Judging from the email, faxes and Crayola-scribbled notes tacked to our front gates, some of you think we should expand beyond the date-city-venue format that is carved in the stone upon which this company was founded in 1931. Some have the nerve to say that there are more important things in this world than the Shania Twain tour or the latest routing changes for Alice Cooper and Mana. Some even demand that we dump the concert listings and concentrate solely on current events and focus our expertise on the economy, international affairs and the ever-changing political landscape.

Nonsense.

For what better news can a Web site convey than REO Speedwagon playing in Pomona on September 28, or the listing of bands playing the WRZX XFest in Indianapolis? Tour dates contain all there is to know about the world and one need only examine the itineraries for Chicago or Andrea Bocelli in order to stay current with the events that transform our planet and lay the foundation for the future, otherwise known as that mystical frontier of “that which is yet to happen.”

Of course, we can’t speak for the other major media outlets, but ask yourself this – Will Peter Jennings tell you about Violent Femmes? Will Dan Rather run down the dates for Alien Ant Farm and Mudvayne while flashy graphics depicting tour buses and roadies are inserted upon your screen? Will Ted Koppel agree to be embedded in the upcoming X96 Big Ass Show? We think not.

When it comes right down to it, when the chips are down and it’s time to put all the cards on the table, you’ll have to agree that concert dates form the backbone upon which this great civilization called humanity is based. No matter what tomorrow brings, there will always be tour dates, whether it be for B.B. King, Little Feat or Alkaline Trio, forming the cohesive putty that wraps each and every one of us in a cheery embrace and love for our fellow men and women.

So, forget CBS, say goodbye to NBC and bid adios to CNN. If you don’t see it on Pollstar.com, you don’t need to know about it. It’s an ever-changing world out there, and this Web site, chock full of dates for Spyro Gyra, and Good Charlotte, is the only news information source you’ll ever want.

Well, that and the Fox News Network. After all, where else are you going to get the latest sports scores?