Midwest Tour Cancelled

The Spring 2008 Midwest tour has been cancelled due to slow response from the venues. Having contacted venues throughout Ohio, Indiana and Michigan most did not reply and those that did only sporadically. E-mails were rarely replied to and when they were it was incomplete information at long intervals. Chasing people down on the phone proved equally fruitless. Some venues said they weren't using entertainment anymore and that information had to be dragged out of them after several calls. There were also plans, not discussed publicly, to do some dates with other artists/bands from the region but they ran into the same footdragging headaches. Only three venues came through in a timely manner; Court Street Grill in Pomeroy, Mudflats in Galena near Columbus, and Fat Fish Blue in Cleveland. The whole experience has put a severe damper on future plans to tour the area - it's impossible to deal with people who cannot or will not respond in a timely and professional manner, especially when setting up a large scale tour from afar. The risk is simply not worth it. Above all else their footdragging response lacked courtesy and professionalism. There will be one more attempt at touring the region later in the year. If enough venues/dates can be added to the ones already booked then 2-3 weeks up North is possible. If that attempt doesn't work there won't be a third. Many thanks to all the people who did their best to make the tour happen - Jackie at Court Street Grill; Steve at Fat Fish Blue; Howard Glazer and Pat Jaynes, the hottest guitarists in Detroit; Tara Tinsley for contacting her connections before and after a much needed vacation; and Shanti, Tawnja and Candy for gathering information and delivering packages. It's because of their efforts that a second attempt is being made. Without all that they have done the idea would be scratched altogether.

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