From CANOE.ca (I agree with Hodgson-does Davies think this is what fans what? He seems like a total douche from what I've read. Supertramp post-Hodgson are OK and play well, but it's not the classic lineup in any way. Sadly, a real reunion will never happen now):
Former Supertramp frontman Roger Hodgson has slammed the band's decision to reunite for a 40th anniversary tour without him.
Rick Davies, who founded the progressive rock band with Hodgson, has announced plans for a 2010 tour, and Hodgson, who quit the group in 1983, is furious he was never invited to take part.
The singer, who is currently midway through a solo tour, has released as statement, dubbing the move "misleading and disrespectful".
It reads, "We've been told that they are billing the tour as the 40th Anniversary tour of the band and we just find this very surprising, misleading and disrespectful of Roger since he is the only other member that was a part of Supertramp when he and Rick founded the band together 40 years ago.
"It would seem that you would want to invite the other co-founder and the bass player of the classic line up for the 40th anniversary of the band. So, we're really hoping it doesn't create any confusion in the marketplace or mislead anyone."
Hodgson adds that he offered to join Davies onstage during gaps in his own tour schedule, but that he was snubbed.
The statement continues, "Roger thought he could join Supertramp for a few special concerts when he doesn't have any scheduled shows... but (Davies' agent) told us adamantly that would 'never happen'."
_________________ "We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."—College Basketball player Weldon Drew
I find it hard to believe Hodgson offered to appear with them after he has snubbed them for about 25 years now, which is probably why Davies told him no thanks, NOW you want to re-join us? The fans would love to see them together and I'm sure that pairing would really increase ticket sales, so at least you can't say Davies is selling out. I prefer Davies over Hodgson anyway and the band still sounds great,
I'm sure there's plenty of blame to go around. I was always under the impression that Roger's parting from the group was amicable, but I guess not. Or maybe the relationship soured over time. In any event, I agree with IP that it's sad the original lineup will probably never regroup, even temporarily. I like the post-Hodgson albums quite a bit (with the possible exception of Slow Motion, which truly lives up to its name ), but the magic was lost when Roger left.
Having said that, I don't really see a problem with Rick planning a 40th anniversary tour with the current lineup. It's been his band for a long time -- maybe not the original Supertramp, but still Supertramp.
This is the first I have heard of a 40th anniversary reunion and I for one and thrilled to hear about it. Roger is being a dick. From what I understand he is pissed because they play his songs at the show. He claims they said they would not which I find hard to believe. He needs to swallow his pride and join the tour for the fans.
Hodgson left the band of his own volition. He wasn't forced out, he ditched them. 25 years later he wants to throw them a bone and say, hey, I'll try to work you guys in for a few shows on a day off from MY tour. Rick, if you didn't say FUCK YOU, Roger--I just did for you.
Supertramp keyboardist/vocalist/co-founder Rick Davies says the band’s October 6 show at London’s O2 Arena might be their last ever UK appearance. Come inside for an exclusive interview with Davies – and get to hear his perspective on the ‘war’ with Supertramp’s other co-founder, Roger Hodgson. Hodgson tells Supertramp: “Don’t play my songs!” How do you feel about touring at age 66?
Rick Davies: Well I have to say, it’s both scary and pleasant to think of going on the road at 66. I really don’t know quite what to expect but we’ve been training very hard, put it that way, to deliver the goods.
Tell us about the production, what people can expect to see on stage.
Rick Davies: Well, what we intend to deliver is tthe full gamut of Supertramp history. A lot of the most popular songs along with the production that we’re used to. We have to kind of start from scratch from the production but I think we’ve got it all down, we’ve got the lights, we’ve got the movies. You know, a real sort of show is what we’re trying to deliver and really to please the fans and please ourselves.
What songs will be in the set?
Rick Davies: Well, for most places the tour is called ‘All The Hits And More’. And that about sums it up. We’ve got most of the popular stuff that we’ve had through the years and then, of course, we’ve got some more sort of album type of songs. But we’re pulling out all the stops, put it that way.
Tell us about who is in the band.
Rick Davies: There’s actually a mix of new and familiar faces. Obviously we have Mr. John Helliwell, our MC and saxophonist extraordinaire. We have Mr. Bob Seibenberg playing drums. His son, Jesse, is gonna help us out, Jesse being the band historian who knows every single part that was ever put on a Supertramp record or in the show, whatever. And we have old-time favorite Lee Thornburg, who plays great trumpet and tuba and sings. And we also have a wonderful singer this time. For the first time we have a lady: his wife, Cassie, is gonna sing, who’s a wonderful singer. But she’s gonna be backing up this time. We have a new guy, Gabe Dixon, who is from Nashville and he’s a wonderful musician. He sings great, plays keyboards and he’s a great addition to the line-up. And, of course, we have Carl Verheyen, who tours Germany lots with his own band, and Cliff Hugo on bass. So we have a lot of old boys from Supertramp playing for you and they’re playing very well. I can vouch for that from the rehearsals.
Why is Roger Hodgson not a part of this tour?
Rick Davies: Roger left the band… I believe it was 27 years ago. I mean, that’s hard to believe. At the time nobody really understood exactly why. He claimed he wanted to, you know, do his own thing, find himself and play with other people. And as much as we tried, we couldn’t really stop him from going. So that’s what he did. The whole initial idea of the tour really was to get back together with Roger one more time. I mean, it’s conceivably the last time we go out. I’m not gonna say it is or it isn’t. But we had quite a few negotiations and talks about it. It lasted about 15 months of back and forth and it got to the point where really we had to, you know, let people know who wanted to run this tour what was gonna happen. Unfortunately, for reasons that we probably didn’t get to hear about from Roger, he declined to commit to the tour.
Have you ever thought about launching a solo career?
Rick Davies: Not consciously, no. I have a big affinity with the blues and I figure that one day sooner or later I’m gonna do something along those lines. I have quite a few arrangements and blues tunes floating around that I’d like to, to put out one of these days.
Did you have an agreement with Roger not to play any songs that he wrote?
Rick Davies: Well, I mean how far back are we going, 1983? All I know is that there was about 600 pages of documents and agreements to negotiate this thing. As far as I’m concerned, we’re playing Supertramp music. I mean, anything that was made at that time is Supertramp music to me.
Which albums are featured in the set?
Rick Davies: Well I think we pretty much go back to Crime Of The Century, which is when Supertramp really kicked into gear. And so we go back that far and we work our way through many of the albums over the years, taking the, the most popular songs and some of our favourites, right up until fairly recently.
Is your show at the O2 in London a 40-year homecoming?
Rick Davies: I imagine when we play in London, there’s gonna be a lot of people that used to follow us many years ago and I’m sure that it’s gonna be a lot of nostalgia, you know, déjà vu, whatever. And we’re gonna be there, right there with them. It’s gonna be an emotional time because, you know, it could well be the last time, I don’t know for sure – but certainly on a tour of this size. Hopefully everybody’s not gonna cry too much –including ourselves.
Can you think of a really memorable career moment to share?
Rick Davies: Well I guess the biggest moment from a career standpoint would be the day we got to number one in America with Breakfast In America [1979]. We were in a crummy hotel in Ft. Worth, Texas. As we played those shows, you could actually see the record sales spike with every single show. It was quite amazing. And we actually go to number one when we were in Ft. Worth, staying at a… well I won’t say it, but the hotel was pretty funky.
What are you listening to these days?
Rick Davies: I just listened to an album by Dave Brubeck called Gone With The Wind, which was probably made in about 1959 or 1960 and it sounded absolutely great.
Do you keep up with current music?
Rick Davies: To be quite frank, I really don’t. I keep a very, very sort of sketchy eye on what’s going on.
Would you say that you’ve been semi-retired?
Rick Davies: Actually, I’ve been probably working as hard as I ever have. I’m still fascinated by music and I play a little bit with local people. Again, more on the blues line. I just take an interest in getting better [as a musician]. You can always improve.
Would you ever think of publishing your autobiography?
Rick Davies: I find it very difficult to think of sitting down and talking about myself for, you know, 600 pages of a book, to be honest, even though I do like to read them. I think it would be quite tough for me to do it. So I think the answer is probably no, I probably wouldn’t do it.
_________________ "We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."—College Basketball player Weldon Drew
So, reading the two articles together: It looks like Rick and the band wanted Roger to join them for the full tour, but Roger only wanted to participate in some of the performances, and the two sides were never able to reach a compromise. Personally I think Roger is making a big mistake, but it's his choice I guess.
Roger Hodgson is demanding that Supertramp don’t perform any of his songs on their upcoming 40th anniversary tour. Clearly irritated by the fact that Rick Davies, with whom he co-founded the band, hasn’t asked him to be part of this tour, Hodgson has issued the following statement:
“Since this is the first time we are touring simultaneously since we split up 27 years ago, I expect Rick to honour the agreement he and I made that the band would not play my songs.
“Since the current Supertramp is a vehicle for Rick’s music, which is very different from my style and songs, it’s important for Supertramp to stay true to Rick’s style and songs and avoid doing covers of my songs.
“Rick and I both knew that doing that would help create a clear delineation between Supertramp and Roger Hodgson when we agreed to part ways.”
Hodgson has tour dates booked through to 2011
_________________ "We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."—College Basketball player Weldon Drew
Shame they are at odds. Supertramp is one of those bands, like Pink Floyd and Rush, that I overheard a lot from my brother's room and developed a love of by doing so.
Supertramp has announced the continuation of their acclaimed 70-10 TOUR, which celebrates forty-plus years since the release of their first album, “Supertramp,” in 1970.
The next leg of the tour will begin on May 31, 2011 in Victoria, Canada and will include stops in twelve Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City.
Once again, joining Supertramp’s founder, lead singer and keyboardist, Rick Davies, are legendary Supertramp members John Anthony Helliwell, saxophones and woodwinds, and Bob Siebenberg, drums. Veterans of past Supertramp tours, Jesse Siebenberg, lead vocals, guitars and percussion, Cliff Hugo, bass, Carl Verheyen, guitars and Lee Thornburg, horns, will round out the lineup. Cassie Miller and Gabe Dixon, who joined the band last fall, are back, too.
Singer-keyboardist Roger Hodgson, who left the band in 1983, is not involved in the reunion tour.
“I was really proud of our performances on the last tour,” said Davies. “There was a great chemistry between all of us. These guys are incredible musicians and playing together each night was a lot of fun. And that fun transcended to the audience.”
When asked whether Roger Hodgson might appear on some of the dates, Davies replied, “I know there are some fans out there who would like that to happen. There was a time when I had hoped for that too. But the recent past makes that impossible. In order to play a great show for our fans, you need harmony, both musically and personally. Unfortunately that doesn’t exist between us anymore, and I would rather not destroy memories of more harmonious times between all of us.”
Davies, along with set and lighting designer, Michael Brian Duncan, developed a new stage production that excited audiences with a classic Supertramp experience, a delight for both the eyes and ears. Reviews of the shows were very positive throughout the 2010 European tour, fueling the demand for these new shows in 2011. The band will again perform a plethora of classics from their forty-year history, including “Bloody Well Right,” “Dreamer,” “From Now On,” “Goodbye Stranger,” “The Logical Song,” “Rudy” and many, many more.
Pre-sales for a bunch of the Canadian shows go on sale March 9 via regular ticket outlets; check your local systems for more details.
Supertramp 2011 Canadian Tour
May 31 - Victoria - Save On Foods Memorial Jun 01 - Vancouver - Rogers Arena Jun 03 - Kelowna - Prospera Place Jun 04 - Calgary - Scotiabank Saddledome Jun 05 - Edmonton - Rexall Place Jun 07 - Saskatoon - Credit Union Centre Jun 08 - Winnipeg - MTS Centre Jun 11 - London - John Labatt Centre Jun 14 - Ottawa - Scotiabank Centre Jun 15 - Quebec City - Agora Jun 16 - Montreal - Centre Bell
_________________ "We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."—College Basketball player Weldon Drew
They couldn't draw flies in the U.S. with this lineup. I wouldn't hold my breath for any shows over here.
With basically the same lineup they played large sheds last time around in the US. Don't know how the tour did, but they played large venues. I should note this was back in 1997 but it was basically this lineup and no Hodgson.
_________________ "We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."—College Basketball player Weldon Drew
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), but the magic was lost when Roger left.
