Wormrot haven’t exactly had the easiest time when it comes to touring North America. Last spring the band were forced to cancel a planned U.S. tour due to changes in border policy brought in by the Trump administration. For their latest U.S. tour, which is due to kickoff tomorrow, May 24th, in Brooklyn, NY, the band are facing a new assortment of challenges, among them their luggage and gear not arriving in the country and their traveling companion Amir being detained and sent back to the band’s native Singapore.
The group’s manager Azean detailed the situation via a series of posts made on their social media:
“ANNOUNCEMENT (3pm): The boys are already on the way to US but without guitar, clothes, toiletries, some merch and some drum equipments. A friend of ours, Amir, who is travelling with them had been denied entry all because the luggages were checked in under his name by Etihad counter in Singapore and he was deemed suspicious by the US custom in trying to go into US to make money or work for the band when he is on tourist visa.
I have settled the issues and Amir will be on the next available flight back to Singapore with no cost incurred but the luggages and equipments will be traveling back to Singapore with him. That is the biggest issue now as now the boys do not have anything with them and there’s no way Etihad can send the luggages to US. I am so utterly disappointed with Etihad right now.
It is so traumatising for Amir to be treated like a criminal at the airport and it was so troublesome for me to spend hours communicating back and forth with Etihad, Amir, the travel agency as well as updating the tour manager on top of handling my little toddler who requires a lot of attention from me. I cannot even imagine how the boys will manage without clothes, main equipments and lesser merch means lesser income to support them for the tour. – Azean (Band Manager)
UPDATE (4pm): Etihad just contacted me to inform that they are trying their best to arrange for the boys’ luggages to reach NY by 25 May. Hoping for the best.
UPDATE (7pm): No news with regards to the arrangements of the luggages able to be sent to New York. Good news is, 5th luggage was identified as guitar which was under Rasyid’s name so guitar went through with Rasyid. However, guitar pedals, drum pedals, drumsticks, CDs, patches and clothes/toiletries were in the rest of the luggages still stuck in Abu Dhabi.
UPDATE (8pm): Tried to call the Etihad duty manager in Singapore airport office but didn’t answer. Amir is still stuck in Abu Dhabi with no updates of his flight details from Abu Dhabi office. Still no news of the baggages. Managed to get him….And now, the airline said that Amir had to buy his return air ticket back to SG and the baggages are still stuck at Abu Dhabi which they have to file for report upon arrival at JFK airport. I’m loss for words.
UPDATE (11pm): Singapore Embassy finally stepped in to help Amir out. The rest of the boys touched down JKF already. So now it’s just Amir who is still in Abu Dhabi.
“FINAL UPDATE (12am): After 15 hours of phonecalls, emails, etc, Amir will be flying back to SG without having to pay anything with the help of an awesome dude from Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Singapore (Thank you so much!). And also thanks to Syed Khalid Alsagoff (Duty Manager of Etihad Singapore) for speed arranging the boys’ luggages to be shipped to US. Finally, tour begins.”
Dates for the North American tour include:
05/24 Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus
05/25 Syracuse, NY – Spark
05/26 Providence, RI – AS220
05/27 Baltimore MD – Maryland Deathfest
05/29 Pittsburgh, PA – Black Forge Coffee house
05/30 Chicago, IL – Reggies
05/31 Detroit, MI – Sanctuary
06/01 Ithaca, NY – The Haunt
06/02 Montreal, QC – Earslaughter Fest
06/03 Montclair, NJ – Meatlocker
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