Hank Von Hell Postpones North American Tour
Well, this is an absolutely massive bummer: former Turbonegro frontman Hank Von Hell has been forced to postpone his MetalSucks-sponsored North American tour, which was set to kick off next week. The culprit? Not the usual visa problems that often plague European bands attempting to tour the States, but an issue stemming from an incident in the ’90s, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s inability to grant a waiver (as they have done without problem for Hank in the past) due to the current government shutdown. Thanks, Trump!
The silver lining is that Hank von Hell has vowed to record and release a new EP just for U.S. fans to make up for the headache. Expect that to come in May.
First, a statement from Hank’s management:
“We are very sad to announce that the North American tour for Hank has to be postponed (not cancelled) until later this year.
“This is due to an issue/fine that occurred back in the ’90s, and the same issue has previously been no problem to solve when he received a working visa in 2003, for example.
“The reason the visa is now being delayed is because the same waiver that was needed back then, from Homeland Security, is now all the sudden taking way longer than expected.
“We are extremely thankful for the help and assistance from the U.S Embassy in Oslo, which has been invaluable for the production.
“We have been told that this is due to the ongoing government shutdown and we cannot get a straight answer on an exact day this will go through. Hence why we are forced to postpone this tour until later this upcoming summer 2019.
“Thank you for your support and understanding in this.
“More info will follow,
Management”
And now a message from Hank himself:
“I am so sorry this delay has happened, guys. Everybody was ready to go (band visas are all cleared, best setlist ever in place and rehearsed) then this shit happens.
“Look, it’s no secret that I’ve got a troublesome past. Back in ’90s, I got busted for stuff related to my previous bad habits and during a very dark period of my life. This was not an issue in 2003 when I got a working visa, and not in 2015 when I went to the States, but apparently now it is.
“Here’s what I’m gonna do now, to make up for this in at least some way: I’ve called up the producer of Egomania and the label, and I’m entering the studio right now to record an EP that I will release exclusively in the U.S first, in late May.
“I’ll also make sure this EP drops on vinyl that’s exclusive for North America. All my profit will be donated to non-profit organizations in the U.S. dedicated to training dogs helping veterans with PTSD.
“Again, so terribly sorry for this. We’ve been chasing this visa until the very last minute.
“I’ve also asked the booking agent to extend the tour with more dates so hopefully that’s makes it a bit better as well. I wanna see all of you, trust me.
“New dates for each show and then some will be announced shortly,
“Hang tight,
I love you all,
Hank”
We will, of course, keep you posted when the rescheduled dates are announced.
