the 'greatest hits' end of the pier punk package show tour

...and while we are on the subject one thing that seems to becoming a thorn in the side of british (isles) punk is the 'vintage' bands annual greatest hits tour featuring no one but old, 're-formed for the tour' bands that in reality only contain one or, if your (un)lucky enough, two original members. this annual get together has started to look to all the world as being no different from those 1960's 'greatest hits packages' tours that get advertised in the daily mail and whose line up is usually a band remembered for their name only or if they are lucky, a 'hit' single, headlined by bands like 'the swinging blue jeans' or the band with the kicky leg geezer....freddie and the dreamers!
already the 1980's are going through the same dreary process with 80's revival tours featuring such pop gems as howard jones, visage and nick heyward, and we've also had 1970's revival tour's with the likes of alvin stardust and boney M headlining. "mum loved alvin, didnt ya mum".
Apart from endangering punk from becoming a part of this sad 'revival' curcuit and thus becoming nothing more than a nice annual seated event at the london pallidum, these 'mega' gigs do their own music scene a big disservice by not including more new and currant bands alongside them in the line ups giving these bands much needed and im sure grateful exposure. occasionally a new band will be picked to open the show, usually at the beginning when the gig is still empty except for a few people who are more interested in getting a few pints in before the bar fills up or those types who like to pose in the foyer, you know the type, go to a gig, plot up and dont even get up to look at whatever band is playing, not even for a minute.
if these package tours of old punk bands can pull in people numbering in the thousands then why is there so many great current bands (who must include the uk subs coz they never stopped, they may of slowed down of late but what with charlie harper's bus pass in sight i can forgive them, plus they never stopped writing new material) out there playing to audiences so small in comparison? true, ive seen new bands pack out venues but they have been venues that hold a thousand, or are just large pubs that hold hundreds at most.
if these 'first wave' bands are going to ride the new interest in punk then i say that it is time they gave back and added more new bands to their line ups, every time an oldie band plays a gig 'punters' notice them and go there and miss or ignore the ad/flyer of a gig by a smaller band and so lessens their audience numbers.
the time has come old timers, are you scared that you will be blown off stage by a younger and...dare i say it... better band. or are you so out of touch with your 'own scene' that you just dont know of any new bands ?
the punk scene can only benifit by the new and old/ish bands playing the same gigs together, it might even make that 'new track' that most old bands feel obliged to write sound a bit better, and a lot less like a 'busted meets green day' load of shit song that is common among the oldsters (mentioning no names) so c'mon chaps, how about giving the newer bands some space, and a chance.