I read, with interest, vivaroxymusic's post about "several" new dates to the Bryan Ferry tour 2011.

In this instance, I count "several" as being "21" new dates. Added to the afore mentioned 2011 dates, that is an extensive tour with more to follow.

It wil surely go beyond the 52 date Roxy tour of 2001.

I muted the following theory's in January at the Roxy concert,(s) to several , and there are two/three issue's;

1. Olympia seems to be Bryan's biggest "baby" for many a year. Even bigger than T.B.S.Bare and "Mamouna" in terms of time and money spent. I think he is rightly, very proud of the album however, It will owe him a few bob in terms of production, personnel, (Gilmour for example, among others). He has no other way of re-couping that, other than going on the road with it.
2. I think Bryan is now, more than ever, acutely aware about the many missing £millions, that could have augmented the present, (seemingly healthy) kitty, but were it not for the personal strife he endured post 1993 and pre 2001, and certainly not within Roxy Music.
I read, with interest, and am in agreement with, David Buckley who acknowledges in his wonderful book that Bryan was, during that period, very much out in the wilderness. An opportunity lost, if you like.
2/3rd issue. I know that Bryan is wanting to take this current band of musician's on the Bryan Ferry road, that has been paved, deliberately, by he himself. I think Ollie and Tara are in poll position. Bryan Ferry read's his audience like no-one else I have ever known. He aim's to please. He stops, think's, takes stock at what each and every individual in his audience is looking for, go's and get's it, and brings it with him or, sings it to them He is probably (possibly) on the verge of his next big venture. It will be a huge tour. It has to be.

Sadly, unless it's corporate, I think it may be the last time we see Roxy as a unit. .

It may suit all parties concerned.

Sadie`s boyfriend wrote:

"but were it not for the personal strife he endured post 1993 and pre 2001, and certainly not within Roxy Music.
I read, with interest, and am in agreement with, David Buckley who acknowledges in his wonderful book that Bryan was, during that period, very much out in the wilderness. An opportunity lost, if you like."

Argh, what terrible language... -That said, what sad times that was, indeed, for us fans too. On top of that, I was a bigger fan then than I am now. Added the fact that Olympia is a far better album than Taxi and Mamouna, I feel waste and bitter irony...

Argh, what terrible language... -That said, what sad times that was, indeed, for us fans too. On top of that, I was a bigger fan then than I am now. Added the fact that Olympia is a far better album than Taxi and Mamouna, I feel waste and bitter irony...[/quote]

We got the gist of Sadie's boyfriend's points; why you feel the need to make derogatory comments and wind people up is beyond me, please pack it in.

If you look more closely, J O'B accidentally repeated six of the concert dates in his list, which means that so far only 15 BF solo gigs are scheduled between the end of April and the beginning of August.

Maybe there will be more. But I find it unlikely that it will come anywhere near the 50+ gig Roxy tour of 2001.

BF may "know" his audience better than anyone else, but there appeared to be more than a few disgruntled fans who didn't find his performances during the recent Roxy tour to be particularly engaging or endearing.

And BF also seemed to misread his audience with Olympia, an album that - despite considerable hype and publicity - generated little interest in the marketplace.

If you look more closely, J O'B accidentally repeated six of the concert dates in his list, which means that so far only 15 BF solo gigs are scheduled between the end of April and the beginning of August.

They may have been duplicated in the news/home page, but not in the relevant tour page. I think the total number of April to August gigs (including those in Israel & Russia) has now reached 25.

Has anyone inquiried of BF if he intends to have tour stops in USA?

I will get a chance to ask about USA when they are back from New Zealand.

J.O'B.

P.S.
Tell Sadie I was asking for her.

Hi John,
Will you please ask if BF is coming to Belgium or the Netherlands? Thanks!

By the way: there is a concert in Bucharest, Rumania on May 1st (read it on BF facebook)

A word to the wise for anyone thinking of booking for Paris...

Had a look at the Olympia Theatre website (www.olympiahall.com), which helpfully includes an English language option. However, their "best available" single top price (76 euros) was in row 10 and against one of the side walls; this from the company which runs the website, rather than from the theatre itself.

Decided to dust off my schoolboy French and phoned the theatre direct to see if they could offer a better option. Don't think I'd have got far if I'd wanted to discuss it in English with them, but they were very helful and sold me a ticket bang in the middle of row 3. They weren't keen to post, but collecting it from the box office an hour before show time means no booking fees or other add-ons.

One possible fly in the ointment is that I think 13th June may be a public holiday (Whit weekend); no cheap Eurostar seats out of Paris the previous Friday or to Paris on the Monday. Looks like it'll be an Easyjet flight from Luton at sparrowfart, followed by a day spent in Parisian bars* (I'll find a way of struggling through it! ) if nowhere else is open.

(*Happy to meet for a drink if anyone else is at a similar loose end.)

I used the Paris website the day the tickets went on sale and got 4th row right in the middle straight off. Also the tickets arrived here in Geneva yesterday. Also have booked the TGV to Paris with tickets at half price because we have done it 3 months ahead. All is looking good so far, just need to find a decent, not too expensive hotel.
Now waiting for the Lyon tickets to go on sale.

Michael