Ivan Moody, lead singer for platinum-selling hard rock band Five Finger Death Punch, is not just headlining at Cheyenne Frontier Days on July 21. He has officially moved to Wyoming, and he’s opening two Cheyenne businesses with just a little bit of fanfare.
A big party is planned from 1-5 p.m. July 15 at 901 W. Pershing Blvd. in Cheyenne to celebrate the opening of Moody’s Rock Stop, a Rock & Roll-themed gas station and convenience store; and Ciara Coral, an outpatient facility that will focus on personalized treatment plans for people who want to recover from addiction and mental health disorders.
The latter is located at 433 E. 19th St. #2.
The party, meanwhile, is at the Rock & Roll fuel stop and will feature live music, food trucks and free tickets to see Five Finger Death Punch on stage at CFD.
“I would like to use this opportunity/grand opening to introduce myself to my newfound family — the city of Cheyenne,” Moody said in a press release. “Both of these new ventures mean so much to me, and I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone!”
CFD Concert Will Go On
Moody is recovering from complications after hernia surgery and, as a result, had to cancel several tour dates recently in Europe.
However, Moody’s press manager Dominic Syracuse told Cowboy State Daily that Moody is still planning to appear in the Cheyenne Frontier Days concert.
“Ivan is recovering from hernia surgery, so we are withholding interviews at the moment,” he told Cowboy State Daily in an email. “However, he is going to be at 100% for his concert at Cheyenne Frontier Days, on which date he will also be receiving a key to the city from the mayor.”
Cheyenne Frontier Days ticket sales also confirmed tickets for the show are on sale with no advisements of any plans to cancel.
Not Quitting The Band, Either
Moody shocked fans — and perhaps his bandmates as well — with an announcement in late 2022 that he was planning to quit the band during an Oct. 14 show in Denver.
In a fan-recorded video, Moody tells the crowd that he’s toured the world in the past 15 years, and seen every country and every city on the planet at least twice.
But what he hasn’t seen as much of as he’d like are his children.
“So I made them a deal today, and I’m going to stick to it,” he said in impromptu remarks on the stage. “After this year, I am going to make one more Five Finger Death Punch album, and then I am retiring from heavy metal.”
But, Moody, added, he’d want to play Red Rocks just one more time, he told the two children sitting next to him.
“Can I play Red Rocks one more time?” He asked them. “I owe you everything, Colorado, Five Finger Death Punch and every knucklehead on this planet, thank you.”
Too Hasty
However, it seems that Moody had a little quitter’s remorse a few days later and changed his mind.
“I really sat back the last few days and took it all in,” he said in a videotaped statement. “And I first off, want to apologize. I do. I apologize. I apologize because music’s all I’ve got and I don’t think — for one, my kids would respect me in the long run if I quit doing what got me here. I don’t think my friends would talk to me. Obviously, they didn’t text me, not the ones I was hoping for.”
His bandmates, too, deserved better, Moody added.
“Zoltan (Bathory, FDP guitarist) deserves my heart and has earned my respect time and time again,” he said. “He may as well be my blood. You deserve the best, there is no question about that.”
Moody continued in the statement to say he just didn’t have the heart to quit the music.
“I can’t quit,” he said. “I can’t. I’m not. To be quite honest with you, I think I’d die. Maybe not physically die, but my soul would f***ing definitely fade, and I didn’t come here for that. There is a f***ing fire inside of me that will never go out. Music and heavy metal are all I’ve ever had, all I’ve ever known.
“I was designed by it. When all the rest of the world kept betting against me — underdog, day after day — I found solace and sanctuary in bands like Metallica and Pantera, Alice In Chains, Danzig. The list goes on.”
So, Moody said, he’s not going anywhere.
“I’m not. Maybe I was a little bit impulsive,” he said. “I hope you all will forgive me.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
