Re: John's absence

[Sroundtable@xxxxxxx]

Mc writes:
> >Well, he had just died and there was all sorts of mainstream press> attention given to him.  The average Joe had likely seen or heard of him at> that point.
Kevin in VT writes:
> Well, now I'm lost.> If "the average Joe had likely seen or heard of him at that point", then are> they going to forget about him by the next (if) tour?
That wasn't my point at all.  I was responding to the assertion that the response to the video and pictures of John during the 2002 Tour was evidence that average rock fans sorely missed him.  My argument was that it was natural to cheer at footage and pictures of John because his death was a huge news story.  People were going to cheer whether they knew how great JAE was, or not.
> You're underestimating the power and draw of The Ox.  Voted by his peers as> the greatest rock bassist of the millennium.  Boris the Spider.  My Wife.> He's not as unknown as you make him out to be.
Well, his peers weren't the concert goers.  John was/is only widely known among musicians and hardcore classic rock fans.  I don't want to be misunderstood.  For big who fans and those who know a lot about music, John's loss looms huge.  Anyone who watched the RAH DVD and then went to 2002 concerts could instantly feel and hear the void.  However, I would say there are few casual rock fans who would choose not to go because John won't be there.  They may have heard of him, and even know his reputation, but wouldn't be able to understand how large his absence is without being more than a casual Who listener.  I would also argue that the lack of popularity the JEB had is evidence of this.  I have Left for Live, and I can't imagine anyone not liking that music.  The performances sound amazing.  The only reason they didn't draw large crowds was because John wasn't that well-known (unfortunately).
> While we're hypothesizing, I'd hypothesize that you may be tainted due to> the lack of times you've seen him live.> I'm not trying to insult or point "out a weakness", but just suggesting that> people's viewpoints can be influenced by their real life > experiences.
Again, I'm not arguing that John's loss wasn't gargantuan.  Just that it likely will not keep too many people away on a next tour.
Mc