Tour letter from Ray

A letter from Ray, David’s tour manager, to Christmas from the Heart attendees.

i just wanted to take a moment before the xmas tour starts to say hi to everyone – we are really happy to be touring and bringing david’s show to everyone around the country.

it is going to be a special tour and we are all really happy that we can bring the xmas spirit to you all. we are hoping to be able to accommodate everyone as much as we can, and hope that everyone has a really good time.

as usual, i look forward to seeing as many of you as i can – i apologize in advance if i sometimes seem short or too direct with anyone as we are running the tour.. i hope it is understood (or maybe the ones who have experienced it in the past can help make the newer fans understand) that i don’t mean to be rude or curt with anyone, it’s just that the circumstances of our work and the shows just sometimes make things difficult to do. i’ll be as polite, yet honest with all of you as i can, but when it comes to david and his fans the most important thing to me is safety for everyone.

the schedule that we are on for this entire month will be very difficult, being made even more difficult that it is the winter, with the potential of some harsh weather that hinders us – i ask please, that everyone be extremely careful when coming to the shows: i know many of you travel huge distances, to many shows, etc.. for your sakes and ours please travel safely, be mindful of the cold, etc..

i have a couple of requests that would make it easier for everyone, easier for us to accomplish what we need to do and will make things hopefully smoother, safer and enjoyable for everyone.

– please come to the venue properly dressed for being in the cold and come as close to the door times as possible so you don’t have to wait out in the cold, with children, etc.. we have made accommodating arrangements with several of the venues to move door times back, etc.. where it makes sense to do so and where it will help the audience get there and be able to get inside comfortably before the show starts. these shows are all sold as hard tickets with individual seats, no general admission so there is no benefit to arriving early and waiting in line – we won’t start until you are ALL in, i will make sure of that, so don’t worry.

– people that are arriving for the ILAA VIP parties will be checked in with kristin, as always. our daily schedule at the venue (and the types of venues that we are playing on this tour) is going to be very subjective and we ask for your patience with us as we try to get through all of our setup, in order to make the ILAA VIP party happen at a good time, etc.. you will be hearing from kristin with follow up info as we go along.

– i request that you do not bring your own cameras into the ILAA VIP parties / soundcheck – the uniqueness of the event and everything that happens there is exclusive to those people who are involved, and i think maintaining that, not having it appear on the web, etc.. keeps it that special for those that are there.

– i ask that everyone be very respectful and mindful of the fact that i need to maintain order, safety and civility at the venue. not all places are set up to handle people, especially outside the venue. if i make a request that people please move on, to go home, etc.. please respect our requests – and please let others around you know that; maybe those that aren’t on the fan sites, etc.. tell them about the reasoning behind it; that might make more sense to them and that it comes from people who really care about david.

– please no hanging out anywhere near any buses, trucks, etc… and to be respectful of people’s personal space. and very importantly: please discourage people that you see from doing things that are dangerous to themselves or others. common sense, and common courtesy for all.

if you all can keep these simple things in mind, spread the word where and to whom you can, i hope that it makes for a better experience for you all, as well as the understanding that i am very conscious of david’s health, well-being, etc.. we want to keep him healthy and able to perform to his best for everyone, every night..

have a great time and see you out there on the road.

ray

Amended version

ADDENDUM:

i was asked to make one more statement that hopefully clarifies something: we all need to be very aware of the susceptibility of everyone to the spread of the H1N1 flu virus and other illnesses. traveling as we do, coming in contact with a lot of different people all over the country, it would be irresponsible of us to not take precautions or safeguard ourselves against the possible contraction or spreading of this type of illness; and how devastating it could be to us successfully completing each and every show of the tour. that goes for david as well as our band and crew, since we all travel and work so closely together.

i ask that everyone be mindful of that susceptibility, to take every caution that you can to safeguard yourself at all times, and realize that in all of our touring situations, from how we travel, to the interaction that takes place at the ILAA VIP party, to the show itself, to what fans would like as far as access after shows to david – it is something that i take very seriously and want to protect against happening – BEFOREHAND rather than reacting to it after it has happened.

in that way i hope that you understand, and again can hopefully explain to others around you at the shows that maybe don’t follow these web sites; that there is a good reason why we put up the restrictions that we do and cannot satisfy all requests for access. this is also why i don’t make a blanket policy and why each show / venue is subjective and handled differently.

with that in mind as well, please make the consideration that if you are not feeling well and you are planning on attending the ILAA VIP, or you are coming to the show and are showing signs of illness – consider others. consider that you do not want to possibly spread or infect anyone and take the proper steps & precautions so you do not. and as badly as you would like to meet david, or members of his band, etc.. that you could potentially put anyone and everyone at risk – so please consider that.

kristin from ILAA will be making notice to everyone in attendance about this as well. i believe they have a refund policy for such things as all of the parties have sold out and i don’t believe they have the opportunity to do a make-up of it.

in that same vein, i think it would be a considerate thing to limit the amount of gifts & cards that are given to david on this tour, because of the domino effects of them. while they are very thoughtful gestures, people tend to bombard david with so many – his feeling of obligation to see everything, to respond, etc.. is a very taxing, time consuming chore that would be a good thing, if it didn’t take so much of his time, that could and should be used for rest. i assure everyone that david knows how much his fans love him and the receiving of a gift or a letter is very special to him – i just ask that if we could curtail the amount, the repetition, etc.. it would be a wise idea especially during a winter tour. as always, please give to david’s various charitable interests as a token and gesture.

i certainly don’t want anyone to feel that i am trying to ban or bar any kind of thoughtful note, or card, etc.. i just want everyone to make the consideration that it all adds up, and becomes a daunting task when you put them all together.

thanks again to everyone and thank you for understanding and helping us do this the best way possible.

ray