TL;DR
Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera says Brian Eno turned down an invitation to join the band’s 2022 reunion and 50th-anniversary tour because he had stopped flying for environmental reasons. Eno has not made a statement about the decision in the cited report, and Manzanera’s account does not establish whether Eno avoided air travel in every circumstance.
Brian Eno turned down an invitation to join Roxy Music’s 2022 reunion and 50th-anniversary tour because he had stopped flying for environmental reasons, guitarist Phil Manzanera said in an interview with Vulture. The account offers a reason for Eno’s absence from the band’s first tour in years, though Eno has not commented in the cited report.
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Manzanera recalled that the group wanted Eno, a founding member who left Roxy Music in 1973, to take part in the 2022 dates. “In true Eno fashion he said, ‘I’m not flying anymore for environmental reasons,’” Manzanera told Vulture. He added: “I’ll choose to believe it. He’s the same guy I met in 1971.”
The tour was presented as a reunion, a celebration of the band’s 50th anniversary and a farewell run. Eno did not join the touring lineup. The new account comes from Manzanera’s recollection, shared during an interview connected to the release of Roxy Music’s For Your Pleasure Super Deluxe Edition.
Eno later performed live again, undertaking his first solo tour in 2023. According to the report, its dates were in the UK and Europe. That information alone does not confirm how he travelled between venues, or establish whether he has continued to avoid flying.
A Tour Invitation Declined on Principle
Manzanera’s account adds a personal explanation to Eno’s absence from a reunion that brought Roxy Music back on the road in 2022. It also shows how an environmental commitment, as described by a bandmate, may shape decisions about touring and travel. For a tour involving an established British band, participation could mean crossing distances that are difficult to cover without air travel.
The detail carries an added resonance because Eno is closely associated with Ambient 1: Music for Airports, his 1978 ambient album. That title is a cultural reference, not evidence about his travel habits; the news here rests on Manzanera’s specific account of the tour invitation. The report does not give enough information to establish the broader scope or duration of Eno’s decision.
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Eno’s Roxy Music History
Roxy Music formed in the early 1970s, with Eno among its original members. He left the band in 1973, while Manzanera remained its guitarist. The 2022 tour reunited the surviving band lineup for a run linked to the group’s 50th anniversary and described as a farewell tour.
Eno’s 2023 solo tour followed his decision not to take part in those dates. The source report says all its performances were in the UK and Europe, but does not provide a travel itinerary or confirm which transport he used. The latest report arose from Manzanera discussing the expanded edition of For Your Pleasure, Roxy Music’s second album.
““I’m not flying anymore for environmental reasons.””
— Phil Manzanera, speaking to Vulture
What Eno Has Not Confirmed
The cited account comes from Manzanera; the report does not include a direct statement from Eno confirming the reason he declined or describing his current travel practices. It is not clear whether he stopped flying altogether, whether the decision applied only to particular trips, or how long it has been in place.
The 2023 tour’s UK and European dates do not show how Eno travelled between them. The available information also does not establish whether he has since flown, or whether other practical considerations contributed to his decision about the Roxy Music tour.
Further Comment Could Clarify
No additional comment from Eno is included in the report, and no further Roxy Music tour plans are identified in the source material. The immediate next step for clarity would be a direct account from Eno about whether environmental concerns led him to stop flying and how that affected his decision in 2022.
Until then, Manzanera’s interview remains the reported basis for the explanation. Any claims about Eno’s travel after the 2022 invitation should be treated as unconfirmed unless supported by further statements or reporting.
Key Questions
Why did Brian Eno decline Roxy Music’s 2022 tour?
Phil Manzanera said Eno told him he was no longer flying for environmental reasons. Eno has not independently confirmed the explanation in the cited report.
Did Brian Eno perform with Roxy Music on the tour?
No. Manzanera said the band wanted Eno to join the 2022 dates, but he declined the invitation.
Did Eno stop touring after turning down the invitation?
No. The report says he undertook his first solo tour in 2023, with dates in the UK and Europe. It does not say how he travelled.
Has Eno confirmed that he no longer flies?
Not in the cited report. The explanation is attributed to Manzanera’s recollection of their conversation about the 2022 tour.
Source: consequence.net
