Breaking Benjamin frontman Benjamin Burnley has detailed his unconventional travel plans for the band’s highly anticipated return to Europe, revealing that his severe fear of flying will require him to cross the Atlantic by ship.
The upcoming summer tour is scheduled to kick off on Jun 6 at the Rock im Park festival in Germany, marking the band’s first European appearances since 2017. In a new interview with Jesea Lee, Burnley explained that his aversion to aviation forces him to plan his itinerary weeks ahead of his bandmates.
“I’m heading to Europe towards the end of the month. And I don’t fly, so I have to take a boat out there, so I have to leave a week earlier than everybody else,” Benjamin stated (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
The multi-platinum rock musician admitted that spending days on a transatlantic ship is far from an ideal vacation, but it remains the only viable option for him to perform for international audiences.
“Yeah, definitely… And as long and drawn out as the ship is, and as boring as it is, every time I’m, like, ‘Oh, man,’ I just think about flying and I’m, like, ‘Okay, I’m good, actually,'” he explained.
Burnley further opened up about how his personal discomfort with high-speed travel conflicts with the demanding realities of being a touring rock musician.
“Honestly, I don’t like traveling in a… I’m really in the wrong profession. And I don’t like traveling or speed in any way. I don’t like going fast. I certainly don’t like being high… So I’m not that comfortable with [being on a ship] either. It’s just you pick the lesser of the evils, kind of thing,” the singer added.
Despite the vastly different modes of transportation, the band’s management has coordinated the logistics to ensure the entire lineup reunites in time for production rehearsals. However, the ship’s rigid scheduling means Burnley will also have an extended stay in the United Kingdom after the tour concludes.
“Well, they leave a week later, and so we get there at the same time, pretty much,” Burnley said regarding his bandmates. “But I think at the very end they’re all gonna fly home, and it just so happened, the schedule of the ship, that I have to stay a few days later until my ship leaves to come back. I’ll be in London near some cool s**t… So I’ll be in a cool spot of London with stuff to do, and I think my son will be with me.”
The June and July run represents a long-awaited milestone for European fans who have waited nearly a decade for the group’s return.
Breaking Benjamin 2026 European Tour Dates:
- Jun 06, 2026 – Nuremberg, Germany – Rock im Park
- Jun 07, 2026 – Nürburg, Germany – Rock Am Ring
- Jun 09, 2026 – Leipzig, Germany – Felsenkeller Leipzig
- Jun 10 – Jun 14, 2026 – Hradec Kralove, Czechia – Rock for People
- Jun 12 – Jun 13, 2026 – Nickelsdorf, Austria – Nova Rock Festival
- Jun 12 – Jun 14, 2026 – Interlaken, Switzerland – Greenfield Festival (featuring Bad Omens, Papa Roach, President, Bilmuri, The Offspring, and Architects)
- Jun 15, 2026 – Hamburg, Germany – Grosse Freiheit 36
- Jun 16, 2026 – Cologne, Germany – Live Music Hall
- Jun 18 – Jun 19, 2026 – Clisson, France – Hellfest Open Air Festival
- Jun 19, 2026 – Dessel, Belgium – Graspop Metal Meeting
- Jun 22, 2026 – Berlin, Germany – Huxley’s Neue Welt
- Jun 23, 2026 – Warsaw, Poland – Letnia Scena Progresji
- Jun 25, 2026 – Budapest, Hungary – Barba Negra Track
- Jun 27, 2026 – Bucharest, Romania – Arenale Romane
- Jun 29, 2026 – Sofia, Bulgaria – Arena Armeec
- Jun 30, 2026 – Belgrade, Serbia – New Tekstil
- Jul 02, 2026 – Zagreb, Croatia – Culture Factory
- Jul 03, 2026 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
- Jul 05, 2026 – Barcelona, Spain – Barcelona Rock Fest
- Jul 07, 2026 – Paris, France – Bataclan
- Jul 08, 2026 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
- Jul 10, 2026 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute Birmingham
- Jul 11, 2026 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow
- Jul 13, 2026 – Belfast, UK – The Telegraph Building
- Jul 14, 2026 – Dublin, Ireland – National Stadium
- Jul 16, 2026 – Manchester, England – O2 Victoria Warehouse
- Jul 17, 2026 – London, England – O2 Academy Brixton
