Farewell Tour Update

2003 will see Camel's farewell tour. CP has reported many times in the past that the cost and stress of tour production was becoming prohibitive. CP's most recent exerience has proven the point yet again. Camel will take the stage one last time during this Farewell Tour.

As we posted on our site previously, keyboardist Guy LeBlanc is unable to perform with Camel due to a family emergency. As a result, the European portion of Camel's originally scheduled tour has been postponed. That means tickets will remain on sale for the new dates which we hope to have from the venues in the near future. The rescheduled dates are aniticpated for October.

"Never give up. Never surrender" was the motto in the hilarious American movie GALAXY QUEST and what a good idea! We are absolutely thrilled to announce not one, but two keyboardist's who will ascend the stage with Camel on this Farewell Tour. But first, a little background on our recent activities..

USA TOUR: Although the European tour has been postponed, the USA portion of the tour is on schedule. As soon as it was certain Guy LeBlanc could not do the tour, Andrew Latimer shifted into high gear to find a replacment keyboard player. Andrew immediately contacted old friends Kit Watkins, Mickey Simmonds and Ton Scherpenzeel but all were previously engaged and Ton Scherpenzeel, like many people, has a mortal fear of flying. June is one of the busiest times for touring musicians. The short notice made the task that much more intense as it grew ever shorter. The role of Camel's keyboardist must be filled by a player with a wide range of ability and confidence. It is not an easy job. When Andrew Latimer telephoned Keyboard Player Magazine's New York editor for possible players, he promptly and strongly recommended Tom Brislin.

Oft referred to as a 'Whiz Kid', Tom Brislin, filled in for Rick Wakeman on the YES Symphonic tour and has also played with Meat Loaf since 1998. Young, but clearly wise beyond his years, Tom says "I was raised on bombastic '70's rock. My older brother and sisters would blast their Meat Loaf, Yes, ELP, Foreigner, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, etc. I was a 4-year old prog-kid".

Tom's busy schedule initially precluded him from doing the tour. But he is no stranger to 'challenges of the musical sort' and ultimately accepted, much to the delight of CP. His confident, easy-going manner has already created an atmosphere of sweet anticipation. On two dates, The Birchmere and the Atlanta Playhouse, Tom's own band 'Spiraling' will do a half-hour opening set so fans will have a special opportunity to see Tom in his multi-role capacity. You can also check Tom's web site at www.spiraling.net and do a search on www.google.com for some interesting pages on him. Aside from his obvious musical talent, Tom writes for Keyboard Player magazine.

Tom will not be able to tour with Camel beyond the previously scheduled dates for the USA. Thus, there will be no west coast dates in July as CP had hoped, but Tom may be able to return after the European tour to end the Farewell Tour on a high note with some solid west coast dates. Though not yet scheduled, CP will do all humanly possible to bring this about.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Alas, that brings us to the postponed European tour. We ended our last eBeast saying this could be a 'blessing in disguise'. At the time, this was little more than a feeble attempt to stay positive. Ticket sales were strong, and postponing dates is not just an inconvenience. The Orthez Festival could not be rescheduled due to it being just that, a festival. There are advertisements which must be changed. Rescheduling dates requires a magician's talent to avoid stressful and expensive routing problems if the venue availability (the "avails" as they call it in the booking industry) is poor and dates can't be cohesively scheduled as they were originally, e.g., playing two dates in Holland, then off to Spain, then back to Holland, etc. Worst of all, CP knew that many fans had made travel commitments that were nonrefundable. But we concluded our last eBeast with determined optimism. Little did we know at the time that Andrew Latimer would eventually inform us that Ton Scherpenzeel will join Camel for the European portion of this Farewell Tour! Ton has been extremely busy with his band 'Kayak' but it so happens that he has a long gap in October and so Ton will return to Camel for this tour. CP is energized with a current of almost tangible voltage. With no flying involved, the obstacle is removed. Andrew Latimer is looking forward to working with Ton again, telling CP "Ton is a great player and composer whom I've always respected and admired. It's great to have a chance to work with Tonnie again". This Farewell Tour will indeed be a special tour.

No specific dates are yet available but we will, of course, notify you as soon as they are. At present, the timeframe is looking like early October. CP cannot say if any new dates will be added nor if we will lose some of the original dates scheduled. We must all wait and see.

Source: Camel Productions

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