Possible Police Reunion, Smashing Pumpkins update and other music notes for Thursday 1/4/07

By Art Shimko
shimko_7@hotmail.com

By Art Shimko
shimko_7@hotmail.com

-- With this year being the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough hit, Roxanne, rumors of a Police reunion are in circulation according to what sources told Billboard.com Wednesday afternoon. Although reports of a tour in both the U.S. and England, the group's first tour since breaking up over twenty years ago, are deemed legitimate no further details were revealed.

The Police's record label, A&M, plan on special releases to commemorate the anniversary as said by sources, "It is our intention to mark the anniversary by doing something special with the band's catalogue of songs. Needless to say, everyone is hopeful the band will support our plans and while early discussions have taken place, nothing has been decided."

Former members Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers hope that plans take a step further towards a reunion as Summers felt the band had more time then it alloted itself, "The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years,'" he [Summers] said. "I'm certain we could have done that. Of course we could have. We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate. It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour. We snuck out the back door, which is what we were told to do, until it just became too frustrating to lie about it."

Besides a small set at Sting's wedding to Trudie Styler in 1992 and a 2003 performance celebrating The Police's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Sting has seemed uninterested in an actual reunion even if his former bandmates think otherwise. "I'm very keen on it," [Stewart] Copeland told Billboard.com of a potential reunion, the day after the Rock Hall induction. "But I absolutely understand why it's not going to happen and I'm down with that. It was really great to be the Police for 15 minutes. If you can think of some other award we can go get or some other good reason, give me a call, and I'll try it out!"

A Police reunion would do major business for the concert industry in 2007, and to reiterate what Andy Summers said earlier, the band certainly had a lot more time to create music and its premature end left fans wanting even more and anticipating a return of The Police at some point, even if it was for that one last tour. My only concern would be the ticket prices for this show, which most likely will be booked in stadiums during the summer time... I'd say you're looking at an average ticket price of $200 and up. WIth the concert business doing record business with groups like The Rolling Stones and U2, both with huge ticket prices, it's a no-brainer that a Police reunion tour will cost an arm and a leg. Whatever year or decade they decide to tour, ticket prices should be expected to a high price but in this day and age selling a kidney on eBay might get you enough money for a 200 level ticket at your local sports stadium, but don't forget money for parking, food, etc.

Despite paying a lot of money to see a Police reunion, it would be a historic tour and one would have to wonder if they would record new material for this tour. As much as I think that would be cool for a band like them to do I think just a tour playing all the best songs from their vast catalogue would suffice for sure. As far as I'm concerned, I'll just get the live CD/DVD from this tour.

-- From Smashing Pumpkins' Myspace blog: Dear Beautiful Souls,

Happy New Year to you! May 2007 prove to be a blessed year in every respect and every way...I send you every ounce of love I have in my heart...May the grace of Mother be with you...This year for us will see a new album of songs and a world tour of tears, and we truly look forward to playing again for fans young, old, and missed...So yes, tunes are being dusted off, while others are being asked to kindly submit to an upstart millennia and all it's asking...In our daily prayers, we send out the signal that all who should hear us come forward and be seen, and by extension, heard...when we opened the lid on this music box, we were pleasantly suprised at the music that played: familiar yet unknown, welcoming but not sentimental...and that is all we can ask...God has absolutely blessed us in every respect...for many years there were private laments about opportunities missed and hearts so broken, but no more...we have turned the page and moved on, from places and faces, names and games...this age calls for resolve and certitude, and the fire within to burn ever bright...if that fire should be connected to absolutely deafening guitars, thundering drums, and the melodies of snakes, then so be it! We love you! If you are meant to be with us, find us!! We have need, and our arms are ever-open...although I can say definitively we don't need jugglers...but we do need ???? (what?) what do we need!
With a smile and a wink,
billy corgan

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