Should the Outlaws tour without Hughie

[cofi]

Slaphead posted this in the "Outlaws The Band" thread, but i think it should have it's own thread.

Slaphead wrote------------------>

For anyone who is interested, the latest rumour circulating on freebyrd.org is that Henry Paul and Monte Yoho are planning to tour as the Outlaws.

There is a big debate going on over there as to the pro's and con's.

Personally speaking, it seems to be a bit cynical if it is true.

Jim

[cofi]

IMO It wouldn't be the "Outlaws" without Hughie singing, or without his excellent guitar playing,
So OK both of these guy's where in the Outlaws, and Henry was and did write and sing some in they're first four album's. (and a good job he did as well)
But IMO, The "Outlaws" without Hughie in it, isn't the "Outlaws", it could only be a sort of tribute band to Hughie and the "Outlaws". a damn good one but still not the "Outlaws" for IMO, Hughie had charisma and the stage presence to lead the band,

Also this is just a rumor RIGHT, and might never happen, and i would think that Henry and Monte are way too busy with The "Henry Paul Band" and "Brothers of The Southland" "Blackhawk"

[jesse]

First of all, remember Henry QUIT the Outlaws in late 2005 after the initial reunion tour and repeated claims that he was "in it for the long haul". It always bugged me that whenever Henry returned to the band, their live show became 1/2 about HIM and if there weren't enough Outlaws 'hits" for him to sing, Hughie and the band would learn some Henry Paul Band material so that Henry and Hughie were singing the same amount of songs. Doesn't matter that Henry was only a part of the Outlaws for 4 of their 12 albums .

That said, my opinion is this: Hughie put together the current lineup for the long haul. He could've easily went with noname journeymen musicians just looking for a name band to put on their resumee, but instead he went with original drummer Monte Yoho, long time drummer David Dix and '80's Outlaws guitarist Chris Anderson. He also chose bassist Randy Threet over former members for his vocal abilities so that justice could be done to the old songs. Hughie and the band worked collectively on an album of new material. Again, this wasn't a Hughie Thomasson project with side musicians, the band as a whole worked together and Anderson and Threet evn wrote and sang some songs for it. In order for consistancy of the album, Hughie even delayed release so that he could re-record 3 songs that were done early in the reunion with Henry Paul and keyboardist David Robbins because those songs no longer sounded like his current Outlaws. Release was also delayed because Hughie wanted to get the right record label to get behind the thing and promote it. In other words, he wasn't just releasing an album to give Outlaws fans some new material, he was releasing an album in hopes of making some noise on the music scene again.

Knowing all that, I believe Hughie put too much work into the latest version of the Outlaws to let it die with him. While I agree that the Outlaws without Hughie just isn't the Outlaws per se, I think it would be more of an insult to Hughie to let all his hard work go down the drain. Plus, the Outlaws were 4 other talented players besides Hughie......and HE knew it!

My solution.......and I expressed this on the old Outlaws board before it shut down too......is this: Monte, David, Chris and Randy get together with another guitar player and singer (I doubt they could find just ONE person to both play and sing Hughie's parts, he was one of a kind) and do one last tour to promote the new CD. The setlists should be made up of mostly the new material with maybe "There Goes Another Love Song" , "Ghost Riders" and "Hurry Sundown" thrown in. "Green Grass And High Tides" should end the set, but be done instrumentally, like Skynyrd used to do with "Freebird". "You Are The Show" could maybe be done as an encore song with a backdrop of Hughe's image lit up behind them as they play.

This is the only way I can forsee a "dignified" non-Hughie Outlaws tour. It would only be to promote the new album which Hughie worked so hard for. If the tour and album are a huge success, I guess it would be the band's call whether or not to continue. More likely, the album will flop and the tour will be only a moderate success. In that, more likely event, i say after the tour, they put the Outlaws name to rest forever, but at least this way they can say that they made a legitamate attempt to realize the dreams Hughie had for this band.

That's MY opinion.

[cofi]

Jesse, i agree with a lot of what you are saying here,

The idea that you put forward for a band to be made up of such musicians, to go out as the"Outlaws" and to do a tour, so as to promote the new album, and also in Honour of Hughie and all the hard work that he and the rest of the band had put in to the album, is a very good idea,
To do that kind of tour to promote the album would be OK IMO.

But i don't think it would be a good idea for them to go out long term, as the "Outlaws" with said musicians & Henry fronting it, IMO.

For me it would be like, if something happend to Dave Gilmore of Pink Floyd, and they decided to carry on, and go out with another Singer+guitarist (and i don't mean Waters) to tour , and to promote the new album they had, and they still called them selfs Pink Floyd,
They could never be P F without Gilmore. because of Dave's sound and his voice, and i feel the same way about the "Outlaws", because without Hughie's voice and his tone and style of playing, it would not be them.
I'd feel it would be like an "Outlaws" tribute band,

But that's my opinion.

Dont throw them stones to hard

[slaphead]

Cheers cofi

I wondered about where to post the thread, and decided to post on "Outlaws The Band".

I realise that at the moment it's just a rumour, but like a lot of other people I think that the Outlaws without Hughie is not the Outlaws.

Hank left the re-union in 2006, leaving the band to carry on without him. Why did he suddenly decide to return?

Monte, David, Chris and Randy should be be the ones going out to promote the cd, because they and Hughie (I am surmising here), were most involved in the making of the cd.

Jim

[sparky]

I had heard some whispers about this, i just put it down to someone starting a rumor, or wishful thinking,

Well to me music is all about having a good time, and if it's good music, like the Outlaws music is, i'd surely go and see them,
Even If it is Henry as the front man with the boy's, Monte, David, Chris and Randy and maybe Billy Crain on the guitar.
Also there's a CD in the can, and maybe this is one of the reasons that they arnt releasing it at this moment in time
I say anything to keep the music alive,

Though it would be strange seeing the Outlaws without Hughie,

[slaphead]

Well, the rumours appear to be true.

Ticketmaster are advertising this

THE OUTLAWS
W/HENRY PAUL + MONTE YOHO
BB KING BLUES CLUB/GRILL
237 W. 42ND ST. 7-8 AVE.
SAT MAR 1 2008 8:00PM

Sorry, but to me it stinks.

[punk]

Sorry guys, I gotta disagree. I say yes. Imagine if the Allman Bothers decided to call it quits after Duane died.
We would have missed out on all those great artists (and music) that took his place. including,
Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, Jack Pearson, Derek Trucks, and yes even Zakk Wild, (Talk about a marriage made in hell, LOL) etc. 30 some years later, the ABB are still selling out.

I like the line up Sparky mentions. Yeah, I'd pay to see them.

Even If it is Henry as the front man with the boy's, Monte, David, Chris and Randy and maybe Billy Crain on the guitar

Just my .02. Don't hate me.

[slaphead]

No probs punk.

I can understand what you are saying, but I think that it is happening too soon.

There have been no news releases as to line-up, nor any advertising.

Surely, genuine fans could have been informed via the website.

Or maybe David, Chris and Randy are being sidelined and they don't want the line-up to be known until too late.

Perhaps this is the biggest conspiracy theory since JFK - to quote Keith Urban.

One thing I know is HP and MY aren't helping themselves.

[jesse]

At the risk of starting a flame war, I'm going to state for the record that I'd be LESS inclined to check out the Outlaws with Henry Paul back in the band. He LEFT them......THREE TIMES! He could very well have the best intentions, but to me (and others, I'm sure), it would come across as, "Oh goodie! The Outlaws are MINE now".

I'd prefer they get someone we've never heard of.

Fire away!