[Note: this post was originally published in early 2010.]
One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is “When are you/TFF going to play a concert in [insert town near you here]? You have so many fans here! Why are you ignoring us?”
It’s certainly not because we’re trying to avoid you or your city or country, or that we don’t realize we have loads of fans in your neck of the woods (if indeed it’s the case that we do). The truth is that it comes down to economics and timing.
About the economics: whether it’s a full Tears for Fears show or even one of my considerably more stripped-down solo gigs, presenting a concert requires travel and accommodation for a number of people (musicians and road crew) and the transport of a bunch of instruments, sound and lighting gear.
In order for it to make economic sense for us to play a date, there has to be an offer from a promoter (or a club booker, usually, in the case of my solo shows) that means we don’t end up spending more money to get to and play the show than we’re going to get in return.
That’s one of the reasons we try to cluster tour dates in a given geographic area: the U.S. west coast last summer; Australia, New Zealand and southeast Asia this April-May; and the U.S. east coast this summer.
It makes financial sense, if we’re playing in Northern California, to also do Southern California and Las Vegas. It almost never makes sense to take all that equipment and a dozen or more people and hopscotch all about the country or do a standalone show. A notable exception would be the Tears show in Los Angeles last March; we were all in town rehearsing for the April-May tour anyway, so it makes good sense to do a date here while we’re at it.
And about timing: I’ve made a commitment to myself and my family that I won’t ever spend more than a few weeks away from them, even when on tour. (I’ve done the touring-for-a-year-nonstop thing more than once, and believe me, I’ve no inclination to repeat it.) So any tour has to be set up such that I can come home for a bit after a few weeks, or that we have enough of a break while on the road for my family to join me for a few days.
So those are the primary reasons, if we haven’t toured near you recently, that we haven’t done so. That being said, we’re musicians and enjoy performing. I expect TFF will continue to tour – and that I’ll play solo shows closer to my Los Angeles home – for as long as folks want to hear us play. Maybe not exactly where or when some of you might like, but we’ll do our best as the economics and timing allow. In a nutshell, please understand that we have families and have to make a profit, otherwise we can’t continue to do what we do. It may seem glamorous but we have to think of our families (emotionally and financially). Personally, spending time with my kids will always be more important than touring, I’m just doing the best I can 
Hope this explanation helps…
Papa S.
EZEZEZ
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