Supertramp has announced a 2010 tour without inviting founding members Roger Hodgson and Dougie Thompson back in the band.
The Supertramp tour comes as a surprise, especially to Hodgson who told Undercover last December “We’ve looked at it and talked it over. I have looked at it many times. It is hard to reinvent us. I would never say never but Rick (Davies) has pretty much retired right now and I’m in the prime of my life. The reaction I am getting from fans is “please don’t reunite”. I think a lot of the magic and spirit that people think they would see at a Supertramp reunion they are actually getting at my shows now. I feel the reunion I am having is with my audience and it feels really good”.
What makes matters worse is that Davies is billing the Supertramp tour as the ‘40th Anniversary Tour’.
In a statement from Hodgson’s management company, they say the tour is “misleading” and “disrespectful”. “We’ve been told that they are billing the tour as the 40th Anniversary tour of the band and we just find this very surprising, misleading and disrespectful of Roger since he is the only other member that was a part of Supertramp when he and Rick founded the band together 40 years ago. (Dougie joined the band in 1972 and John and Bob a year later in 1973 and have not actually been with Supertramp for 40 years). It would seem that you would want to invite the other co-founder and the bass player of the classic line up for the 40th anniversary of the band. So, we’re really hoping it doesn’t create any confusion in the market place or mislead anyone into thinking that a 40th anniversary tour means a reunion tour with Roger Hodgson and Dougie Thompson. And with not inviting them, it seems it would have been more straightforward to simply call it a Supertramp tour”.
Hodgson is calling on Davies to reconsider the tour. “Roger thought he could join Supertramp for a few special concerts when he doesn’t have any scheduled shows, as a way to really give to the fans what they have been wanting for so long – to have him rejoin Supertramp,” the statement reads. “So, we suggested this to Rick and Sue Davies’ agent, but he told us adamantly that would “never happen,” that Rick and Sue didn’t want that and would refuse any such collaboration. He also said that Supertramp would have nothing to gain from Roger performing with them and that the only person that would benefit would be Roger. Of course, we disagree. We think both Supertramp and Roger would benefit, and of course who we would want to benefit the most would be the fans. In fact, the main reason Roger would want to do it is because he knows how much the fans would love to see him and Supertramp back together again. He wishes that Rick and Sue for the fans' sake would be cooperative for even a few special concerts”.
Roger Hodgson has just completed the most amazing solo tour of Australia with a set of nearly completely Supertramp. He performed the songs he wrote and sung. Supertramp without his voice is just not Supertramp.
Dougie Thompson works on the other side of the industry these days. He is the manager of rock band Disturbed.
Undercover.com.au
