Edguy to tour America? - Gamma Ray... Kreator... anyone?

[TheGraveDigger]

Check out this news article posted on Blabbermouth today...

EDGUY guitarist Jens Ludwig recently spoke to Ytsejam.com about the group's latest CD, "Hellfire Club", and their upcoming activities. Asked if there is a possibility of the band touring the U.S. in the near future, Ludwig said, "Yeah well, at the moment Prog Power 5 is the only 100% confirmed gig. But I just heard two days ago from a booking agency that they found a promoter in the States that maybe would do a full tour through the U.S., and if this were too happen, of course we would be very pleased, because it would be a new experience, and it's always great to perform for people that, maybe don't know your band, and you have to convince them, about your music. With power metal, it always seems to come out to be a lot more powerful live."

With regards to what band he would like to do a U.S. tour with, Jens said, "Anybody we like, I don't care (laughs). As long as they are nice people, and the music fits a little together, for example we would love to tour with KREATOR or GAMMA RAY, I don't know... I don't care, as long as we can perform our stuff, it doesn't matter which band it is. Even if we open for a bigger band, its a challenge, cause then we have to convince everyone out there, and we have to kinda push them, but then again, that's what drives us."

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This is rather exciting news, I hope this promoter they speak of is on the ball and indeed runs a full tour with them. Also it was posted on Blabbermouth that the bands latest album Hellfire Club has solid 1,124 copies thus far in the two weeks its been released whereas the last album Mandrake has thus far only sold five hundred and change. Shows what a better label and more distribution can do for a band.

 

[YtseJammer]

Yeah, all the bands say that crap.

Rhapsody was supposed to play some festival in Florida AND tour the country with Manowar/Dragonforce.
Stratovarius was supposed to do a full US tour.
Kamelot was supposed to do a full US tour.
Pain of Salvation was supposed to do a full US tour.
You get the idea..

Sure, Evergrey's come, Helloween's done their full tour, Soilwork's toured..but the vast majority of bands are just blowing smoke...(unfortunately)

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

Yeah, all the bands say that crap.

Rhapsody was supposed to play some festival in Florida AND tour the country with Manowar/Dragonforce.
Stratovarius was supposed to do a full US tour.
Kamelot was supposed to do a full US tour.
Pain of Salvation was supposed to do a full US tour.
You get the idea..

Sure, Evergrey's come, Helloween's done their full tour, Soilwork's toured..but the vast majority of bands are just blowing smoke...(unfortunately)

I agree. It seems these bands try to say the right thing, but in the end it just gets your dick hard and then it all goes down the toilet.

 

[JayKeeley]

This is rather exciting news, I hope this promoter they speak of is on the ball and indeed runs a full tour with them.

Yeah, going on the road with Kreator would rule although a tour like that would probably make more sense in Europe since fans over there are less segregated in terms of genre appreciation. The Kreator shows with Edguy on their 10th Anniversary and a few shows together in Poland were apparently a great success.

Also it was posted on Blabbermouth that the bands latest album Hellfire Club has solid 1,124 copies thus far in the two weeks its been released whereas the last album Mandrake has thus far only sold five hundred and change. Shows what a better label and more distribution can do for a band.

Mandrake has sold 500+ to date? Surely that's a mistake by Bladdermouth. You don't go on a world tour supporting an album that's sold 500 albums total (to date). In Japan alone, I'm sure it sold several thousand.

As long as Japan doesn't sink, Power Metal artists can make a pretty decent career.

 

[Petethedrummer]

Mandrake has sold 500+ to date? Surely that's a mistake by Bladdermouth. You don't go on a world tour supporting an album that's sold 500 albums total (to date). In Japan alone, I'm sure it sold several thousand.

that was 500+ in the US i believe. And even that is mileading because most people from the US who order those cds get them online from stores that most likely import them

 

[tenebre]

also remember that 500 sales only counts if you bought the record from the The Ends release. Many people liek myself bought the record as an import from various countries whcih means that those sale count toward whichever country the distributer is in and not for a US sale.

 

[Creeps]

Yeah, all the bands say that crap.

Rhapsody was supposed to play some festival in Florida AND tour the country with Manowar/Dragonforce.
Stratovarius was supposed to do a full US tour.
Kamelot was supposed to do a full US tour.
Pain of Salvation was supposed to do a full US tour.
You get the idea..

Sure, Evergrey's come, Helloween's done their full tour, Soilwork's toured..but the vast majority of bands are just blowing smoke...(unfortunately)

I don't consider any tour a FULL tour if they don't hit almost every state. Helloween? Maiden? nowhere near Florida at all...

 

[JayKeeley]

Florida. Isn't that where old people move just so they can die in the swamps?

Why should underground bands go to each and every state in the USA? What financial return is there for Rhapsody, for example, to play in front of 12 people in the middle of nowhere? You do realize these guys all have regular 9-5 jobs during the week.

As ruthless as it sounds, people in the US have to make some effort to get to a show (take the greyhound), or simply move to a major city. That's what the rest of the world does, except maybe Europe where the music is a million times more popular.

 

[Angrafan]

I don't think any of the major power metal bands have 9-5 jobs...

I know for a fact that neither Angra or Shaman members have 9-5 jobs, other thand clinics and stuff...


I believe Bands like Blind Guardian, Helloween, Rhapsody and maybe even Edguy don't have other jobs either... '


About the major cities, it is true.. In Brazil, for example, only about 4 cities receive the international tours... It is always Sao Paulo, Rio De Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Curtiba...
Belo horizonte, Brasilia and some other northern cities get some gigs eventually...

Florida gets a decente amount of shows.. It is no New York, but pretty good...

 

[Demonspell]

It's an unfortunate situation for those in lesser populated areas, but for European bands that are almost unknown in the US, extensive touring is usually an enormous liability.

 

[peavy_fan]

I'm a big edguy fan but their new CD kind of sucks.

 

[Edu_Falaschi]

I remeber during PP 3 Tobias said that they would have at least 16 concerts every year in the US well they didn't tour last year and i higly doubt that they will this year maybe a couple of concerts in the east coast since they will be around here. The truth it that most of the underground European bands can't tour in the US, it's too expensive for them to bring all their stuff and do a few concerts for a few ppl, even Symphony X and Kamelot that are from here don't tour here.