Christmas is around the corner so Jon Oliva cancels his tours

[batmura]

Well, it's the same old story again. A couple of weeks ago, Jon Oliva's Pain announced some European tour dates including Turkey. They were going to play here for the first time. As it turns out, Jon has to cancel the tour because of his commitment to TSO and they say they're going to re-schedule a JOP tour in April-May 2007.

So, where does that leave Savatage? Nowhere of course. The supposed 25th year farewell tour Sava is obviously not happening, as JOP's drummer has already been asking the JOP fans to contact festivals and promoters around for summer gigs. Also, yesterday, former CIIC and current JOP guitarist Matt LaPorte openly said on the official forum that the Sava thing was not going to happen in 2007 and no one should anticipate it. As it is, his message was promptly deleted.

Obviously no JOP shows will be played for the next 6-7 months. JOP will simply go into hibernation and wait for Jon to fufil his TSO duties. Then, Jon will come out and say he's doing a European tour for the summer. Then again, it's TSO time. The same thing will keep recycling itself.

By the way, for the record, as much as I think there can never be a Savatage without Jon, JOP isn't and cannot be Savatage either, so people should quit claiming they're the same. They are not. It takes Caff, Middleton, Plate and Pitrelli to be Savatage. JOP is simply an offshoot of the Tage with some Streets era songs. They are nothing like oldschool Savatage either! When the first album came out, they said it sounded like HOTMK/GB which is wrong. Tage Mahal is like The Wake of Magellan meets Poets and Madmen with a few vague early 90's Sava references.

Anyway, I'm pissed off about this cancellation, but one thing I'll forever question is, why did the JOP management negotiate touring plans when it was obvious a TSO thing was on the horizon? This does nothing but add to the fans' disappointment.

Similar posts like this, along with LaPorte's, got deleted on the JOP forum, so I've decided to open this thread.

Anyone else think that there may never be a Sava tour again and JOP will only be able to gig if TSO is inactive?

I feel Circle 2 Circle will be able to play their second gig around here long before JOP gets back into action. At least they don't have shitty TSO commitments and are eager to gig around if the opportunity comes up.

On a side note, those who have been praising JOP and CIIC during Sava's inactivity, I have to repeat myself. None of those post-2001 albums, be it JOP, CIIC or Caffery, while good in their own way, can even come close to the brilliance of the dark and menacing Poets and Madmen.

 

[Exploding Ned]

I personally like early Savatage the most, but I do understand that with a band around as long as them, and basically a whole new generation of fans coming along, there will be disagreement on which is the best version of the band. They were extremely heavy early on IMO, and that's what I like. As for TSO pissing on the Savatage parade, like Oliva said himself TSO makes a helluva lot more money than Savatage, and IMO you can't blame him for going after a decent paycheck, afterall Savatage never was a huge seller, and he does need to think about his future you know.

 

[batmura]

As for TSO pissing on the Savatage parade, like Oliva said himself TSO makes a helluva lot more money than Savatage, and IMO you can't blame him for going after a decent paycheck, afterall Savatage never was a huge seller, and he does need to think about his future you know.

Agreed 100% but then why they did negotiate touring plans and announce JOP dates? It is obvious that TSO spends the last months of the year touring.

 

[panzermastery]

Why would Jon have to take off for TSO???? As far as I know he not on the touring versions???

 

[ravage2020]

That was my thought exactly... and I dont' believe any of his bandmates are in TSO.

 

[Kong]

Well, since I head up all the touring plans for JOP... I feel I am
uniquely qaulified to answer this thread. No one is more dissappointed
about postponing any shows...including Oliva. But planning a tour
is just that, planning. The problem was the tour schedule was to
spread out both in terms of the number of shows and the budget needed
to survive. We tried desperately to move the shows earlier and thus keep the tour on track, but critical shows could not be changed and therefore our budget and available timeline went right out the window...uke:

Jon is heavily involved with TSO at the moment and that
tour is starting even earlier this year as you well know. He has responsibilities including current recordings, pre-production and personal appearances for the tour. Plus, we needed time for JOP to rehearse a new show. We simply could not do it all and do it right!

We are going to be playing some shows in Florida later this year. So JOP is not going into hibernation. In fact, if we can book some shows throughout the US, then we are going to do just that. Touring in support for Maniacal Renderings is going to be very busy and yes we will be playing festivals next year no matter what Savatage may or may not do. It's not always easy getting the pieces of the puzzle together, but I think the JOP track record is pretty consistent and we are touring more and more each year! Nothing would make us happier than to be recording and touring all year. But that's not realistic.

We will continue to do our best!

Cheers,

 

[panzermastery]

Kong I know you guys do your best and you kick ass at it it was great being able to see you guys at JAXX in VA last year!!!! Are you saying that Jon is gonna be involved in the touring edition of TSO???? I was not aware of that if it is the case!!!!! Everybody just whats to see you guys on the road!!!!and we all that is not always easy!!!!!!

 

[ashaman7122]

Well, it's the same old story again. A couple of weeks ago, Jon Oliva's Pain announced some European tour dates including Turkey. They were going to play here for the first time. As it turns out, Jon has to cancel the tour because of his commitment to TSO and they say they're going to re-schedule a JOP tour in April-May 2007.

So, where does that leave Savatage? Nowhere of course. The supposed 25th year farewell tour Sava is obviously not happening, as JOP's drummer has already been asking the JOP fans to contact festivals and promoters around for summer gigs. Also, yesterday, former CIIC and current JOP guitarist Matt LaPorte openly said on the official forum that the Sava thing was not going to happen in 2007 and no one should anticipate it. As it is, his message was promptly deleted.

Obviously no JOP shows will be played for the next 6-7 months. JOP will simply go into hibernation and wait for Jon to fufil his TSO duties. Then, Jon will come out and say he's doing a European tour for the summer. Then again, it's TSO time. The same thing will keep recycling itself.

By the way, for the record, as much as I think there can never be a Savatage without Jon, JOP isn't and cannot be Savatage either, so people should quit claiming they're the same. They are not. It takes Caff, Middleton, Plate and Pitrelli to be Savatage. JOP is simply an offshoot of the Tage with some Streets era songs. They are nothing like oldschool Savatage either! When the first album came out, they said it sounded like HOTMK/GB which is wrong. Tage Mahal is like The Wake of Magellan meets Poets and Madmen with a few vague early 90's Sava references.

Anyway, I'm pissed off about this cancellation, but one thing I'll forever question is, why did the JOP management negotiate touring plans when it was obvious a TSO thing was on the horizon? This does nothing but add to the fans' disappointment.

Similar posts like this, along with LaPorte's, got deleted on the JOP forum, so I've decided to open this thread.

Anyone else think that there may never be a Sava tour again and JOP will only be able to gig if TSO is inactive?

I feel Circle 2 Circle will be able to play their second gig around here long before JOP gets back into action. At least they don't have shitty TSO commitments and are eager to gig around if the opportunity comes up.

On a side note, those who have been praising JOP and CIIC during Sava's inactivity, I have to repeat myself. None of those post-2001 albums, be it JOP, CIIC or Caffery, while good in their own way, can even come close to the brilliance of the dark and menacing Poets and Madmen.

Dude...obsess much?

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Are you saying that Jon is gonna be involved in the touring edition of TSO???? I was not aware of that if it is the case!!!!!

As Kinder said, "He has responsibilities including current recordings, pre-production and personal appearances for the tour." That means they are probably working on Nightcastle (FINALLY), and he does have to make special promotional appearances during the TSO touring season. That DOES NOT mean he will be touring with them.

Tours still in the planning stage get cancelled all the time. Scheduling conflicts, profit margins, venue availabilities all come into play and sometimes it just doesn't work out (and they announce dates hoping to drum up more appearances in narby areas to fill in the profit gaps). I can understand Batmura's frustration as he would really like to see JOP in concert. But, living in Turkey, he isn't exactly in the touring hot-spot of the East. I'd suggest to Murat that he move to Holland or Belgium, JOP's been touring up a storm up there! I'm thinking of moving there myself because I live in the freakin U.S. and I'll never get to see him here in Arizona. I don't think Jon's been West of the Mississippi in a decade!

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

By the way, for the record, as much as I think there can never be a Savatage without Jon, JOP isn't and cannot be Savatage either, so people should quit claiming they're the same. They are not. It takes Caff, Middleton, Plate and Pitrelli to be Savatage. JOP is simply an offshoot of the Tage with some Streets era songs. They are nothing like oldschool Savatage either! When the first album came out, they said it sounded like HOTMK/GB which is wrong. Tage Mahal is like The Wake of Magellan meets Poets and Madmen with a few vague early 90's Sava references.

I have to disagree with you here, buddy. Middleton is the ONLY member you listed who's been there since the beginning. There was a Savatage long before Plate, Caffery, and especially Pitrelli ever joined. I will admit that Caffery at least is an integral part of Savatage because of his long standing in the band and amazing talent. BUT, if Savatage were alive today and any of those guys quit, would Savatage be lost, floating aimlessly in the Wake of Magellan? No. They would go on. Only Jon is unreplaceable.

I will also agree with you that nothing Savatage or their off-shoots has produced is anything close to the brilliance of Poets and Madmen. But JOP is getting there. This new album another step backward in time, with alot more old school Sava influences and quiet a bit of the dark heaviness of Poets. Way more than Tage Mahal.

Jon's new band is really coming into their own right now. While the first album had a "solo" album feel to it, i.e. Jon and his backup band, this new one sounds much more like a real band. Like they've been playing together for a few years and are starting to catch their groove. I can't honestly say that Maniacal Renderings is quite as high on the pedestal as Poets, but like I said, they are getting very, very close. At the rate they are growing I wouldn't at all be surprised if the third JOP album actually TOPS Poets. But only time will tell.

Right now JOP is a blessing for me. Because Savatage without Caff, Johnny Lee, and Plate is better than no Savatage at all.