The classic lineup of California metallers AS I LAY DYING — Tim Lambesis on lead vocals, Jordan Mancino on drums, Phil Sgrosso on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Nick Hipa on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Josh Gilbert on bass and clean vocals — played its first first comeback show on June 16 at Soma Sidestage in San Diego, California. An official video recap of the concert can be seen below. The band said in a statement: "We are thankful for an environment of love and positivity within and around our renewed relationships. To the family, friends, crew, and fans in attendance at our recent San Diego show, we would like to express our deepest sense of gratitude for making the evening such a meaningful experience." The $10 tickets to AS I LAY DYING's first live appearance since 2013 at the 300-capacity Soma Sidestage reportedly sold out in four minutes. It was said to be the band's decision to play on a smaller stage rather than the 2,000-capacity mainstage. Last month, AS I LAY DYING released a new song called "My Own Grave", which marked the first fresh music from the band since it issued its sixth album, "Awakened", back in September 2012. In May 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to paying a San Diego police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife. Approximately two and a half years later — on December 17, 2016 — he was discharged from a California detention facility and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations. Last December, Lambesis released a statement in which he apologized to his former wife and children for his "appalling actions." He also accepted responsibility for being "the sole offender and the only one to blame for everything that happened." The return of AS I LAY DYING raised some questions, particularly since Hipa categorically denounced the band's disgraced frontman as a "sociopathic narcissist in definite need of rehabilitation" in a social-media post back in 2014. Lambesis was arrested in May 2013 after handing a "hitman" — really an undercover police officer — $1,000 in cash, along with his wife's address and gate security codes. Prior to the murder plot, his wife had asked a San Diego Superior Court to dissolve their marriage. The day of the Soma Sidestage concert, the five members of AS I LAY DYING released a half-hour video in which they discussed the return of their classic lineup, including how they reconnected and repaired their personal relationships following Lambesis's release from prison.
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