Echo & The Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch has scrubbed a short U.S. solo tour planned for late March — which was to have featured just six concerts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York — although his management told at least one of the clubs that the dates could be rescheduled for May.
The dates, running March 20 through 31, were intended to promote McCulloch’s new fan-funded solo album Pro Patria Mori, the singer’s the first since 2003′s Slideling and his fourth overall. The album, which McCulloch is funding via Pledge Music, is expected out in March.
A statement by McCulloch’s management to Bimbo’s 365 Club reads: “Unfortunately, Ian McCulloch has to postpone this show. We apologize for any inconvenience. All tickets will be refunded at your point of purchase. We are looking to re-schedule the shows for May.”
It’s not known why the shows were canceled, but it’s not the first time in recent years that American fans have experienced canceled shows. In late 2009, the Bunnymen scrapped a U.S. tour after IRS troubles made the concerts financially unfeasible.
Ian McCulloch tour dates:
March 20: Bimbo’s 365 Club, San Francisco, CA
March 23: Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
March 24: Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
March 27: Schuba’s, Chicago, IL
March 28: Schuba’s, Chicago, IL
March 31: Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS:
- Echo & The Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant records ‘Things Inside’ instrumental album
- Echo & The Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch adds New York, Los Angeles concerts to U.S. tour
- Ian McCulloch releasing new solo, live CDs — and playing U.S. concerts in March
- Free MP3s: Echo & The Bunnymen, ‘Pride’ and ‘Show of Strength’ — off ‘Do It Clean’ live CD
- Ian McCulloch is 52 today; watch full Echo & The Bunnymen show from 1984
- Echo & The Bunnymen to perform 1984’s ‘Ocean Rain’ on U.K. tour in September
- Echo & The Bunnymen unveil North American ‘Crocodiles,’ ‘Heaven Up Here’ dates
If you’re playing that few shows (technically they’re playing 4 venues and doing an extra night at those 2), why do a tour at all?
Echo & the Bunnymen completely overdid it with the touring the past few years. How many times can you bring the old fans out with all the old songs. Nostalgia gets old pretty quickly.
I think every fan… or recovering fan these days knows why he cancelled. People have lost faith in Mac. The last NY shows he played were full of screw ups and bombast and that was when he actually showed up relatively close to the show’s advertised time… I watched him insult fans, mumble lyrics, re-start songs several times and basically sounding like crap– who would want to see that again? Even the Bunnymen gigs are starting to suffer with his foolish behavior. Buy the album, I will, but see him live… live shows should be something you look forward to, not dread.
It was probably poor ticket sales, I saw their crocodiles/heaven up here tour in LA, I was kinda bored,saw their Ocean Rain tour too which was great, I would have loved to hear stuff off candleland, other then that I’m not interested in hearing killing moon,seven seas,etc, if pete and les were still with the band it’d be awesome, I know Pete’s involvement is impossible, but if they would have gotten someone to replace him after he passed and stuck with him it would have worked, but every time I see the bunnymen they have a new members, that’s not a band to me, it’s sucks cause everybody does it now,.
I have seen the Bunnymen 4 times now live and have been disapointed each and every time. Shame on me mayhaps, but they are still my favorite band. On the other hand I saw Mac alone in a very small intimate club during the Slidling tour-I was bown away (though he did forget his lyrics once or twice which can be overlooked with so many years between solo records). I would highly recomend this, as opposed to another Bunnymen retread.CHEERS!