Why have a tour, anyway? Take a look at Van Morrison, at his early 70s he have concerts everywhere all the time without army of soldiers preparing the stage, million of concerts in a row, ect. And he visit unusual places, festivals, new towns every time. I especially love when he do shows in smaller venues. Yes, tickets are pricy, but not to the point of not going there.
Recently I was in Barcelona on Van Morrison's show, it was a festival under clear sky on the sea shore, not exactly a small venue, but he was relaxed and as smooth as a man can be. Forget about "tours", just go out there and play music! Like Sir Paul McCartney, like Sir Van Morrison. Maybe we should knight Mark so he will do the same for us? Oh, the Queen should do this, okay...
Why an album should be an excuse to play live, anyway? I'm a bit of tired of his standard "recording—album—tour" schedule, because when people say things like "it was his worst tour" you know something isn't right. Either that or I'm really afraid of the "New Album Name" Tour.