Metal festival Psycho Las Vegas announced their new headliner, Mastodon, today. The change of lineup is caused by the recent visa troubles some bands faced, ultimately leading them to be unable to attend. The previous headlining slot was occupied by the Norwegian black metal band, Emperor.

The festival is going to be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on August 20-22. With some pre-festival performances days before.

Until now, it wasn’t entirely certain if the band could make it to the festival, as they were petitioning further for a visa to enter the U.S. under the National Interest Exception. This was announced via the festival’s Instagram, stating, “Please understand that it is unlikely that they will be able to achieve this exception, despite our best efforts.” They go on, “At this time, the request has been made by our United States Congressmen and women, and we are just waiting for the final decision from the different European embassies involved in this matter.”

They further explained that no other artist from the Schengen area had received this exception. Today, their statement was prooven right, and the bands are not able to make it. The U.S. has had a pretty strict COVID-19 related traveling policy ever since the pandemic started. Many Europeans are still not allowed to travel into the states without special and urgent reasons, even though Europe has opened up for American travelers.

Fellow Norwegians Mayhem canceled their performance right when the news hit. Since then, the lineup has been updated.

In July, Mastodon performed their first-ever acoustic set via live stream at the Georgia Aquarium. Mxdwn’s Erin Boshers reviewed the event, “Perhaps only Mastodon could so gracefully perform deep tracks in an acoustic style—simultaneously pleasing old fans while welcoming in a handful of new ones.”

Check out the updated flyer below:

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz