I haven't posted about KK's departure in more than two weeks. Why? Because the discussion is over for me. KK out: fine, Richie in: fine. KK and the band have probably thought about this for months, so there ain't no way he's going to make a surprise return. A reason that causes someone to retire from his very own band after forty years is not something he'll forget about in a couple of weeks and say "hey guys, mind if I join back?". Of course I, like every other fan, have that little hope that one day he'd come back, but that's something I know to be as likely as winning millions in a national lottery. Unlike some I'm not pointing out any fingers to whom should be held responsible for this turn of events: maybe it was the management, maybe they did argue about Nostradamus or money or some other shit, or maybe KK just doesn't want to do it anymore. But who the fuck knows? Knowing the true reason wouldn't make the situation any better than it is now.
Yeah, it could have been handled better and they could have announced the thing earlier, but I certainly wouldn't have wanted to hear in February just after I bought the tickets that "yeah so KK ain't coming along and we might not tour at all because we still aren't sure about a replacement, sorry for the inconvenience and leaving you in doubt for the next few months". At least now we know what the band is going to do, even if it was slapped on our faces. Yeah, it sucks with the farewell tour and all, but it's not the end of the world. There's still four old members you can say goodbye to, and KK is so exceptionally easy to contact that you can easily say your goodbye to him as well. Maybe you can't give him a goodbye in a concert but the idea is still the same, it might lack some feeling but that's life, it's not good all the time.
Those who think that the band's over for them when one member is replaced, especially when it's a key member, fine. Move on, listen to the old albums and watch the old DVDs, don't buy the new album and don't buy tickets for the new tour. But don't start bitching about it to us who still wan't to support the band. And especially don't say that everything Priest will do in the future will be crap if you haven't yet heard a single song where Richie plays with Priest. Who knows, it might turn a lot better than people are expecting.
Believe me I was just as much shocked about the news as everyone else, in fact I mourned all the way through 20th April when I heard this. KK was probably my most favourite member of the band and I still like him, largely due to the fact that he's so positive, easy to contact, and has kept his feet on the ground. Not saying that the other members are the opposite, but there's a little percent of something in KK that makes him my favorite slightly more than other members. I'm still supporting both the band and KK, there's no way even a serious matter like this would change that. If life gives you lemons, eat them of at least make some fucking juice out of them, don't just throw them away and let them rot.
I'm sure that many will disagree with the above text. But hey, everyone's entitled to opinion, and I don't think I attacked anyone in my post. In fact I think that I'll ignore this thread just to make sure I don't start arguing with someone, because there is not one correct opinion about this one.
Edited at: Monday, May 09, 2011 3:27:41 PM |
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