You're right. We've gone away from the original theme. I don't mind that myself but some do, so I'll keep this bit brief. I definitely did not see Nick Drake and can't recall seeing John Martyn either. And, though we still buy a Film Guide from time to time, I don't find them as comprehensive or as "accurate" in their assessments as used to be the case. Barry Norman of THE RADIO TIMES , though not always "accurate" in the sense of my own taste, comes pretty close much of the time. That's me done off-theme.
In terms of playing certain countries or not, it is down to a lot of factors - potential ticket sales, exchange rates, trustworthiness of local promoters, support or lack of it from local authorities, security considerations, level of corruption and so on and so on. Any tour organizer would have to weigh these things up.
Does anyone happen to know if PCM actually organize the tours directly or do they work through a booking agency?
Dylan, for example (with the exception, sometimes, of festival shows and the odd one-off show), has tended to use one agency to put together his tours in Europe and they, in turn, liaise with local agents in the various countries. A number of possible itineraries is usually prepared and Dylan's own people then choose the preferred option with the one agency that coordinated it all.
