) They did a few covers, like Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" and ZZ Top's "La Grange," but that's been standard protocol for Blues Traveler on this tour.
Some fans were upset about the awkward ordeal, even though Blues Traveler made announcements on social media beforehand and offered refunds to those interested. One interesting review via TikTok: "Worst concert ever! Well not as bad as Travis Scott in Houston concert." Yikes. See some clips from both shows below.
— Blues Traveler (@blues_traveler) September 6, 2025
