I'll be surprised if there aren't more gigs announced for Britain and West Europe (and maybe even Aus/NZ and Japan - Russia is waaay off the table)

They are scheduled to play BIG venues in the US and I hope for their sake that ticket sales are strong. Back in 2001 I was at the Philly/Camden show and it was far from a sell out. This time they're booked for the Wells Fargo Center which is even a bigger venue. They will definitely sell tickets (they won't be cheap), but getting to 14,000 or so will be an uphill climb IMHO. We'll see what happens...

Given BF's seemingly hard line on "No More Roxy Music Gigs" ever since the brief 2011 FYP tour, it is a bit surprising that they are going out on the road for at least 13 gigs. So what changed? If I had to guess, I'd say that BF's inability to perform live over the past two years (thanks to Covid) has put him in a bit of a financial squeeze (and not just for him, but for musicians of all types and generations) and a Roxy tour will bring in revenue at a level that his solo gigs can't attain. Not a criticism, just an observation.

DC

I think you might be reading to much into it DCJ. It is the 50th anniversary after all and would serve well as a farewell. Bryan is nearly 77, and his voice seems to fade by the day. Andy has had health issues which have affected his playing, as has Paul. At Bryan's age he could simply retire. As for making more money than solo tours, IIRC Bryan, Andy & Phil have an equal 3 way split and everyone else is paid as session players. So although any income will be welcome, not essential.

Was thrilled to see the news today. Will be at NYC and Boston shows for sure and then maybe Chicago as well. Will be interesting to see if/how any of the work Ferry is doing with Phil and/or Johnny Marr will factor into the shows. I suspect little if any, and more likely a greatest hits setlist vs. anything new or deeper cuts. However it is interesting that whatever BF is working on(other than recent EP) MAY come out near a series of tour dates. Will manage my expectations given their age, but still I have never seen another band rival a Roxy live performance, so very excited. Only drawback is that the venues are all 20k seat Hockey/Basketball arenas where sound quality is always subpar. Sound mixers will have to earn their pay to insure BF voice is not lost in these big barns.

Perhaps you're right Alan, but I'm not inclined to agree.

Yes, the revenue from from a Roxy tour has to be split three ways (BF, PM, AM - but not so much TGPT because his legal relationship to Roxy ownership was essentially ended when he left the band in 1980) but the scale of the concert venues is much greater than what BF can attain in solo gigs and this is why a Roxy tour is so much more lucrative for the principal parties.

For the last decade BF has been in "Roxy Denial" whenever the notion of a reunion has been floated. At the Rock Roll Hall of Fame induction of Roxy back in 2019 he barely engaged with the other members of the band and made a point of down-playing any notion of a possible reunion tour. He had his band and he was doing his thing in terms of live concerts/tours. Case closed.

Maybe the Roxy tour has nothing to do with the constraints brought by the Covid pandemic. Maybe its all about the 50th anniversary and nothing more. But I'm inclined to think otherwise.

That said, I think it's great that Roxy with TGPT are going out on the road. Good for them!!!

I agree with cpl5938 that the size of the venues are not well suited to BF's "mature" voice. The sound engineer will have to exhibit considerable skill in getting BF's vocals to successfully reach the people in the back of the house...

In terms of the instrumental sound I have no doubt but that the band will sound great. Getting the vocals to work within the mix will be the tricky part...

This has got me thinking.... Johnny Marr is also touring the US at the same time as Roxy so there's no way he'll be able to join any of their gigs over there. But I have noticed that the last gig for JM is on 8th October so he could do a guest appearance for the UK Roxy shows.
I know Johnny Marr is supporting Blondie in April/May and Roxy have yet to announce their support so putting all the pieces together.....

I'd better stop I'm getting too excited and I'm probably miles off the mark

It's interesting how many of the articles I've read on this reunion focuses on Brian Eno's presumed absence. By tenure alone, Eddie Jobson is the bigger omission, but I understand Eno brings the clicks.

Who do you all speculate will be the cast of characters Ferry will bring together as the support band for this?

Colin Good back as "band leader" and keys?
Chris Spedding on rhythm guitar?
Jorja Chalmers as secondary sax and synth?
Fonzi Thornton on backing vocals?

As others have mentioned, I'm surprised by the choice of venues. Roxy Music's 2001 reunion tour in Los Angeles was at the Greek Theater for 2 nights [capacity 5,900]. Their 2022 venue is the Forum capacity 17,500. Even for a city the size of Los Angeles that's ambitious for a 50-year-old nostalgia act.

Think it’s safe to say that I won’t be going for front row tickets this time! I mean this is crazy price - no wonder they mentioned that it’s not meet and greet as I’d have been expecting to have dinner with the band and an overnight hotel stay thrown in as well!

THE ULTIMATE FRONT ROW VIP PACKAGE
£672.35 (£610.00)
On sale on Thursday 31 Mar 2022 at 9:00

Packgae includes One Front Row Ticket A DELUXE Roxy Music Limited edition (only available in touring VIP packages) special merchandise collection designed and sourced by Roxy Music A collectible (numbered) NFT containing the tour poster An item personally autographed by Roxy Music A commemorative laminate and lanyard Note: There is no meet and greet associated with this package or any activity at the venue. The merchandise which will be mailed and the NFT which will be emailed. If you have questions about your front row package please contact roxymusicvip@gmail.com

Oh for the simpler times when fans were equal and the thrill of a great seat was sheer good luck. Elevating some above others based on the size of their bank balance is frankly the sort of crap I imagine most people like to escape from for a couple of hours of live music. Not any more. Pretty disgusting.

Glasgow tickets secured thanks to the BryanFerry.com presale link /password. Prices a bit steeper than I'd hoped but wouldn't want to miss this.