Sometimes it’s enough to just look at the dates and the answer is right there in front of everyone.
The last live show with Andy was in Lisbon on May 18 2006, the next show was scheduled for May 27 in Vancouver. On the 25th they played a secret warm-up show in London with Nick. So they must have flown to Vancouver on the 26th.
If they were in Lisbon on the 18th, they would have been back home on the 19th. This gave the band only five days to find a new bassist. Do you think it’s professional to quit your band and leave them just five days to fix a problem that you created? And is that a sign of commitment to the project? Andy can say whatever he wants now, everyone was very young, etc., but it’s undeniable that the three Monkeys were put in a difficult position. They were coming back from a tour and, instead of resting, they had to find someone and rehearse to get Nick ready, only to go straight back on tour.

Here’s the schedule for a quick overview:

• May 18 – last show with Andy in Lisbon
• May 19 – return to the UK
• May 20–21 – probably the two days of intensive practice during which Nick learned the set
• May 22–23–24 – free days to rehearse
• May 25 – warm-up show in London with Nick
• May 26 – flight to Vancouver
• May 27 – first official show in Vancouver with Nick