* Rumor - The Who Tour 1996? *

[ademotte@interaccess.com (Andy De Motte)]

Not that there isn't enough talk on the list these days, but I thought I'd
throw in a rumor I heard today:

I got a package today from a guy I trade with on the East Coast who just
taped a half-dozen Plant/Page shows in the tapers' section . . . he
mentioned in his letter that during the course of his week's worth of
shows, he got friendly with a few of the sound guys, who told him this:

Next summer, the Who will be touring again.

He didn't specify what the line-up of the band will be, nor whether they
would be out in support of a new album.  All he did know was that the same
management company would be handling them (Trinifold Management, I believe)
and that many of the same personnel that were on the road with P/P had
signed on to do the Who tour.

This is entirely unsubstantiated, but since the guy has no real interest in
the Who, I take it that this was volunteered by the guys at the board.  I'm
going to give my trader friend a call to find out more; he just mentioned
it in passing in the letter.

More as it develops; just thought I'd throw it out there to see if anyone
else has heard anything.

By the way, I don't know if this is indicative of what might happen on a
Who tour, but . . .

Plant and Page's tour was heavily concentrated in the United States, where
their fan base (like the Who's) is the strongest (meaning most numerous,
not necessarily most fanatic).  They opened with 45 US dates, followed with
27 (I think) European shows, a month-long US tour (about 20 shows), with
four or five South American, a dozen Japanese, and three or four Australian
dates to follow.  Very few of the shows were multiple nights in the same
city (excepting London, Birmingham, Dublin, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, LA,
and New York) -- instead of concentrating on major markets a la Who '89,
P/P fanned out into off-the-beaten-track locations like Boise, Salt Lake
City, and Barcelona.  Assuming that Trinifold recommends a similar
itinerary to Pete, Rog, and John, I wouldn't mind hearing a hundred or so
1996 Who shows, even if pulling a tape out of, say, Luxembourg would prove
to be an immense pain in the ass.  Maybe The Who, like Plant/Page will even
have a taper's section . . . .

Of course, this is pure speculation, so maybe I should put my fantasies on
hold for a moment.  It might be better to start by confirming that Pete and
Roger are even speaking again . . .

Fanning the flames,

Andy