Good Evening to all fellow Roxyologists and Feryistas. This is Lori.
I was reading the Tour Itineraries for the Frantic and The Dylanesque Tours and The Olympia Tours. I was very shocked and a bit Heart-Broken at Bryan's lack of Touring presence on North American Shores. Especially when I read that His Dylanesque Tour did not even make it to North American Soil. WOW! Bob Dylan One of Bryan's most favorite Muscians and One of America's most Legedary and Iconic Song-Writers and Singers of Whom Bryan devoted a ENTIRE Covers Album to, and did not even bring His Dylanesque Tour to The U.S.A. of ALL the "Country Lives" on ' This Island Earth " where it SHOULD have been Toured with and performed the most? The very Country Where Bob Dylan was Born and raised in? The North American Audience was completely shut out and ignored? i also noticed that His presence in North America was very limited during The Frantic Tour too. During His Olympia Tour The State-Side Fans got what amounted to a " Hello, Good Bye Visit" A very Short and Sweet Nice to See You, but I have to Go now type of thing.
I am A realist Here that Bryan's Audience is at The rest of the World, but come on.
Bryan must really NOT like Us Yanks very much does He?
Although He gives America His greatest accolades in influencing much of His Art and Craft as far as infusing Theater and Art in both Roxy Music and His own Solo Career. He has had nothing but high praises for The Hollywood experience so to speak.
Yet He has a very small Touring presence in The U.S.A. I am also very Heart-Broken that Bryan will NEVER Bring both AEWBF ( His Jazz Age Tour with his Jazz Band, The Bryan Ferry Orchestra. ) And BFWS. Again of ALL The " Country Lives " on " This Island Earth to bring AEWBF to is AMERICA! This is the Country Where JAZZ was born and raised in There are MAJOR Jazz And Blues Music Festivals all over The U.S.A that take place during the Summer Where AEWBF would have FIT Right in to!
A couple of BFWS as a special occassion Night or 2 would have been fantastic!
Why not perform Jazz Music Right Where it Would have been the most fitting and the most appropriate to do so? In AMERICA?!
may some of You most Veteran Board Members here PLEASE explain to Me WHAT is WRONG with Him?
Bryan has ALWAYS said that Jazz Music and Classical/Orchestral Music were His First favorite Genres of Music. Then perform Jazz Right where it was Born! His Jazz band did not and does not look as big as His Olympia band did.
I really do wonder what Bryan has against Us Yanks. He must really have it in for Us.
If He had to charge about $500.00 to $1000.00 A Ticket just to break even to come Here, Then I understand.
I as a State-Side Fan really does wish He would throw cation to the Wind and embark on a very extensive and comprehensive Tour of The U.S.A and leave No Stone Un-Turned. Come On Bryan! This Yank has challenged You to See if You have the courage to conquer Us Yanks decisively!
I know You can Do it! Just SHOW Us!
I mean NO disrespect Here, Lori.

Dear Lori,

Your enthusiasm and passion is to be applauded; if there were a million more like you over there BF and Roxy would be better known and would have appeared there more.

I'm afraid this issue is purely down to money and the fact Roxy were never appreciated by their record company (Warner Brothers) in the early seventies and they simply never got the support needed to generate publicity/airplay, this went on for years and BF, in fact all of Roxy, just got fed up of trying. Without wanting to sound parochial, apart from a few blue-collar cities (like Detroit), the American public didn't "get" Roxy (and their cultural references, style, initial inspired amateurism) like us Brits and Europeans, didn't have the same wide-ranging/radical music press feeding the kids with news every week, and playing way down the bill to "established" bands like JoJoGunne, Steve Miller, was never going to work. I mean, if you compared their audiences to Roxy's British ones, the USA set would look like the Waltons, whereas we looked like extras from the FYP cover......

Best wishes and kind regards.

"Bryan must really NOT like Us Yanks very much does He?"

I think you'll find it's the other way round.
Judging by your comments i'll guess you were a late starter getting into RM/BF.
Otherwise you would have known that they were virtually ignored, apart from a few cities, in the US. Roxy's first 3 albums, the best ones, made no impact whatsoever in the charts or the US public.

The band's record label at the time, Warner/Reprise, didn't know how to market them because they couldn't pidgeonhole their style of music, plus they looked and sounded far too weird for America (actually being touted as Alice Cooper copyists), so they were ignored by radio stations etc.

To cut a long story short, the band were supporting (opening for) E.L.O and other nobodies as late as 1976, they had reached their zenith in the U.K and Europe by this point and were on the verge of splitting but were still deemed a support act in the U.S.A, so, "go figure".

Cher Lori,
The great Monsieur Riff & Rendez-vous are correct. Our American brethren didn't adopt 'Roxy Music' in the same way as the Europeans and Antipodeans. Much to the chagrin of the band!
Our hero certainly likes the US. He has lived in both LA & NYC. Indeed, one of his extremely rare sartorial faux pas was Americana inspired when he momentarily adopted a form of baseball cap at the time of 'Taxi'. Thankfully it was short lived.
Windswept lui-même lived in NYC for ten years and was lucky enough to catch both of the Roxy re-union fandangos ('01 & '03) and the 'Frantic' show in Manhattan. Certainly, all three were extremely well received by both the critics and the audiences but the music is mainly appreciated only on the East and West coasts.
Doubtless his current band is constructed for the US 'Can't Let Go' tour and it's a shame that you won't get AEWBF & BFWS.
That said, all Ferry is good Ferry (excepting 'Is Your Love Strong Enough') and Windswept is sure you will enjoy the Philly show.
a bien tôt,
Windswept

Mr Windswept2, I can't help but notice that twice recently you have stated your dislike for the above tune! May I politely ask why you dislike?
Best wishes

Cher Gary,
Windswept thinks that there are moments in all of our lives that we would like air brushed out.
Windswept lui-meme has moments he'd rather forget. Sartorially it was his flirtation with flared trousers and romantically some assignations that he's pleased his mother never knew about.
For our hero, it is this dire pop song that he was doubtless coerced into by the lure of movie conga from fellow Geordie Ridley Scott.
This assault on the ears is best forgotten. Let's concentrate on the positive!
Cordialement,
Windswept

Mr. Rifff, I would hardly call ELO "nobodies."

Mostly financial reasons I guess. Bryan can't fill big arenas in America, so he would need to charge a lot more per ticket to make it worthwhile. Other issues like size of his backing band - and that some members don't come cheap doesn't help. Exchange rates have been unfavourable at times too.

Don't forget Bryan has lost money on previous tours to America. He was advised by management not to tour 'In Your Mind', but went ahead anyway and bankrolled it himself - costing a small fortune apparently.

The US 'Avalon' tour was considered successful regards attendances, but Roxy lost £50,000 putting on that tour, if I remember correctly.

Cher Alan,
I think you speak the truth.
At the time of Dylanesque, I spoke to our hero in Paris and he was definitely wanting to take it stateside but FX and like of sponsorship scuppered it.
In reality the finite segmentation of American radio didn't help the launch of Roxy back in the '70s and the legacy has stayed with him.
He can sell out in NYC in a heart beat and maybe the trick could be to do a few nights at The Beacon?
Who knows?
a bien tôt,
Windswept