I suspect that many fans in the US will increase their demand about US tour dates now that the Fan Jam is over. The writing is on the wall. If the band is playing in the States between now and the UK tour, tour dates better be released soon. I have seen as little as 6 weeks in between the official press release and a show and as much as 3 months for the same. Duran should be announcing then anytime between now and the middle of March, unless they plan to come to the US later. As I type this, I can hear Duranies mumbling under their breath about the lack of advance notice. I would probably join in on that mumbling. Why must they wait until the last minute to announce a show(s)/tour? It seems like they officially announce only when they have to and by have to, I mean that the sale to the general public is happening within a few days. Look at the UK tour. They announced early on a Tuesday and the fan presale happened early the NEXT DAY as regular sales happened on the following Friday. Is that any way to show consideration to fans? I don’t think so.
Part of my problem with the lack of advance notice is that I don’t understand it. Why wait to announce? What purpose does it serve? Does the person/people making this decision think it will help ticket sales? Does it help to increase the fandom? Does it make new fans? Does it help to keep fans? Somehow, I doubt it. I think it works to frustrate us as fans. Worst yet, I think it makes the Duran Duran team look ill prepared. How is that good for anyone? Maybe I’m missing a key here. Yes, I realize that they don’t want to announce anything before it is ready but you can’t tell me that they only know a day or two before a tour is announced?! It doesn’t make sense to me and it doesn’t make sense to most of the other fans I know and come into contact with.
So, if I could offer advice to Duran’s people, have dd.com be the definitive source for news. Fans should not find out new and cool things that the band is doing from message boards or social networking sites. News should come from the official website. Also, news regarding tours should be given out as soon as everything is locked in. The outside world would perceive Duran Duran and their team as organized and prompt. Duranies will be happy to have the time to truly evaluate the dates and see what, if anything, works for them. I suspect that the longer people have with tour dates, the more likely they are to work something out and be able to do more, which would help everyone.
-A
Just and FYI-Simon did confirm the March 22nd date in a recent interview. I heard it.
It irks me a lot too, especially regarding the announcement of tour dates. A friend of mine said they probably want to wait until they have ALL their US tour dates confirmed (or as many as possible) so they can make a BIG US TOUR announcement all at once. And honestly, they don't have to worry about the hardcore fans. We still seem to show up and buy tickets regardless of short notice or high prices. I don't know what incentive they have to change their ways.
@Lisa – I think that just corroborates Amanda's argument, that dd.com is the very last to post the news. I've seen it posted everywhere BUT on the news portion of the site, oddly enough. 😉
@Kathy – I totally agree on all counts. Until we stop buying tickets and stop showing up, they have zero incentive to change, and they honestly don't care about our griping. Why would they? We still show!
@Amanda – you already know I agree with you. This isn't about being impatient on our part, it's that it's completely unnecessary to wait until 24 hours (or less) before presale tickets go on sale to announce a full tour. There's no need for that. Yeah, we still buy tickets, but I have to admit it makes me think a whole lot less of the bands management, because I know it could be done differently. – Rhonda