The taxman roadkills the Bunnymen

Here's a new one. Echo & the Bunnymen canceled their eight-show U.S. tour (all East Coast except for Chicago) because they couldn't get out from underneath the IRS requirement that promoters withhold a chunk of their income in lieu of taxes. (The band's album "The Fountain" comes out tomorrow.) Read on, from the band's PR peeps:

Echo & the Bunnymen are saddened and extremely disappointed to have to announce the cancellation of their upcoming US tour dates.  The band planned the performances in conjunction with the US release of their new album The Fountain, out November 10th.  The cancellation of the tour is due to the rejection of the band's Central Withholding Agreement (CWA) by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The rejection was unexpected as the Echo & the Bunnymen team submitted the necessary paperwork in due time and in accordance with the process that had been followed on previous tours. Additionally, the IRS offered no reasoning for the rejection and was unresponsive to our inquiries. This CWA allows for foreign entertainers to be paid in full, otherwise promoters are legally obliged to withhold a minimum of 30 percent in lieu of tax which ultimately will not allow for a tour to happen at this time.

Comments

[Bubba]

Are you sure ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN wasn't penciled in to play HERE in town? Because their pulling out would FIT right into 2009 in Kansas City. ECHO hasn't actually played here since (believe it was) Memorial Hall in early 1988. Great 'live' band though. Saw them on a late night TV show last week and glad to see IAN is staying back with the band.