Andy, not touring???

[gs08dew]

I agree with all that has been said. As far as Earth,Wind & Fire, they can do that because Phillip Bailey role in the band has become just as important as Maurice, plus people associate the voice of Earth, Wind, and Fire with Phillip. SOS is a duo, so it's hard to see one without the other. That's like going to see Everything but the girl who is often compared to SOS and only seeing Tracey Thorn without Ben Watt. If they come to the U.S. I will go see the show & I'm sure it will be great, but I feel something will be slightly different without Andy!

peace

gs08dew

[wes g.]

Hey Andy,

If you are reading any of these posts, sorry that we are all brow beating you a bit. Its only because your compositions have meant a whole hell of a lot to us and to see a Dan Swana perform them would not do us justice.

Look, I've done some reading as of late at SOS.net (did anyone know this site existed???) and have received a few e-mails regarding reasons you may not be along for this tour...and, please, if you are indeed going through a tough time in your life, know that you are being prayed for and thought of..at least by me, because even though I've never met you, I feel like I know you personally through your absolutely gorgeous chords that you compose and play for SOS's brilliant works...not to mention the great way you carry yourself in radio and television spots that I enjoy listening to and watching almost every other day. You may want to hand me a block of Velveeta here, because I know this is so cheesy and mushy, but we all love you for what you do....but then again, the stuff I am reading may be complete bull and you really are in the studio working on the next Cafe Orange part 96 version b, erm, or something. Love ya regardless.

Sincerely,

wes g.

<small>[ March 30, 2005, 10:00 PM: Message edited by: wes g. ]</small>

[SmoothGirlieGirl]

Paulo, I just had to say you nailed the idea there. No Kinkladze, no DVD, just like that. Plus, I had to come in and say I felt a cold tremble in my back, at the thought Britney would cover Corinne.... terrifying concept, indeed!

LOL!

"Oh baby, baby (...) breakout. Sorry, sorry, ev'rybody. It goes, from my window, it's my pra-ro-ga-tive.. ough, ough"

[Dr.]

Wes...I couldn't have said it better myself...speaking personally I'm disappointed simply because SOS isn't EWF or The Stones, constantly touring...it's been almost 10 years since I saw them and maybe even longer or even never for many more on here...to finally see them and then find out it's not even the two of them is...to say the least...very disheartening...but I'll support SOS no matter what...even if Andy doesn't tour...it would just be nice after all this time to see them take their well deserved bows together

<small>[ March 26, 2005, 07:09 PM: Message edited by: Dr. ]</small>

[kinkladze]

Hi there,

Wes, thanks for the kind words. Yeah, I do seem to have taken a bit of a beating on here recently, and I quite understand why. Please be assured that nobody is more disappointed than me that I'm not doing the tour - for the last few years I've become increasingly uncomfortable on a live stage, and this now seems to have escalated to the point where the whole live performance and touring thing actually makes me physically ill. Don't know if it's stress-related or not but the long and short of it is I've been advised not to do it. Hopefully, this will be a temporary situation.
Perhaps naively, I didn't think there'd be this much disappointment - anyone who's seen us live will know that the stage is very much Corinne's domain, not so much mine, and I don't think the shows will suffer as a result of my absence.
For those who thought it was announced at short notice, maybe you're right too. Again, we may have been naive, but I thought a month before the tour was enough and, at the time, was still holding out the, in hindsight forlorn, hope of being able to participate.
I will, of course, be attending all the dates I possibly can - including the Jazz Cafe shows, where I intend to take my beating like a man!...

Andy

[Wade]

Thanks for the message Andy. I think everyone here will be satisfied.
Good luck and take care.

Oh yeah, just one more thing. Please come to Seattle.

[kinkladze]

Thanks. Some good news at least - the Live in Tokyo record is now in the can! Just finished mastering and I think it's sounding pretty good...

[cosmicshift]

All I can say is "WOO-HOO" on the new live CD!

Fantastic news, Andy! Thanks so much for sharing the information here with us.

As for the performance absence, now we understand why the circumstances are the way they are. In only my most sincere and heartfelt way do I say never underestimate the effect YOU have on your fans. We love you...both of you...and while we're disappointed, we can only hope that your condition may be one day put right and someday you might be able to return to the stage. Our support of the band has never waned and never will.

As I mentioned quite a while ago, we wish you both the best of luck in whatever you do...and if performing's not in the cards for you at the moment, hey, we understand. We'll take you however we are lucky enough to get you!

Keep creating that wonderful magic you both make!

Bryan

P.S. Any ballpark estimates on the release date of the new material? Fall '05, perhaps?

P.P.S. (While this is long overdue) Mr. Swana - Welcome to the fold! ; )

[firewx]

Andy - Thanks so much for your response. Like Wes G. said, we love you and your health and well-being come first. As one who has suffered from panic-attacks, I know these sorts of things are not to be taken lightly. I'm are flying in from Utah and hope to get a chance to see you at the Jazz Cafe even if you're not playing. Take care,

Roger

[Solar]

Andy’s announcement changes everything as I guess I was doubting his commitment to the fans, which is clearly not the case, and was harbouring thoughts of a rift between him and Corrine which might have reflected on the her/the band’s performance. I have to say although Wade hinted at problems, I never imagined that this could have been the real reason for not playing. Being a bit of a perfectionist, I would be terrified of even playing a bum note on stage so I can understand some of the reasons for stagefright. I am very pleased Andy has taken the trouble to make this post which can’t have been easy, and am really looking forward to Monday night again.

PS If your do read this Andy, (and what a nice surprise to see a fan based website that is actively participated in by the artists involved) I see you are a fan of the great Jaco Pastorius. Joni Mitchell’s Shadows and Light has just been released on Pal DVD, some awesome footage of the late great man with the added bonus an embryonic Pat Metheny. Essential viewing!

[Tonoko]

Andy may have temporarily lost his 'live stage MOJO', but he'll eventually get it back.
Quick! Someone please locate this mans MOJO and return it to him as quickly as possible!

[Paulo]

Kinkladze:

Please, don't get us (or me) wrong here. You are never going to get beaten up here.

The main reason is (I think): board members feared something could be going wrong within SOS... (at least, we consider you the core the of the group).

I am speaking for myself. I am in Brazil... it means that I am not going to watch the tour. It should make no differece if it is you or not in the keyboard department... but as long as you are commited to SOS it is ok for us fans.

Sorry for any english mistakes

[Dr.]

Andy...Let me just say that my prayers are with you that you are able to overcome your difficulties...Please don't think that any disappoinment was directed towards you personally rather just a general regret over the possibility of not having both of you on board during the tour...I hope you know, by reading all these posts, just how much you and Corinne really mean to all of us...kinda weird to say about someone most of us have never actually met, but I guess that's what music does, we feel like we do know the two of you...Thank you for posting directly and letting us fans know what was going on...you had no obligation to tell us anything about your personal life and yet you took the time to let us know what was happening...again my best wishes go out to you as always...Hoping to see you on tour if possible...Take care

<small>[ April 03, 2005, 08:12 PM: Message edited by: Dr. ]</small>

[cole_tr]

I went to the Jazz Cafe last night and it was just fab.

I must admit that I got there early for a place near the keyboards, but then no Andy.

A real shame, not the same as the last JC gigs.

I wish he had just made an apperance on stage.

I realy hope he will be back on some other gigs soon.

The gig was just great anyway.

[spacer615]

Hi all! It's been a while since I've been to the site. And am I glad I checked in when I did! SOS (in any configuration) touring the US. Frankly, I didn't think it would ever happen.

Andy, have you considered drugs? They have a pill for anxiety now. Barbra Streisand stopped touring for 30 years because of this. Now she's fine.

Seriously though, I am saddened Andy won't be touring. But this is an opportunity (possibly, once in a lifetime) I cannot... will not miss. I know, it's better to travel. But I'm partial to seeing Corinne when she swings by New York. As no NY tour dates have been confirmed as of yet, please keep in mind some of the smaller towns in New York State (Albany, Saratoga, etc...). New York City is great but it's not the "be all end all" it's made out to be. A lot of artists play The Big Apple and forget about the rest of the state. Just a thought.

Best wishes.