UFO: American Tour Cancelled

April 16, 2004

UFO's American tour has been officially cancelled.

The following is guitarist Vinnie Moore's statement on the matter:

"Hello everyone, Vinnie here. I am extremely sorry to have to report that the UFO U.S. tour has been postponed. I was just informed that we have run into an immigrations problem that no one in their wildest dreams could have ever anticipated.

"Before going any further though, let me first assure everyone that the European dates are definitely still happening and that we WILL tour America later in the year."

The official press release on the matter follows:

"Dear Purchasers:

"Today, the U.S. Embassy in London refused Phil Mogg, UFO's lead singer, a Work Permit Visa. As you may know, without a Work Permit Visa, no non-American is able to work (i.e. performing a commercial concert) in the United States. This seriously impacts our upcoming U. S. tour (April 22 through May 16, 2004)

"The band members all applied for their Work Permits (as usual) several weeks before the U. S. tour was to begin. Their Work Permits were approved and ISSUED on March 9, 2004 by the Bureau Of Citizenship and Immigration Services, located in the United States. Due to the new immigration and Work Permit laws, it is now also necessary for the applicant to attend a personal interview, in his home country, at the U.S. Embassy. During Phil's interview, today, in London, England, his name turned up in the government computer. The comment was that 'at some time in the past' his finger prints were taken while in the USA. When, where and why was not disclosed.

"It is true, Phil's finger prints were taken in the USA 24 years ago (!!) in Buffalo, New York. The Immigration Authority did not think, at that time, his Visa was adequate so this fingerprinting occurred. His Visa was then reissued, straight away, and everything was in order.

"During the intervening 24 years, Phil has returned to the USA 12 times on Work and Visitors Visas. Unfortunately, the only thing that matters now is that finger prints were taken. Under current immigration law, whether impacted by the war or not, a person having been finger printed promptly ceases the Visa clearance process.

"Finger prints now have to be retaken from Phil. They are sent to the FBI and, according to the information we have been given, only when the FBI gives their approval, will it be possible for Phil to acquire a Work Permit Visa. This procedure, the Embassy advises, can take from 2 to 12 weeks.

"The band is, therefore, forced to postpone its tour until this matter is resolved.

"We all respect that the United States must protect itself. We will, of course, cooperate. We are, however, puzzled and very perplexed at this unhappy last minute surprise.

"We hope, with all our hearts, that you will understand and join with us in the rescheduling process.

"Sincerely,

"Peter Knorn (UFO management)"

(Thanks: Fullshred)

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).