"Unforeseen circumstances" have been cited by both Midnight Oil and INXS as the cause for the cancellation of the Great Australian Bite tour, which was to have hit North America on May 28th in Atlanta.

INXS announced their withdrawal from the package tour, which was to also include Men at Work, on April 13th via a post on their Web site, blaming the pesky unforeseen circumstances and offered an apology to American fans, who haven't seen the band since mid-1997, before the death of singer Michael Hutchence. Last August lagging ticket sales forced the group, with new lead singer Jon Stevens, to cancel a tour of New Zealand.

On April 16th, INXS's official Web site directed fans to Midnight Oil's site, citing them as the source for the cancellation of the tour. "We've withdrawn from the Great Australian Bite tour due to unforeseen circumstances," read a post on Midnight Oil's site. "We are planning to return for a global tour including U.S.A. and Europe, and South America in October and November with different guests."

None of this will stop Men at Work frontman Colin Hay, however. He will release Going Somewhere, his sixth solo album, next Tuesday (April 24th) and begin his own U.S. tour on April 21st in Agoura Hills, California.

ANDREW DANSBY
(April 18, 2001)