To the casual observer, the The Other Ones itinerary may seem like a list of cities and venues, but the individual show listings represent thousands of years of development, Darwinian survival of the fittest strategies and countless centuries of scientific progress. From Galileo to Col. Parker, from da Vinci to Clear Channel Entertainment, the entire history of mankind’s never-ending quest for knowledge can be summed up in simple, yet elegant notations such as the one depicting No Doubt playing Baltimore, Maryland, on October 24 (with Garbage in the middle slot and The Distillers opening). Boggles the mind, doesn’t it?

Just as the instant breakfast drink known as Tang! led to the Apollo moon landings, just as the ’50s pairing of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis led to the Sammy Hagar & David Lee Roth co-headline of 2002, concert schedules, whether for Bob Geldof, Teena Marie or Vanilla Ice, represent a deeper understanding of the eternal game of cosmic cause and effect than previously understood, or as Albert Einstein once said, “I cannot believe that God would choose to play dice with the routings for Gus Gus and Sheryl Crow.”

But now there are those who question the significance of the new tours. They claim that there are more important matters than assembling performance listings for Paul McCartney or The Rolling Stones. They cite a lackluster economy, the war on terrorism and the possibility of Mariah Carey making another movie as examples of the challenges that must be met before we can afford ourselves the luxury of pondering the esoteric thought processes behind the routings for Leftover Salmon and Lake Trout.

To that we say, “Hogwash!” For it has been proven time and time again those who speak out against our tour itinerary gathering ways often possess extremely large mouths, small brains, and miniscule reproductive organs. For how can we conquer world hunger, cure cancer and prevent Britney Spears from ticking off any more nations if we can’t understand ourselves? And where will that knowledge come from if not from the travel agendas for such artists as Jim Brickman and Chris Robinson?

In conclusion, the new tours represent more than shows, parking fees and service charges. Schedules for artists like Yes or The Allman Brothers Band represent the total summation of our knowledge of how nature works and mankind’s own place in this vast universe. It is the study of this infinite complexity known as the concert industry that helps us to understand the fragile ecosystem that is planet Earth. And while the great thinkers of the world never pretend to comprehend the full extent of this industry, we believe that even a small glimmer of its inner workings may provide the tools for peace and understanding, not to mention multiple Cher dates in major markets, that define civilization as we know it.