Blues Traveler [ tickets ] announced that it will not play the New Year's Eve show at the Reno Hilton in Reno, Nev., but that John Popper [ tickets ] Band, led by the Blues Traveler frontman, will play a pair of shows at the Hilton that night. The band also confirmed that it will continue despite the recent death of founding bassist Bobby Sheehan.

In a statement issued Wednesday (10/6), Blues Travelers' surviving members said that they decided at a Sept. 11 meeting to carry on without Sheehan. Sheehan died of undisclosed causes in New Orleans on Aug. 20.

``We thought it would be useless to compound the tragedy by letting something we all, including Bobby, worked so hard for to fall apart,'' guitarist Chan Kinchla said in the statement.

According to the press release, Blues Traveler will reconvene next year to begin work on the band's sixth studio recording.

In related news, Blues Traveler frontman John Popper has decided to do an about-face and play two shows he had previously cancelled due to health concerns. A Las Vegas performance will go on as originally scheduled at the Drink on Oct. 17. A cancelled Denver appearance at The Fillmore has been rescheduled for Nov. 10 at the Fox Theater.

Popper is also scheduled to appear on ''Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher'' on Oct. 18 and on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' on Oct. 19.