reality check

[wss]

you know, it's interesting to me how many of you feel that mmj owe you this or that.  i understand that we are all fans of the band and we all feel like they are special, but how many of us on here actually know them?  

while i don't disagree that their message was a bit impersonal, you should also consider that it said jim is suffering from complications due to pneumonia.  every time i've heard that it generally means it's fairly serious.  also, though you all seem to have taken offense that the promoters for the shows emailed you first regarding the cancellations, you should also consider that they are the ones with the larger investment here and therefore should have been notified first.  imagine how they would feel if they read that their shows had been canceled on the band's website!  it's hard to balance getting all that information out and if they screwed it up by a day - is that really so bad in the grand scheme of things?

part of being a fan is that it's a fairly one-sided relationship.  when you cross that line into personally expecting a band to do something for you, well...  i know that the band wouldn't be here without its very dedicated fans and i know they've blown out a lot of european shows, but...  if you all know them as well as you seem to, wouldn't you know that they aren't cavalier about things like that?  if you're a real fan who genuinely cares about them, wouldn't you rather wish jim well, hope they'll come back, continue to enjoy their music and that's that.  anything else just seems incredibly selfish.

[Easy Morning Rebel]

part of being a fan is that it's a fairly one-sided relationship.  when you cross that line into personally expecting a band to do something for you, well...  i know that the band wouldn't be here without its very dedicated fans and i know they've blown out a lot of european shows, but...  if you all know them as well as you seem to, wouldn't you know that they aren't cavalier about things like that?  if you're a real fan who genuinely cares about them, wouldn't you rather wish jim well, hope they'll come back, continue to enjoy their music and that's that.  anything else just seems incredibly selfish.

Of course you have right. and of course I'm disappointed because of the european tour, but I do wish more that Jim's recover because if he's not there certainly wouldn't be more albums or concerts. So of course, I do care!

and as an end: the human being is the most selfish and egoistic creature on earth. mankind is evil!

[midwesterner]

I completely disagree witht he idea that being a fan is one sided.  I don't expect anything from any band but I do think that bands need their fans and the groups that treat their fans well are the one that have long and great careers.  I have always thought MMJ cared about theirs fans and I still do.  

[aMillionDreams]

I completely agree with wss.  mmj DOES care about their fans, more than most bands do.  It was understandable to be upset before news of Jim's sickness hit the forum but now some people are just being pig-headed and mean about the situation.  Truth is you all don't know how sick Jim is and it doesn't seem like you care.  I think we could use a little perspective on this.  Thanks for the reality check

[aMillionDreams]

Also, I know for a fact that Jim was sick the night of the show at the Palace but he toughed it out for us.  I don't know this for sure but the possibility exists that his condition was further complicated because he didn't want to cancel that show.  This might not appease some of the European fans, but it should show you that he cares and that we could show a little more compassion for his situation.

[wellfleet]

to further the reality checking... let us not forget that people still DIE from pneumonia and that it's not called the silent death for nothing. pneumonia is not a bad cold, it's not a nasty cough, it's not solved by a trip to wallgreen's and some TLC. if he's sick enough to cancel an entire tour, the kvetchers would be well served to realize that this could be a heck of a lot more serious than the band's statement lets on. be hard for them to tour with a dead lead singer!