MP's Shattered Fortress Tour

[svend_inge]

Why all the passive aggressive negativity? Who cares about remarks posted by X or Y on social media about situation Z? 
Let the music and the performance speak for itself!

Go enjoy the show. It is absolutely fantastic. I have been at the concerts in London and Malmö and can testify that the experience is very special and extraordinary. At both concerts, people have been singing and dancing from the beginning to the end. 

[FOXAN03]

Why all the passive aggressive negativity? Who cares about remarks posted by X or Y on social media about situation Z? 
Let the music and the performance speak for itself!

Go enjoy the show. It is absolutely fantastic. I have been at the concerts in London and Malmö and can testify that the experience is very special and extraordinary. At both concerts, people have been singing and dancing from the beginning to the end. 

THIS!!

[BelichickFan]

Why all the passive aggressive negativity? Who cares about remarks posted by X or Y on social media about situation Z? 

No-one here is being passive aggressive.  They're being very open about the fact that Portnoy is being a childish ass; in fact Portnoy is the one being passive aggressive.

It's great that everyone is enjoying the shows.  Seriously, I'm happy to hear that.  But Portnoy still has issues that he won't be Finally Free from after these shows.

[King Postwhore]

Why all the passive aggressive negativity? Who cares about remarks posted by X or Y on social media about situation Z? 
Let the music and the performance speak for itself!

Go enjoy the show. It is absolutely fantastic. I have been at the concerts in London and Malmö and can testify that the experience is very special and extraordinary. At both concerts, people have been singing and dancing from the beginning to the end. 

You make me giggle.

[ToT-147]

At least there's fan footage of this tour, unlike TA.

But there is.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHswFwb-yj0

Lot of it actually..

[axeman90210]

A few cringeworthy retweets today of people talking about how these Shattered Fortress shows are showing the soul/spark of DT left with Mike. I still don't think some of the comments a few pages back were a big deal, but there's no defending some of his more recent social media activity.

Still looking forward to the NYC Shattered Fortress show

[Zook]

Looking forward to the retweets of people bashing James again.

So classy, Mr Portnoy is.

[KevShmev]

I stand by the Trump comparison, especially in regards to his hardcore fans. Go read some of the FB comments by his fans and it's some warped, crazy shit.  Yikes.

[efx]

I thought he has handled the post DT situation poorly for almost 7 years now but that hasn't stopped me from enjoying some of the stuff he's done since. But things like this is just making it hard for me to want to support his endeavors going forward even thought I had little to no interest in the Shattered Fortress stuff to begin with.

[Mladen]

And people are still wondering why the DT guys never address the whole Portnoy thing. If one of them spoke about it, MP would be the first one to comment, tweet or whatever and there would be yet another drama. They know they'll be dragged into something they don't need.

[Zook]

Maybe them not talking about it is what MP considers drama.

[millahh]

Maybe them not talking about it is what MP considers drama.

My guess/inference is that he's decided that he doesn't like the terms of the legal agreements that went along with him leaving the band, and he's viewing DT's unwillingness to renegotiate as "drama", because those agreements stand in the way of him doing what he would like to do.

[kaos2900]

I said it a few threads back that I basically have the same opinion of MP and Trump. Love their work ethic (mostly), hate their presence on social media. MP has acted like a petulant child ever since he left DT. Again, I wouldn't pay to see this show since I'm convinced it's only being done to feed his ego and slight DT.

[Stadler]

Love all the judgment (NOT).   LaBrie went out of his way to bash Mike when the breakup happened (calling him a control freak; claiming what he did in the band wasn't that special or hard; that the band would each take up the slack and do all that Mike did; saying that the real front man could be a front man now; etc.).  They also were at each others throats for years before.    Why this is all of a sudden a huge deal is beyond me. 

As for the songs, it was talked about before; there's a difference between playing a one-off of, say, "Pull Me Under" in a concert (like the PMS thing) and a more formal production (which this is).  As long as the license fees are paid (and if I remember correctly, they are by the venue as a blanket thing) there are likely no restrictions.   But that's not the same as staging an entire event as a "Night of Dream Theater".    David Gilmour plays songs from "The Wall" in his show, and besides the carping in the press by Roger Waters, no one can really say anything about it.   I would bet my Gene Simmons coffee mug that Gilmour cannot, under any circumstances, stage a production of "The Wall" in it's entirety.   

Here's the thing, though:  for all the (in my opinion, off base) assertions that Mike is a baby and a drama queen, I find it funny that no one is giving DT any stick for not allowing the one-off for Shattered Fortress.   It's one show (or a handful, around the world) in a 1,000 seat club (in NY), and isn't even sold out (to my knowledge).  This isn't going to tarnish the DT legacy any more than it's already tarnished.  To not let Mike do this is just as childish (and actually worse, since it fucks with Mike's livelihood).   

As for the "he LEFT!" argument, I've said this before, he may have initially tested the waters, but so what?   The excuse that "Mike Mangini left his job for this! We OWE him!" is noble, and sounds good in, well, the social media war, but that's akin to being married for 25 years, with children, and saying "well, I invited my new girlfriend to our daughters wedding; she already bought the plane ticket, so you, Mom, can't go!"    He put 25 years of blood, sweat and tears into that band, and to not even entertain his needs - when they most certainly did for several other members of the band - is not an insignificant thing.

Team Mike and proud of it.   

[Grappler]

Here's the thing, though:  for all the (in my opinion, off base) assertions that Mike is a baby and a drama queen, I find it funny that no one is giving DT any stick for not allowing the one-off for Shattered Fortress.   It's one show (or a handful, around the world) in a 1,000 seat club (in NY), and isn't even sold out (to my knowledge).  This isn't going to tarnish the DT legacy any more than it's already tarnished.  To not let Mike do this is just as childish (and actually worse, since it fucks with Mike's livelihood).   

I'm team nobody, and am not knowledgeable with the relationships of DT members at all, but these to me, are pretty hard facts that are indisputable:

1.  Mike did choose to leave.  A band is more than one person - if he's telling the band that he's going to take a break and not work for 6 months, or one year - he's fucking with 4 other person's livelihoods.  They can say, "no, sorry - we can't take a break.  We need to generate income, we need to tour, we need to keep pushing and building on what we've done."  Whatever the case is.  It's happened in so many other bands - Nightwish, for example.  They've fired two singers because those singers felt that they were more important than the band, which is a true freight-train which is always moving forward until they reach a scheduled year-long break for recuperation.  Queensryche as well - Tate wasn't going to work in QR in 2012, and those guys hired Todd LaTorre to play a few shows so they could generate income. and we all know what happened there after the band realized that they could do just as well with a different person in that position.

2.  When Tate and Queensryche settled their split, it was revealed that Tate negotiated for the rights to play Mindcrime in full.  Portnoy made a statement at that time that he wished he had done the same with the 12-Step Suite, which he feels is his.  Fair enough - it's personal to him, and he came up with the idea and helped write them.

But DT likely retains the rights to those songs, since he admitted he never secured them in his exit.  Any musician can assemble a group and play whatever song they want.  You are right in that the venues pay fees to publishing companies to allow live performances of any song.   But DT has the absolute right to say, "no, sorry, those are our songs, written and recorded under our name, and we will not allow you to release a recorded version of it under your name." 

That is a hard fact, and I don't see any problem with them protecting their product.  They may want to reserve the right to release a recorded version of the 12-Step Suite in full on their own, if desired.  Nobody's denying him the right to go out and play the songs under his own name, and he's hopefully making some decent money by extending these performances throughout this year, rather than the original handful of festival shows that were originally booked. 

[Mindflux]

At least there's fan footage of this tour, unlike TA. 

I think when TA kicked off it was a no cameras type event, and eventually DT relented because people were pretty chuffed over it.

[devieira73]

IMO the core of what really hapenned about DT not letting MP return to the band was that, despite all the work and dedication MP put on DT, the fact that he wanted to get back to DTjust because he was "fired" by AX7. I guess the trust in him was totally broken.

[cramx3]

At least there's fan footage of this tour, unlike TA. 

I think when TA kicked off it was a no cameras type event, and eventually DT relented because people were pretty chuffed over it.

Not from my experience.  They were hardcore against it at the NJ show last fall.  However, there are videos out there, just not as much and of the best quality that you can often find during a tour.

[Mindflux]

Not from my experience.  They were hardcore against it at the NJ show last fall.  However, there are videos out there, just not as much and of the best quality that you can often find during a tour.

Well I'm using that as an example of why there was not a lot of TA footage out there.  Not that I'm a huge TA fan, or anything.. the TSF stuff excites me more, though.

[Lethean]

""Here's the thing, though:  for all the (in my opinion, off base) assertions that Mike is a baby and a drama queen, I find it funny that no one is giving DT any stick for not allowing the one-off for Shattered Fortress.   It's one show (or a handful, around the world) in a 1,000 seat club (in NY), and isn't even sold out (to my knowledge).  This isn't going to tarnish the DT legacy any more than it's already tarnished.  To not let Mike do this is just as childish (and actually worse, since it fucks with Mike's livelihood).

How is it either childish or messing with his livelihood?  First, do we actually know what the agreement is or if Mike even asked to be able to record/release it?  Or are people just assuming this because of Mike saying that he doesn't need any drama with DT?  Assuming he did ask, and they did say no, I guess that means they have the right to do so per the legal agreement that was established when he left.  Them adhering to that agreement isn't messing with his livelihood, it's simply them following the agreement.  I think he's doing fine financially since leaving DT (could be wrong, but he's done so much, including those huge Twisted Sister gigs); he isn't going to starve because the agreement he apparently signed doesn't let him record an entire set of Dream Theater's music.  Rather than DT being childish, maybe they are the ones who truly don't want any drama and just want to follow the agreement to the letter and not deviate from it because then they don't have to deal with any of it.   

In any case, we don't know exactly how any of this went down.  All we know is that Mike claims to not want any drama, so you better see this before the clock strikes 2018 or else you'll have missed your chance.  Maybe not releasing a dvd is actually helping Mike to promote these shows? 

I am interested in seeing The Shattered Fortress - looks like it will be a fun time - but I do wish he would stop stirring the pot online.

[kaos2900]

I don't want to have to pick teams or sides. I love most of what MP has done post MP and I love most of what DT has done post MP from a musical perspective. I loath social media precisely because of these situations. I don't like how MP has been coming across over the years but it prevent me from supporting his music (except for the shattered fortress stuff).

[mikeyd23]

Love all the judgment (NOT).   LaBrie went out of his way to bash Mike when the breakup happened (calling him a control freak; claiming what he did in the band wasn't that special or hard; that the band would each take up the slack and do all that Mike did; saying that the real front man could be a front man now; etc.).  They also were at each others throats for years before.    Why this is all of a sudden a huge deal is beyond me. 

If you can honestly look at the public comments James has made and look at the public comments MP has made and come to the conclusion James is the one bashing, I'm not sure what to tell you. If they were at each others throats for years, that's between them, all I can do is look at what they have each actually said publicly, heck MP bashed James publicly when he was still in the band 

Here's the thing, though:  for all the (in my opinion, off base) assertions that Mike is a baby and a drama queen, I find it funny that no one is giving DT any stick for not allowing the one-off for Shattered Fortress.   It's one show (or a handful, around the world) in a 1,000 seat club (in NY), and isn't even sold out (to my knowledge).  This isn't going to tarnish the DT legacy any more than it's already tarnished.  To not let Mike do this is just as childish (and actually worse, since it fucks with Mike's livelihood).   

What are you talking about? How is DT "not allowing" it? Aren't you going to the NYC show? I'm pretty sure if DT weren't allowing it somehow (not sure they could do that) you wouldn't be headed to see it.

The last bolded part leads to....

As for the "he LEFT!" argument, I've said this before, he may have initially tested the waters, but so what?   The excuse that "Mike Mangini left his job for this! We OWE him!" is noble, and sounds good in, well, the social media war, but that's akin to being married for 25 years, with children, and saying "well, I invited my new girlfriend to our daughters wedding; she already bought the plane ticket, so you, Mom, can't go!"    He put 25 years of blood, sweat and tears into that band, and to not even entertain his needs - when they most certainly did for several other members of the band - is not an insignificant thing.

So MP's livelihood is important and DT should make decisions that are best for his liveihood even though he isn't a part of the band anymore, but MM's liveihood isn't important even though at that point he was a member of the band? Yikes.

[Lethean]

Love all the judgment (NOT).   LaBrie went out of his way to bash Mike when the breakup happened (calling him a control freak; claiming what he did in the band wasn't that special or hard; that the band would each take up the slack and do all that Mike did; saying that the real front man could be a front man now; etc.).  They also were at each others throats for years before.    Why this is all of a sudden a huge deal is beyond me. 

If you can honestly look at the public comments James has made and look at the public comments MP has made and come to the conclusion James is the one bashing, I'm not sure what to tell you. If they were at each others throats for years, that's between them, all I can do is look at what they have each actually said publicly, heck MP bashed James publicly when he was still in the band 

Here's the thing, though:  for all the (in my opinion, off base) assertions that Mike is a baby and a drama queen, I find it funny that no one is giving DT any stick for not allowing the one-off for Shattered Fortress.   It's one show (or a handful, around the world) in a 1,000 seat club (in NY), and isn't even sold out (to my knowledge).  This isn't going to tarnish the DT legacy any more than it's already tarnished.  To not let Mike do this is just as childish (and actually worse, since it fucks with Mike's livelihood).   

What are you talking about? How is DT "not allowing" it? Aren't you going to the NYC show? I'm pretty sure if DT weren't allowing it somehow (not sure they could do that) you wouldn't be headed to see it.

The last bolded part leads to....

As for the "he LEFT!" argument, I've said this before, he may have initially tested the waters, but so what?   The excuse that "Mike Mangini left his job for this! We OWE him!" is noble, and sounds good in, well, the social media war, but that's akin to being married for 25 years, with children, and saying "well, I invited my new girlfriend to our daughters wedding; she already bought the plane ticket, so you, Mom, can't go!"    He put 25 years of blood, sweat and tears into that band, and to not even entertain his needs - when they most certainly did for several other members of the band - is not an insignificant thing.

So MP's livelihood is important and DT should make decisions that are best for his liveihood even though he isn't a part of the band anymore, but MM's liveihood isn't important even though at that point he was a member of the band? Yikes.

Maybe - maybe it's just a bad analogy. I didn't initially respond to it because I wasn't sure what the "it" was. Stadler were you using that analogy somehow in conjunction with DT "not letting" MP record the Shattered Fortress tour for a dvd?  I don't think so, because it doesn't make sense... or was it just that they won't let MP back in the band? Even so, the analogy doesn't work, at all.  A better analogy would be: you're married for 25 years, your wife decides to leave you for a younger man, you get remarried, and then when the younger man dumps her, she wants to get back with you. 

I think Mangini having left his job was a real part of the consideration when MP tried to come back, but it was part of the bigger picture.  DT had just been through a lot - they were upset that Mike left; I think Jordan even said he cried. They found a drummer they thought was great and meshed with them, he quit his job, and they were probably on an emotional roller coaster that included some low lows but also the excitement of working with the new guy.  When MP wanted to come back, it just wasn't possible for a lot of reasons.  Would he have tried if Avenged Sevenfold wanted him to join their band?  Probably not - and what had changed from MP's perspective?  Nothing except he didn't get the job he might have thought he was going to.  I believe Jordan made a comment in an interview that Mangini's personality was important because MP had basically said "he didn't like us anymore." None of those issues would have been worked out when Mike tried to come back, and after everything they had been through, they probably didn't trust him, didn't want to let MM down, were excited to work with MM and see what the future would bring, and didn't have it in them emotionally to try to let MP back in.

None of that seems to be spiteful or childish on DT's part.  And as more time went by after the split, maybe they found that they were just happier working with MM?

[Zook]

Love all the judgment (NOT).   LaBrie went out of his way to bash Mike when the breakup happened (calling him a control freak; claiming what he did in the band wasn't that special or hard; that the band would each take up the slack and do all that Mike did; saying that the real front man could be a front man now; etc.).  They also were at each others throats for years before.    Why this is all of a sudden a huge deal is beyond me. 

Everything James said was true though. Mike has a huge ego, and was pretty much trying to take over vocal duties. James didn't get any say in vocal melodies, evidenced by Chaos in Progress, and as far as the other guys taking over Mike's other responsibilities, I'm pretty sure that's what he meant by what he did not being hard or special. Not his drumming abilities. Mike IS a control freak. Again, evidenced by CiP. James has every right to call out MP's bullshit. Mike has been talking shit about James for years. There's being honest and then there's just being a jerk.

[Tick]

My best friend goes to a lot of shows with me and he doesn't do any form of social media so I think stuff is so much more pure for him. No negativity, no drama, just shows as they are meant to be. Awesome entertainment.
I think there is something great about not knowing what Mike says, he fans say, his haters say, etc...
He goes in not knowing or hearing any of that stuff and I think that's very cool.

[Samsara]

My best friend goes to a lot of shows with he and he doesn't do any form of social media so I think stuff is so much more pure for him. No negativity, no drama, just shows as they are meant to be. Awesome entertainment.
I think there is something great about not knowing what Mike says, he fans say, his haters say, etc...
He goes in not knowing or hearing any of that stuff and I think that's very cool.

Funny you mention this. Late last year, I took it as a personal challenge to not dwell on any of the drama and negativity concerning music moving forward. I just go see the artists I enjoy, and take the show for what it is -- entertainment, as opposed to back stories around what goes on with the bands. I've enjoyed it a lot more.

Personally, I made a bunch of mistakes in the past regarding my favorite group (and did some good things too), but at the end of the day, its supposed to be entertainment for us (the fans). I hate hearing how so and so fucks with so and so's livelihood and all that. I remember diving in and saying the same things for years. For me personally, it was just time to move on.

So, I commend your friend for staying free of the social media regarding music and just enjoying it all. It's totally the way to go.

As for the issue at bar, I really have no dog in the so-called race. No "team" here. I think everyone in the DT camp has likely made mistakes, or said things they regret. And I hope, for all their sakes, they reconnect, apologize, and remember the bond that they once all had. I guarantee you if MP, JR, JP, JLB, and JM all got into a room, and they aired it out together, and they went in there with reconciliation, not blame, on their minds, they would do it. And MM would probably gladly step aside.

But clearly, they aren't at that point yet. I hope they are some day. 

[SwedishGoose]

As for the issue at bar, I really have no dog in the so-called race. No "team" here. I think everyone in the DT camp has likely made mistakes, or said things they regret. And I hope, for all their sakes, they reconnect, apologize, and remember the bond that they once all had. I guarantee you if MP, JR, JP, JLB, and JM all got into a room, and they aired it out together, and they went in there with reconciliation, not blame, on their minds, they would do it. And MM would probably gladly step aside.

But clearly, they aren't at that point yet. I hope they are some day. 

I think it would be great if they aired it out and reconcield with each other... however I don't think MM should step aside. I think it's better for both that MP stayes out of DT. I also think it's better for us fans as we get 10 times as much music with MP free to handle a multitude of bands...

[noxon]

I can't say too much, but let's just say there's stuff that has happened and is continuing to happen "behind closed doors" as it were. Not everything that is going on has been talked about in the media...

[cramx3]

I can't say too much, but let's just say there's stuff that has happened and is continuing to happen "behind closed doors" as it were. Not everything that is going on has been talked about in the media...

And if it's not going to be something positive, "behind closed doors" is probably the best place for that stuff then.

[SystematicThought]

I can't say too much, but let's just say there's stuff that has happened and is continuing to happen "behind closed doors" as it were. Not everything that is going on has been talked about in the media...

Within the band or with MP and DT?

[Madman Shepherd]

Love all the judgment (NOT).   LaBrie went out of his way to bash Mike when the breakup happened (calling him a control freak; claiming what he did in the band wasn't that special or hard; that the band would each take up the slack and do all that Mike did; saying that the real front man could be a front man now; etc.).  They also were at each others throats for years before.    Why this is all of a sudden a huge deal is beyond me. 

As for the songs, it was talked about before; there's a difference between playing a one-off of, say, "Pull Me Under" in a concert (like the PMS thing) and a more formal production (which this is).  As long as the license fees are paid (and if I remember correctly, they are by the venue as a blanket thing) there are likely no restrictions.   But that's not the same as staging an entire event as a "Night of Dream Theater".    David Gilmour plays songs from "The Wall" in his show, and besides the carping in the press by Roger Waters, no one can really say anything about it.   I would bet my Gene Simmons coffee mug that Gilmour cannot, under any circumstances, stage a production of "The Wall" in it's entirety.   

Here's the thing, though:  for all the (in my opinion, off base) assertions that Mike is a baby and a drama queen, I find it funny that no one is giving DT any stick for not allowing the one-off for Shattered Fortress.   It's one show (or a handful, around the world) in a 1,000 seat club (in NY), and isn't even sold out (to my knowledge).  This isn't going to tarnish the DT legacy any more than it's already tarnished.  To not let Mike do this is just as childish (and actually worse, since it fucks with Mike's livelihood).   

As for the "he LEFT!" argument, I've said this before, he may have initially tested the waters, but so what?   The excuse that "Mike Mangini left his job for this! We OWE him!" is noble, and sounds good in, well, the social media war, but that's akin to being married for 25 years, with children, and saying "well, I invited my new girlfriend to our daughters wedding; she already bought the plane ticket, so you, Mom, can't go!"    He put 25 years of blood, sweat and tears into that band, and to not even entertain his needs - when they most certainly did for several other members of the band - is not an insignificant thing.

Team Mike and proud of it.

I was going to take apart your post piece by piece (a few others already have, and done it well) but really there is no point.  I can see why you're such a big MP fan.  This post alone is probably the most absurd things I've ever seen you write.  You take a few morsels of truth and blow them up and exaggerate them beyond any reason.  Blabbermouth could take some lessons from you. 

Moving on...

It seems with every new project I try to look at it with fresh eyes and actually get a little excited.  This one was no exception and the videos thus far have been great.   I even thought to myself, if only there were a show within a few hours drive I *might* have to go.  Then Mike opens his mouth again (or rather his internet connection) and I lose all interest.  I'm pretty good about separating the art from the person.  One of my favorite musicians is Ozzy Osbourne (circa 1970-1995) but I absolutely despise the man.  There are film directors who I think are pretty bad people but I will always love their art. 

The funny thing is, MP is not a bad person compared to some of these people but he is the most passive aggressive musician I can think of.  It just sucks all the fun out of it.  It is so constant and public that it is hard separating the man who happens to be an awesome musician from his behavior. 

When I first got into DT, he had a bit of a reputation for being grumpy and a little passive aggressive.  Then Never Enough came out and the friends that got me into them bailed on the band (for several reasons but that was one).  I thought to myself, "Big deal."  I even remember some DT fan site had a joke article about DT fans being distraught that there wasn't any side projects from the members in over a month or something. They ended the article with a fake passive aggressive quote from MP which I thought was hilarious but even then it was just a quirk of his...nothing to get pissed off over. 

But now to see the lengths he will go to slam his former band makes me wonder if even the three band members he is on good terms with is even really "good terms."  I can see JR and JP being on good terms insomuch as they wish him and his family well.  But I would be dumbfounded if any of those three members even have the slightest desire to see him back in the band for this very reason.   

[Architeuthis]

The song Never Enough would be a very poor reason to bail on Dream Theater. The meaning of that song can apply to many different situations in life, so I never took it literally. Plus I love the main riff and the sick unison soloing! 
 No matter what kind of drama happened in the past, I will always love DT and Mike Portnoy for the great music they have put out and continue to do so.
MP has done some amazing stuff, especially Similitude Of A Dream with the NMB. That album is brilliant.
DT has put out 3 amazing albums since then and has alot left in them. While I miss MP, MM definitely gets the job done and is a big part of DT.

[CB]

I don't think calling MP a control freak is bashing, I remember in some older interviews MP called himself a control freak. He doesn't any more, but this recent interview is interesting, especially the comment "After I left Dream Theater, every band I've done ... are kind of democratic bands where everybody has creative input and that's great cause you get a little bit of everybody in it, but it's also very frustrating."

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/mike-portnoy-says-he-is-very-comfortable-being-a-team-player-complains-about-having-too-many-chefs-in-the-kitchen/

I don't know MP or any of the DT guys, but I know what it means to deal with a control freak. It doesn't mean he/she is a bad person, not at all, and nobody chooses to be like that, but a control freak limits the freedom of others and tends to turn into a tyrant. That's the only way to control everything, humans included. 

[Zook]

It took almost 30 years and Stu Block to break Jon Schaffer of his controlling nature.

Someone send Mike a Stu Block for Christmas.

[bobs23]

I can't say too much, but let's just say there's stuff that has happened and is continuing to happen "behind closed doors" as it were. Not everything that is going on has been talked about in the media...

THIS THIS and THIS
There is a lot more to the situation than is public. One side has put up an iron wall. I do wish the other side would at least put up a picket fence(at least on things pertaining to this subject).