The North American heavy metal touring circuit has suffered yet another blow.
This time, legendary groove metal titans Machine Head have been forced to cancel their upcoming US dates due to visa restrictions. This is just the latest development in what seems to be a never ending string of disappointments for live music fans in America.
The band broke the news to their fans in a lengthy Instagram post. True to their style, the statement goes into depth about the circumstances surrounding the cancellation and the overarching impact it will have on their road crew and fans.
Read the full statement below:
“Head Cases of America, it is with great regret that we must inform you that due to reasons entirely beyond our control, we’re forced to cancel our upcoming Electric Happy Hour (Live) tour due to work visa issues.
As you may know, half the band, as well as a handful of key crew members, reside outside of the US, and while the work visa process can often be quite lengthy, costly and complicated, in the past we were able quickly apply and be granted the needed documents. The same process we’ve been using forever and most recently with both the pre-Covid ‘Burn My Eyes 25th Anniversary Tour’ and last year’s sold-out Electric Happy Hour Tour dates, this was the last thing on our collective minds.
Unfortunately, that is not the case this time around and it is with immense frustration that we bring you this news.
It must be said, that the post-Covid touring world has complicated this process tenfold and unfortunately, we are feeling the effects of it.
Preparations for a tour like this takes an enormous amount of work by the agents, tour manager, merchandise printers, ourselves, VIP organizers, and our crew to coordinate. Tens of thousands of dollars have already been spent which we may or may not get back and, most importantly, ticket buyers have made plans and our crew relies on the jobs that the tour provides. It is a staggering blow to us and our team. We wanted nothing more than to pick up where we left off at the end of 2022 with so many shows still fresh in our minds! That was an incredible run and saying we were itching to get back out is a total understatement.
Our plan is to keep moving forward, starting with a clean slate we begin the process of scheduling dates for the beginning of next year.
To be clear, we are not postponing the tour. Postponing would mean that you hold on to your tickets until we can reschedule. We know how hard it’s been financially these last few years, so we are choosing to cancel the tour. Canceling allows you to get full refunds for both tickets and VIP packages at the point of purchase.
Thank you, Head Cases, for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.”
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