Las Vegas Weekly

December 23, 2008 · 2:02 PM

Travis Barker and DJ AM reunite at LAX for their first post-crash show in Vegas

By Sarah Feldberg

DJ AM and Barker at LAX on June 18.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Three and a half months after DJ AM and drummer Travis Barker were severely injured in a plane crash in South Carolina, the friends will reunite on Wednesday, January 7 for a live performance at LAX.

The show, which will pair Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein’s talents on the turntables with Barker playing off his rhythms on a full drum set, is more than a gig between two young musical impresarios, it is a celebration of survival.

As reported on LasVegasWeekly.com, Barker and Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein” were injured on September 19 after a concert in South Carolina when the Learjet that was to transport them to Los Angeles crashed during takeoff. Four people were killed in the crash, including two pilots, Barker’s assistant and another passenger. AM and Barker escaped from the small plane, but sustained serious injuries and were taken by helicopter and ambulance to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia to be treated for second and third-degree burns.

A month after the accident, DJ AM, who was burned on his hands and the right side of head, made a triumphant return to LAX, where he is both the resident DJ and a partner. Not only a reward for the fans that had filled the club to see him, the October 22 gig was a treat for AM himself, who took over the DJ booth with a huge smile.

But as AM was resuming his regular schedule, Barker was just being released from an LA burn center. The former Blink 182 drummer suffered severe burns on his lower body and underwent multiple surgeries to treat his injuries.

On January 7 when both men take the stage at LAX, the performance will be part concert, part historical event. It will mark the first Las Vegas reunion for two musicians who faced a near-death experience together and their first collaborative show since June 2008 when they teamed up for a night at LAX.

The two musicians will likely play facing each other – survivor to survivor – for a performance that almost didn’t happen.

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