Do Not Panic? Hawkwind Cancels American Tour
By Casey Moffitt in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 21, 2014 11:00PM
It was about a year ago when Hawkwind fans in the U.S. and Canada heard the band was booking its first American tour in nearly 20 years. Now, after a few trials and tribulations, their hopes of seeing the pioneering prog/space rock act in person have been dashed as the band announced the cancellation of the tour late yesterday.
According to a statement on the band's Facebook page, Hawkwind cites financial reasons for canceling the tour, which was to include a Chicago stop at the Logan Square Auditorium on March 7. The statement outlines a financial situation that would have left Hawkwind without any cash on hand when they arrived in the Unites States from Great Britain. The band claims they typically receive a deposit from ticket sales before embarking on the tour anywhere else in the world to cover traveling and accommodation expenses. However, the band was to see no such deposit from the U.S. and Canadian shows and the money needed to make the journey could not be raised by the band itself.
The statement also conveys the band's disappointment in making the decision to cancel the tour. According to their statement:
To have abandoned the possibility of doing these shows months ago would have seemed like giving up without a fight and we wanted to make sure that we left no stone unturned in our endeavours to make these shows happen, which was, in fact, all of our goals and all of our dreams. This huge effort to bring the show to our North American fans has become all encompassing and over the last year has affected not only our lives, but those of our friends and families and has undermined our creativity in that period.
Hawkwind was originally scheduled to perform at the Logan Square Auditorium in October. At that time, the band cited the declining health of frontman Dave Brock leading to a postponement of the tour. Brock cited "stress-related illness" at the time, as former Hawkwind member and co-founder Nik Turner was trying to register the Hawkwind name in the United States. Turner played at Reggie's Rock Club in October using the moniker "Nik Turner's Hawkwind," and it was pretty cool.
If there is any flicker of hope left in Chicago Hawkwind fans to actually see the band perform in the city, it must be dying quickly. Not only have they been waiting for more than 20 years to see the band, but this latest saga has been particularly trying. Brock is now 72-years-old, and given the aggravation this latest attempt has been, it seems highly unlikely Hawkwind will even attempt to book an American tour again. It's such a drag.
Those who purchased tickets for the Logan Square Auditorium show online will be automatically reimbursed.