Same Curse, Different Decade.
This is a huge bummer, and I say that as someone who had this on the calendar. Hypocrisy’s entire North American run is dead, and the San Diego show I was going to cover for Weapon K Media goes with it.
The band announced Monday that visa issues have forced them off the whole August trek, which was set to open August 10 in Toronto and wrap August 23 in Los Angeles. That kills their support slots on the Dimmu Borgir tour and all four of the intimate headline club dates they booked around it, including the 250-cap Voodoo Room at House of Blues San Diego on August 22. “Due to visa issues beyond our control, we won’t be able to make it to the North American tour,” the statement read. “We’re devastated, and truly sorry. We did everything we could.” Refunds go through original ticket sellers, and every North American date is already gone from the band’s tour page.
Here’s the part that really stings: this is not new for Hypocrisy. They lost a US tour in 2009 when a member’s visa didn’t clear in time, and they got wiped out again in 2013 when the End of Disclosure run collapsed because embassy appointments couldn’t be booked before the dates. Three strikes across seventeen years, same paperwork every time. It’s also bigger than one band. European acts getting strangled by US visa processing is a recurring tax on the whole scene, and the fans are the ones who eat it.
Hypocrisy is a must-see. The Arrival is a record I still spin, and that alien-obsessed spin on death metal is a big part of how I fell into this genre in the first place. Peter Tägtgren’s voice in a 250-cap room was the whole reason I bought the ticket.
The band says they’re not giving up and will “get to you as soon as we can.” I believe they mean it. I also know their track record, and “as soon as we can” has historically meant years. If you had tickets, I’m sorry. You’re out of luck this time.
Here’s hoping the fourth attempt sticks.
Source: Hypocrisy (official statement)