TL;DR
Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera says Brian Eno declined an invitation to join the band’s 2022 reunion and farewell tour because he no longer flies for environmental reasons. Eno later toured in the UK and Europe, but the available report does not establish how he traveled or whether he has stopped using air travel altogether.
Brian Eno declined Roxy Music’s 2022 reunion and farewell tour because he was no longer flying for environmental reasons, guitarist Phil Manzanera said in a recent interview. Manzanera’s account offers a reason for Eno’s absence from the band’s 50th-anniversary-era dates, though Eno has not been quoted directly in the report.
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Manzanera discussed Eno’s decision in an interview with Vulture connected to the release of a super deluxe edition of Roxy Music’s For Your Pleasure. He said the band had wanted Eno to join them for what was presented as one last time. According to Manzanera, Eno replied that he was no longer flying for environmental reasons.
Manzanera added that he chose to believe Eno and described him as the same person he had met in 1971. His recollection is the source for the explanation; the report does not include a separate statement from Eno confirming the conversation or setting out the scope of his decision about flying.
Eno did perform live again after the Roxy Music tour. His first solo tour took place in 2023, with dates in the UK and Europe, according to the report. Those locations do not establish how he traveled between them, and they do not confirm whether he has avoided all air travel since declining the Roxy invitation.
Eno’s Absence From the Reunion
Eno’s decision explains why a key former member was not part of a tour framed around Roxy Music’s reunion and 50th anniversary. His departure from the group in the early 1970s preceded its later career, but he remains closely associated with its early period. His participation would have reunited him with Manzanera and other bandmates onstage.
The account also connects a touring decision to an environmental boundary, rather than to a reported disagreement with the band. That distinction matters: Manzanera said the reason Eno gave was his refusal to fly, but neither the interview excerpt nor the report establishes further details about Eno’s travel policy or whether other practical options were discussed.
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From Roxy Music to Solo Dates
Eno was a member of Roxy Music during the group’s early years and left in 1973. The 2022 dates brought the band back together for a tour described in the report as a reunion, 50th-anniversary celebration and farewell tour. Manzanera’s comments came years later, in an interview tied to the expanded reissue of the band’s 1973 album For Your Pleasure.
Eno’s 2023 solo tour shows that he returned to live performance after declining the Roxy dates, but the available account says only that the shows were in the UK and Europe. It does not specify his transport arrangements. The report also notes Eno’s public environmental and political activity, but those activities do not independently verify Manzanera’s account of the 2022 exchange.
“I’m not flying anymore for environmental reasons.”
— Phil Manzanera, speaking to Vulture
What Eno Has Not Confirmed
The report relies on Manzanera’s recollection; it does not provide a direct comment from Eno confirming the exchange. It is also unclear whether Eno’s statement meant he had stopped flying entirely, was unwilling to fly for this particular tour, or was describing a broader policy with exceptions.
Although Eno toured in the UK and Europe in 2023, the source does not say how he reached each venue. No travel records or additional details are provided, so the tour’s locations alone cannot establish whether he avoided flights.
Further Comment Could Clarify
The report does not identify a planned follow-up from Eno or Manzanera. Any direct statement from Eno, or further details from Manzanera about the conversation, could clarify whether the decision applied only to the Roxy Music dates or reflected a continuing refusal to fly.
For now, the confirmed development is limited to Manzanera’s account of why Eno turned down the invitation. The travel arrangements for Eno’s later solo tour and the extent of his current position on flying remain unconfirmed in the source material.
Key Questions
Why did Brian Eno turn down Roxy Music’s 2022 tour?
Phil Manzanera said Eno declined because he was no longer flying for environmental reasons.
Did Brian Eno confirm the explanation himself?
The report gives Manzanera’s recollection of their exchange; it does not include a direct confirmation from Eno.
Did Eno perform live after the Roxy Music tour?
Yes. The report says Eno held his first solo tour in 2023, with dates in the UK and Europe.
Is it known how Eno traveled on his 2023 tour?
No. The report identifies the tour locations but does not describe his transport between dates.
Source: consequence.net
