You got it all really.
I might add that the "best in the world" introduction seems a little ridiculous to me .. there are legions of good musicians out there, I bet many of them are people that no amiter and even MK has never heard of.. and playing exactly the same 15 songs every night for years and tours now doesn't really need a world class muso, it just needs someone with very good nerves...
To be fair, last tour the first half had some surprises and some small changes here and there, which, badass that I am, I thought of being or it looked like a contract clause maybe from one or the other band member.. I will only come to play with you when there is at least 10 or 12 new songs.. so MK, halfhearted, made a few changes... only a theory I had, don't kill me for this, please.
I remember the reason that all those Spain and France open air shows are not allowing extended soundchecks because of the overhearing people outside is pretty weak but it obviously nails it - so the set gets more and more static (and shorter) the closer we come to the end of the tour. However, . "World class Musicians" of this calibre should be able to be woken up at night, stand up and play anything...
This post of you schmonka, I say it again, is pretty much nailing it - and I found myself thinking during the last few weeks that the efforts AND costs of travelling to Dublin and Newcastle only to see the same Sh..t again is a pretty big undertaking for probably no surprises - but seeing all the other fans is a big compensation, really!! (I mean it!)
Also the album is not raising any too big expecations for me to be honest - it will be the usual stuff, the usual mixture of anything he has done before, no bold changes, no really exciting no ideas, and more and more most of the songs will sound like a mixture of already known stuff ("it sounds like .. a mixture of iron hand and Man's Too strong - guess"). I would be very happy to be surprised and contradicted by "Beryl", but here are not too high hopes..
Now that I think more of it, I could indeed add one important point to your list from my point of view:
The whole SEATING THING really annoys me very much.
It is just UNNATURAL to go to a show of an electric guitar player who used to be the head of Dire Straits and being forced to sit all the time.
No wonder that all those Spanish/French/Italian shows are so much more powererd with energy by the audience (one of the best 2013 shows (also the one of the shortest - see above) was the Lucca show which we were able to listen to on the radio.. great atmosphere.. Sitting of front of those bad bulls watching at you that you don't move, and then, since 2005 knowing that after Telegraph Road, you kindly are allowed to stand up a little is not exactly rock n' roll isn't it..
Phew. No, I am not selling my tickets, why are you asking?
LE
