Velvet Revolver: Australian tour cancelled

Velvet Revolver has officially canceled its five-date Australian tour, which was scheduled to begin on Friday (February 15th) and had already been postponed once. According to Undercover News, the promoter issued a statement which read in part, "The cancellation of these shows will allow lead singer Scott Weiland to continue treatment at a rehab facility which he voluntarily entered after the band's February 6th performance in Los Angeles. Velvet Revolver deeply apologize to their fans in Australia and thank them for sticking by the group when various members have relapsed during the last year and a half."

The statement adds that Velvet Revolver is still scheduled to perform at the Dubai Desert Rock Fest in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on March 8th, to be followed by a two-week U.K. trek slated to begin on March 15th.

Weiland entered rehab last week after a tumultuous three-month period that saw him arrested on November 21st, 2007 for driving under the influence of drugs. Last month he failed to show up for a Velvet Revolver show at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

The November arrest contributed to the original postponement of the Australian tour, which was first scheduled for December.

Weiland has been arrested several times over the years for drug-related charges. He had also spent considerable time in rehab before staying clean for most of the last four years.

Velvet Revolver is tentatively planning to work on its third album later this year, while Weiland has also revealed that a reunion with his old band, Stone Temple Pilots, is in the works.