Do prog bands owe anything to their fans?

It's generally known that Yes fans always wanted one last  tour with Moraz --to give fans old and young a last chance to see music from that period recreated---and Genesis fans want a tour with Steve Hackett---I mean Steve and Patrick are available---I mean even if they had called on Steve during the Calling All Stations period (when Phil left)---it would have pleased fans and probably produced an interesting album----- do these bands owe it to the fans to occasionally give them what they want? They always are saying we owe everything to the fans that stuck with us----but they rarely give us what we want! The only exception for these two bands was the ABWH formation (many fans wanted to see Bruford back with the boys) 

Yeah, I want my money back. 

Bands and artists can do whatever they want.  If I don't like it, I'll go elsewhere.  Thanks to the internet that is easier than ever.  I always felt I was kind of being strung along when greats of the '70's went commercial.


Edited by Slartibartfast - March 17 2011 at 03:59

When making live performances they have a direct contact with the fans, so I think it's not so ridiculous. I can't pretend that Gilmour and Waters make an album together to satisfy the old fans, but when Pete Bardens joined Latimer on stage in 1984 it was really a good moment (the only good moment in that live, really).

I was talking only of a tour--not an album---many of these groups tour more frequently than they record--because most prog albums don't make money---tours do--that's why Yes has been touring non-stop they need money---I'm a Yes fanatic and saw the current line-up--it was not very good and I won't be going again---give me musicians I want to hear live and I'll buy a ticket.

AtomicCrimsonRush wrote: Actually ELP owes me $30 for such a shambolic album as 'In The Hot Seat'... had to post that.

Personally, I find just about all these old timer reunions to be disappointing.  They can never really recapture the magic they once had, so they are basically playing old songs with less energy (though often, like with Yes, with just as much conviction as the old days).

I used to wish for the old Floyd to get back together, but then I saw the Live 8 performance........pretty poor.  The Genesis reunion seemed like a great idea at first, but I realized that even if the 1971-1974 lineup had been there for the tour, it would NOT have been just material from that time frame, and I'd have had to sit through music I didn't like just to hear the classics.  I now suspect that the three man line up was the plan all along, with maybe a show or two with Hackett and Gabriel to please the "old" fans (and let's face it, the number of people that wanted to see the 5 piece lineup would have been tiny compared to the number that wanted to see the 3 piece).

But in general, artists owe their fans nothing really.  Had they been worried about what their fans wanted back in the 70's, they would not have made the excellent and groundbreaking works that they did.

Be careful what you wish for....



Pensioners in Short(s)

I think that most bands appreciate the fact that it is the fans who have provided them with whatever measure of success that they achieved, but that doesn't mean that they should merely do something in order to please. For instance, let's say that Yes did get Moraz and Anderson back for one last gig/tour. There would be just as many people, if not more, moaning about the fact that Wakeman wasn't present. Ditto Bruford - plenty would say that White should be present.

...and we don't owe them anything either. They got paid, we got the goods, transaction complete.

Pink Floyd @ Live 8, poor?