I'm sure Progpower USA is right up there on Obama's list of things to do for the USA, right next to how to deal with Health Care.
Dude, you obviously didn't read the article Glenn provided in his first post. This issue goes way beyond ProgPower. Here's an excerpt from the article:
An Israeli choreographer living in France, Emmanuel Gat almost missed his Boston performance this past March because, after successfully completing the paperwork, the US consulate refused to give him his visa, which requires
two stamp-less pages on the applicants passport. He didnt have two free pages, and frantically sent away for a new passport from Israel, received it, got a new appointment, jumped on a plane, and landed at Logan a breathless two hours before his first performance.
Local venues are not amused by this type of customs daredevilry, as they have a serious financial stake in the ability of the scheduled bands to make their shows. Randi Millman has been booking manager for T.T. the Bears Place in Cambridge for more than 10 years, and says that, in the past year or two, visa troubles have plagued bands more and more, so much so that she now gets nervous when international acts book her club. I dont want to not book stuff from England, Scotland, Sweden, but Ive been hesitating, she says. I really stress that they need their immigration in place.
When a band cancels a show because of last-minute visa issues, were essentially screwed, says Millman. All the money she has spent on promotion, advertisements in newspaper and radio, might as well have been set on fire. And 10 times out of 10, she says, you know that night is going to be a train wreck, so youve lost money that way . . . I have to pull something out of my ass at the last minute, and theres never enough time to promote it, and its never good.
Steve Ferguson, agent for the View, has been forced to cancel two of their tours at the last minute, a call which was not easy to make.
It effects dozens of people, he says. Its kind of like a domino effect. Everybody suffers.
In many ways, the long list of bands with canceled or postponed tours acts as a scarecrow for the USCIS, warning would-be applicants to fill out forms properly and in a timely manner. But on a grander scope, the ever-lengthening list of musicians with visa troubles are not the effects but the causes of a larger, far more detrimental issue, which is that an increasing number of foreign artists are starting to see the American music scene as something to be avoided.
And it isn't just in the entertainment industry. I read an article the last time VP was forced to cancel, that said US companies lost over 9 billion due to visa problems preventing foreigners from coming over here to do business - temporarily, not permanently. I've tried Googling for the article, but haven't found it yet.
I'm looking forward to the Crimson Glory set as well. 
God DAMN it. See? You try to do the right thing and you get screwed. I would love to know the reasons behind not giving these particular bands visas. So many bands get visas, why not these four? Motherf**ker!!!
