Live Venues getting slim.

Spiritualized, I've just got a note that Auktyon had their visa request denied! They've been touring US almost every year and had Medecki, Martin and Wood joined their performances. There was several venue events scheduled accross few US large cities New York, Chicago, Philadelphia.

Before this happened, I only thought that it's just a gossip about artists facing difficulties getting a visa.
Why the performing artists visas are being limited? Is our government now controlling illegal immigration of artists not returning back? If that's true I feel terrible especially knowing the fact that I'm paying taxes for these dumb immigration reforms.

Check this out...

http://www.auktyon.com/

Strange, It's been slight problem after attacks, but year later there was plenty of great seasons for foreign performing artists. Surely can't count on fingers how many I've listened live between 9/11/2001 and now. All of these years followed UK bands King Crimson, UK(Allan Holdsworth, Edie Jobson), Peter Hammill(Van Der Graaf Generator); musicians and bands from Northern Europe, India, Middle East, Latin America. I was averaging to 4...5 venue visits per year...
2011 is the WORST where I only went once to listen to performance of Nadja Palermo-Sonenberg(prima violin) Four Seasons by Astor Piazzolla(a unique tango interpretation of Vivaldi's Four Seasons).

Right now even domestic/Canadian non-hip-hop artists are spending more time touring Europe.

Being non-US origin US Citizen and knowing of lots of GREAT musicians of US such as Pat Metheny, Tom Waits, Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Lounge Lizards(John Lurie), Steely Dan, I would say that once we had a great musical taste! I still can't get enough of these great mentioned US musicians and still continue listening them with passion.