Ex-Valencia Guitarist Felt ‘Left Out’ of the Farewell Show

Last night in Philadelphia, Valencia played their very last show. In attendance were their buddies in Every Avenue and Hit The Lights, as well we Buzznet’s KatieJ, who will have some epic photos for us this weekend.

But their farewell performance was not without drama. Ex-guitarist J.D. Perry released a lengthy statement on why he wasn’t there:

I left Valencia in May. I was unhappy with the the lifestyle, the grind, and where Valencia was at that point in the band’s career. I moved to Atlanta to pursue a new life, but we still kept in touch. All was well.

I first heard from George about the farewell show in August when the band visited Atlanta, but nothing was set in stone yet. Some time had passed, a dear friend made his true mark on the world, and the show was announced shortly thereafter. I did not hear about the show from George or any of the other members, I found out through the Valencia newsletter. I was taken back by not being told beforehand or that I was not invited to play, so I sent an e-mail out to the guys asking to be a part of the show. I requested to play the whole show along with the inclusion of the new guitarist – it would not be a rotating deal, rather all 6 members would be a part of every song. […] They offered me the encore set – 5 songs off of the first Valencia album, This Could Be A Possibility. To close the conversation, he also said that if there were other songs I’m interested in playing to let them know and they’ll see what they can do. I was not entirely happy with their offer of only 5 songs out of a 25 song set. […] I felt like I was being treated like an ex-band member who had been out of the band longer than just 8 months (4 months of touring) and not a friend who is asking to be a part of something bigger than our egos. I no longer wanted to be involved in something where no one wanted me to be there.

Read the full statement here.

What are your thoughts? Does a band member who voluntarily quit the band have a place in the band’s last show? Do you think all this is something the fans needed to know?

Discuss.