Hi Everyone!! Special Shout Out To Chicago Orgers!!!

I, Like all of you am shocked to hear the news of John's daughter's passing. I was looking forward to the show on 6/30, but I don't mind waiting under the circumstances. At least I saw P Friday night 6/25 when he tore down Allstate Arena!!!

However long it takes P to get better is fine with me.

But what about John, I wonder if he will continue or will they find a replacement??

I had a 1987 P flashback!!!

How cool would it be if SHEILA E. Filled in for the remainder of the tour??? Just wishful thinking....

i have to wonder if john will be fit to go on for the remainder of the tour. if my child died, i think the last thing i'd be able to do is leave my wife alone with our other child.

~ smiles ~ Sheila E rocks ... but it would change the chemistry of the tour

would be interesting to see the difference from april atlanta show i saw

to aug shows in atlanta i am going to

if there IS a different drummer

peace, Mach

Tasteless thread!

The show MUST go on!

Agreed - totally uncalled for thread.

Very, very gross thread. Really disgusting. Thanks for making me feel like an asshole for reading it.

Many times musicians find comfort when tragedy strikes by...guess what? playing music. Any way, it's way gross to speculate on something like this, isn't it?

I'm sorry If anyone was offended by this thread.

What I meant was, no one can predict what John will decide to do. You do not know him personally, nor how an individual will react to tragedy.

If he finds comfort and solace through playing his heart out for the rest of the tour..I would be SO HAPPY.

But what if not, the show must go on right???

No offense guys.. really

I might question the good judgment behind this thread - maybe not the most tactful subject matter in the world - but I'll go to bat for jamiestarrgirl by saying i think she had the best intentions in posting this...in other words, try not to harsh on her too much, ya know?

It's not a tasteless thread. Grow up people.

It's a valid subject and away from the condolence threads (which would have been tasteless).

I would think Kirky may get a call.

popgodazipa said:

Why is this a tasteless thread?????
I am sitting here trying to figure it out?????

Don't you think that some time in the next few days PRINCE himself is going to have to ponder this same question.....
"What am I gonna do if John can't continue the tour????"
Everyone greives differently..... Some people can get over their pain quicker or hide behind their "Work".. ((ie: prince and baby gregory))
but others need time to regain theirselves and move on.....

BUT ~~~ This is a business..... Prince has contracts with Arena's and he may not be able to easily cancel them or postpone them

I am sure its going to be tough for Prince to go to John B. and ask this question.... but he may have to ask him if he thinks he will be ready to hit the tour again in Mid July.....
There is nothing TASTELESS about that... its a fact of life!!

If John wants to take some extra time off to be with his family (which is certainly understandable) then Prince and the band need some time to find a replacement and kinda teach him or her the ropes of the tour.....

Some of you guys are a bit thin skinned if you ask me..
Or a bit Anal Retentive!
Lighten up some ok.....

I think this was a very VERY valid thread... And thanks to who started it...
I am with you.....

It's possible that you couldn't pry him off stage now... some people react to tragedy by wanting to do nothing BUT work...

TedW said:

That is true too..... And if that is what makes him feel better and deal with it better then he should be on stage!
But fact still remains..... at some point he is going to have to tell Prince OR Prince is going to have to ASK him what he is going to do...
Simple.....

no one has taken into consideration the other band members as well as Prince. It's obvious that John B. is special when it comes 2 this band and would have some sort of affect if he no longer toured! I can only imagin what the dude is thinking rite now. Let's all just chill and c what happens.
All I can say is that out of all the concerts I have been 2, John B. has been the nicest NPG band member 2 date! I mean he has no problem interacting with the audience after a show. Cool dude he is! So sad! I hope he stays and I would incourage him 2 do so!

Everyone processes things differently. I don't think this is a tasteless thread... it's just from a different mindset than many. But whoever said it was right when they posetd that despite this tragic loss, the show must go on. For some, that could be a way of processing what happened.

It's all about your personality. I'm a mother who can't even imagine losing my little girl. But I also work in the media so my reaction to death is different from others.

Let's cut each other some slack and recognize that people are different. I don't think there's anyone here who doesn't feel for John or his family right now.

i don't think this is an intenionally distasteful thread. perhaps the that sits next to the heading is tacky but i think this is a natural question. there are already enough condolence threads...how many need to be created? i think it is ok to talk about how this may or may not effect the tour. maybe sans the excitement, though.

I've already given my condolences and prayers, so I think that this is a valid question. No one will be upset if he takes time off to grieve, but the show must go on. I'd like to see Michael B come back if his schedule permits.

get a grip fools

those that think so - if you think this thread is so tasteless you mustnb't have much to begin with if that is all it takes to make you feel "totally disgusted"

it is a valid question to ask

it's not like we called up blackwell at his home and asked him ..

"So who's gonna replace ya?"


again - get a grip

jamiestarrsgirl said:

Hi Jamiestarrsgirl (this is my second time typing this post, because the first one didn't register, for some reason),

I didn't think your post was tasteless, at all. Just speculative. No matter what John does, it's the right thing. Some people jump back into their work to forget their pain, and others just want to be around their loved ones and mourn. There's no "wrong" way to grieve.

John was the best drummer I've ever seen (you should see what I wrote about him in my gigantic article -- still unposted, hoping for pics of the 6/18 concert). I said that he was nearly as essential to the Musicology tour as Prince, himself. That's no small compliment.

I don't think Sheila E. would fit the style of this concert. The two have entirely different ways of playing, and I think that John's is far more effective, powerful, raw and awe-inspiring.

If he chooses to go on with the show, and bang those drums like he's been doing, more power to him! If he chooses to sit out the rest of the tour, more power to him! There's no right and there's no wrong in a personal crisis like this. And John could never be replaced. But neither could his daughter, and that's a hurt most of us have never gone through. He needs to deal with it in his own time and in his own way.

Luv & Peace,
Alex
http://www.juicycerebellum.com

Prince would not replace John. If John decides he cannot go on, maybe the shows would not go on, either. In the grand scheme of things, a Prince concert in comparison to losing a child means nada.

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

I seriously doubt this. Prince kept going when his own child died and I can't imagine that he would give up the 30 or 40 million dollars he stands to earn from the rest of this tour because of John. Friendship is one thing but a lot of people would be affected if the tour didn't continue.

lovemachine said:

A lot of people like who, lovemachine?

The tour WILL continue. As noted above Prince didn't even stop for the death of his own child. Whether or not John will be the drummer is probably up to him. Yes, some musicians find solace in their music. People have experienced such tragedies and then returned to work. That's how some cope. Others might want to "bunker" with the family and stay home. His choice, his life, his call. Prince won't make it for him unless he becomes unable to do his job.

But either way Prince will stay on the road. Guarantee!

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

The stagehands, the bandmembers, the truckdrivers, busdrivers, etc.

Do you think Prince just shows up and is ready to go?

lovemachine said:

Oh, that's who you meant. I thought you meant us fans.

popgodazipa said:

so true. Can't we just not talk "tour, concerts" for awhile? Let the Blackwell family mourn and heal. THAT INCLUDES PRINCE. I'm sure that he is very close to the family and his support is much needed.....

When Bono's dad passed away towards the end of the european tour back in 2001 they decided to go on and U2 performed some of their most emotional shows ever! I think that it's up to John Blackwell.

SassyBritches said:

I don't have kids but I have to agree w/you...the tour would be the LAST thing on my mind.

jamiestarrsgirl said:

I didn't mean to harsh on you so much, I was just all upset by the news and all. I hear what you're saying, I just think it's not really cool to talk about it the very second you hear about the poor girl's passing. I don't know, this has hit me rather hard and I can't even begin to imagine the grief that John and his family are going through. He's a really sweet guy and such a talented drummer, and he's got such a great smile....it's truly a tragedy.

ivdf said:

I hear what you're saying. Not that I've had either event happen to me but from what I've seen the death of a parent can be traumatic, but the death of a child is an entirely different beast. A parent is not supposed to bury their child.