Rock godfathers "The Who" close
muddy Glastonbury
By Iona Millership
GLASTONBURY (Reuters) - Rock godfathers The Who took to the
main stage late on Sunday to close the Glastonbury festival,
capping three days of rain, mud and music at the world's biggest
greenfield music and arts festival.
In a torrential downpour original members Pete Townshend and
Roger Daltrey, accompanied by drummer Zak Starkey and bassist
Pino Palladino, ran through hits from "My Generation"
and "Pinball Wizard" to Townshend's anthem of political
disillusion "Won't Get Fooled Again."
As they sang songs spanning their 40-year career, a screen
at the back of the stage showed images from the 1960s and 1970s
"It may be muddy, it may be wet but you were fantastic!"
Daltrey shouted at the end as he embraced Townshend.
Earlier, Welsh trio the Manic Street Preachers were joined
during their set by singer Nina Persson from Sweden's The Cardigans
for their hit song "You're Love Alone Is not Enough."
As the sun set on the mud-covered but ecstatic crowd, the Kaiser
Chiefs confirmed their reputation as one of Britain's most popular
performing bands, earning a frenzied response with hits such
as "I Predict a Riot" and "Ruby."
BOOMING BASSEY
Welsh diva Shirley Bassey, known for her powerful voice and
James Bond theme songs, electrified the crowd of almost 180,000
attending the festival in southwestern England where days of
rain had turned the green meadows into a mudbath.
Dressed in a sequined flamingo pink dress, Bassey thundered
out Bond theme "Goldfinger," "Big Spender"
and "The Lady is a Tramp" to riotous applause.
Also on Sunday the late reggae legend Bob Marley's sons Damien,
Steven and Ziggy paid tribute to their father commemorating
the 30th anniversary of classic album "Exodus" and
played tracks including "One Love" and "Buffalo
Soldier."
Tractors spread straw and woodchips as paths became harder
to negotiate, but most festival-goers in brightly colored ponchos
and rubber Wellington boots danced, frolicked undaunted.
"It's gone very well in spite of the rain, in spite of
the mud," upbeat festival founder Michael Eavis said on
Sunday.
"The show compensates for the weather ... the sun's not
everything."
More than 1200 people had been injured by Sunday, mostly with
sprains and bruises from slipping in the mud at the far which
first held a small, hippy music festival in 1970.
Police said one 2-year-old man had died from a suspected drugs
overdose and that despite far more people on site than last
year there were fewer arrests and these were mostly drug related.
Only 31 thefts were reported.
Organizers said the flooding would have been much worse without
the new 100,000 pound ($199,000) drainage system and other precautions
installed by 71-year-old Eavis.
"I was completely unprepared for the Glastonbury experience,"
said Norwegian singer Lawra Somby, with the group Adjagas, who
had to walk barefoot through the mud because he had the wrong
shoes before he togged up with boots and raincoat.
But after the fun, many people were fretting about how they
would exit the rural site on Monday when more heavy rain is
predicted as well as severe traffic congestion.
Thanks to Pal Joey...
Woody Allen to direct LA opera
LOS ANGELES - Woody Allen, directing an opera? In Los Angeles?
It will happen in September 2008, according to Placido Domingo,
general director of the Los Angeles Opera. The New York filmmaker
will make his operatic directorial debut with the opening event
of the LA Opera's 2008-09 season.
"I have no idea what I am doing," Allen said in a
statement Thursday. "But incompetence has never prevented
me from plunging in with enthusiasm."
Allen is scheduled to direct "Gianni Schicchi," part
of Puccini's "Il Trittico," a trio of one-act operas.
The two other operas, "Il Tabarro" and "Suor
Angelica," will also have a movie director, William Friedkin
("The Exorcist," "The French Connection").
Domingo stated that he has often pursued movie directors to
try their hand at opera. It took him four years, his longest
such pursuit, to get Allen to say yes.
"Gianni Schicchi," set in medieval Florence, is Puccini's
only comedy.
"To have Woody Allen direct 'Gianni Schicchi' is a match
made in heaven," Friedkin said in a statement.
EXPERIENCE HENDRIX IS STILL THE EXCLUSIVE
OWNER OF THE JIMI HENDRIX TRADEMARKS
June 25, 2007, Seattle, WA: Since 1995, James "Al"
Hendrix, the sole heir of Jimi Hendrix, and his close family
members and their companies have been committed to preserving
Jimi Hendrix's musical, cultural and artistic legacy. Experience
Hendrix and its subsidiary Authentic Hendrix have continuously
used registered trademarks of Jimi Hendrix's name, his image,
his signature and other logos in careful marketing of Jimi's
music, recordings, artistic properties and related merchandise
throughout the world and will defend those trademarks against
all infringers.
Earlier this year, Experience Hendrix, LLC filed a lawsuit
against Craig Dieffenbach and his companies to enforce these
very trademark rights. Experience Hendrix has sued Dieffenbach
for trademark infringement and requested the Court to order
that he cease using their trademarks in his tasteless campaign
to sell vodka and other merchandise. That case is still pending.
Last week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to accept
Experience Hendrix's 2003 claim that the James Marshall Hendrix
Foundation promotion of an event had violated the 1998 Washington
Personality Rights Act. That Court did not consider or rule
on the Experience Hendrix registered trademarks nor will their
decision have any afect on Experience Hendrix's exclusive ownership
of the trademarks it has used over the years and will continue
to use in maintaining and promoting Jimi's legacy.
Noting that the Hendrix family company trademarks continue
to be fully protected by federal law, Bob Hendrix, Vice President
of Experience Hendrix, observed: "Al Hendrix and other
Hendrix family managers he appointed over the years have worked
hard to preserve and protect the legacy of Jimi Hendrix. Since
Al's death in 2002, we have done our utmost to continue on the
path he envisioned. There is no question that Al would be saddened
by these infringements. Our trademarks are protected by federal
law. The unauthorized use of those marks by this vodka enterprise
underscores the reason why Al didn't want Leon Hendrix and his
associates involved in the Hendrix family companies."
Thanks to Courtney Reimer for these news stories...
ROTH ROCKED HIS OWN SYSTEM. According to The
New York Post, David Lee Roth came up with a unique way to "get
some", during Van Halen's heydays. The paper reports that
information included in a new, unauthorized bio of the band
says that Roth would give "out generous cash rewards to
staffers who supplied him with the hottest girls." It also
says that he developed a "streamlined" system of "ordering
sex at shows" by distributing laminated backstage passes
to the security staff - each marked withe staffer's initials."
While this may or may not be true, Roth once told us a piece
of advice that was given to him. (Actuality #2) "Some
people drink deep of the waters of life, and the rest just gargle."
The new unauthorized, "Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen
Saga" will be out sometime in August.
HAGAR'S MAJOR TOUR. Hagar has announced plans
to launch an upcoming cross-country tour to include 60 stops
starting at his annual birthday bash at his Cabo Wabo Cantina
in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on October 13th. Hagar's tour will
conclude in St. Louis on July 12th, 2008 and will include performances
by a number of special celebrity friends along the way. In addition
to th tour, Hagar will release a single called "Open",
to radio and to fans for download via iTunes on July 2nd. Details
about ticketing information will be announced shortly.
TURKEY BACKS OUT OF LIVE EARTH. The Istanbul
leg of the Live Earth concerts has been canceled. According
to Billboard, lack of promised government support and failure
to attract sponsorship caused organizers to back out. Live Earth
organizers are now looking to erect giant screens in the city,
which will air the concerts from different locations around
the world. Live Earth concerts will take place in New York,
London, Tokyo, Johannassberg, Sydney, Hamburg and more on July
7th.
DREAM CONCERT PULLS IN BIG NAMES. Stevie Wonder,
Aretha Franklin, and Carlos Santana are among the first performers
signed for The Dream Concert. The show will take place September
18th at Radio City Music Hall in New York. According to USA
Today, proceeds from the event will benefit the building of
a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall in Washington.
Also on the bill are Robin Thicke, Bebe Winans, Cece Winans
and Jessye Norman. Al Roker will be a special guest presenter
while Ben Affleck, Shaquille O'Neal and LaDainian Tomlinson
will join the concert's host committee. Tickets will be available
this
summer.
AL GORE DEFENDS LIVE EARTH. Former
Vice President and active environmentalist Al Gore is the man
behind the upcoming Live Earth concerts, which will feature
some of the biggest names in music and will take place in spots
around the world on July 7th. And as hard as it might be to
believe, he has come under fire regarding the event. Live Aid
organizer Bob Geldof feels the effort lacks goals, to which
Gore has responded, saying, "We will have very specific
goals that will be very significant and hard-hitting. We will
announce those before the concert then emphasize them heavily
during the concert." The U-S leg of the Live Earth concerts
will take place at New Jersey's Giants Stadium and will feature
performances by the Smashing Pumpkins, Kelly Clarkson, Fall
Out Boy, The Police and more.
SANTANA'S SON SINGS HIS SONG. Carlos Santana's
son Salvador recorded "Evil Ways" for an album called
Songs for My Father. The record features the musical children
of famous musicians paying tribute to their dads by performing
one of their songs. Salvador told us that he chose "Evil
Ways" because so many people have already redone many of
his father's other songs, like "Black Magic Woman".
He also shared how he molded the infamous song into his own.
(Actuality #3) "To not take it note for note, but just
take the best of the best, the best of the retro version and
update it so that people maybe closer to our age can relate
to it, you know, and also people from my dad's and the generations
before that were into the original version. They'd be like,
"This is cool. This is 2007 'Evil Ways' not, you know,
a remake of it or anything." The album is available
at Target stores now.
RINGO STARR GOING DIGITAL. Former Beatles
drummer Ringo Starr has agreed for the first time to allow his
Capitol/EMI solo work to be released online. Starr's solo catalog,
including 1970's Beaucoup de Blues and Sentimental Journey,
plus 1973's Ringo, are among the titles to be released beginning
on August 28th on all digital music services currently carrying
EMI. In addition, a collection of six ringtones "no, not
Ringo-tones!" will also debut. And on the same date, Capitol/EMI
will release Photograph: The Very Best Of Ringo Starr on CD,
Collector's Edition CD/DVD packages and digitally. The new collection
presents 20 of Starr's tracks, including seven top ten pop hits
released between 1970 and 2005. The Collector's Edition adds
seven never before released film and video clips on DVD, including
original promotional films for "It Don't Come Easy",
"Sentimental Journey" and "Back Off Boogaloo",
among others, and the music video for "Act Naturally".
Starr's former Beatles compadre Paul McCartney made the leap
to digital earlier this year, releasing his entire solo catalog
online. Starr's move has aroused more speculation that the Beatles
catalog will finally hit the digital world.
McCartney recently told Billboard that such a digital deal was
"virtually settled" but would not confirm details.
LOVE ONE YEAR LATER. Paul McCartney, Ringo
Starr, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder
Guy Lalibert will all take part in a special dedication ceremony
in honor of John Lennon and George Harrison on the one year
anniversary of the show on June 26th. Two plaques will be unveiled
that day and then permanently displayed in the Love Theatre
lobby at The Mirage in Las Vegas in recognition of Lennon and
Harrison's contributions to the show. Following the ceremony,
Larry King will interview Paul, Ringo, Yoko, Olivia and Guy
for his one hour broadcast from The Beatles Revolution Lounge
at The Mirage, and then the distinguished guests will attend
a special one year anniversary performance of Love. Larry King
Live airs on CNN at 9 PM Eastern.
HIPPIEFEST NUMBER TWO. The second annual Hippiefest
kicks off July 25th in Toronto, Canada and will hit 21 cities
before wrapping things up on August 21st in San Diego, California.
This year’s show brings icons from the '60s
and '70s together to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Summer
of Love. The Turtles, Felix Cavaliere's Rascals, The Zombies,
Mountain, Mitch Ryder, Badfinger, Country Joe McDonald, Iron
Butterfly, Denny Laine and Melanie will be on the bill at various
stops during the traveling show. Tickets are available now at
Ticketmaster outlets.
GRAMMY AUCTION INCLUDES POLICE MERCHANDISE.
Police VIP concert ticket packages, meet and greets with the
band and autographed memorabilia are up for bidding to benefit
MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation. The auction runs through
July 6th. Check out Ebay.com/GRAMMY to bid on your
favorite item.
ROD STEWART ROCKS A WEDDING RING, AGAIN. Rod
Stewart told us a while back that he has been very fortunate
in his career. (Actuality #2)"I've had more success
than I can, than I can handle. It's a very, very, privileged
gentleman I am." This weekend he added to his life
as he took the plunge and married Penny Lancaster on Saturday.
The couple exchanged vows in the presence of family and friends
in a medieval abbey near Portofino, Italy. As for the bride
and groom's attire, according to The Hollywood Reporter, "Lancaster
was dressed in a short, white satin dress and white high-heeled
shoes. She arrived at the ceremony some 20 minutes before the
groom, who donned blue pin-striped trousers and a white jacket."
A reception followed the ceremony. Dinner, dancing, and
fireworks lasted until the early hours as the newlyweds went
off on a Mediterranean holiday. The couple has a 19-moth-old
son together. It was the third wedding for the 62-year-old rocker.
NEW MOTORHEAD RELEASE. Better Motorhead than
Dead: Live at Hammersmith will be released on July 16th. The
double live CD was recorded at Motorhead's 30th-anniversary
show on June 16th, 2005 at London's Hammersmith Appollo/Odeon.
According to Blabbermouth.net, the set will be released in digipak
form and is available for pre-order at Play.com http://www.play.com/CDJ&
PRODUCT_TITLE=Better+Motorhead+than+Dead+Live+at+Hammersmith+(Digipack+2CD)
.
THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY - JUNE 25
In 1967: The Beatles debuted, "All You Need
Is Love", with the help of Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Keith
Moon and others, as part of the One World satellite broadcast.
In 1969: Mick Taylor performed with The Rolling
Stones for the first time in Rome.
In 1969: The Hollies recorded "He Ain't Heavy,
He's My Brother" with Elton John on piano.
In 1970: Hall & Oates recorded together for
the first time.
In 1977: Pink Floyd hit a record for largest number
of tickets sold to a single concert when they played Cleveland
Stadium.
In 1982: The Rolling Stones played Wembley Stadium
in London. It was their first concert in England in six years.
In 1984: Prince's Purple Rain sold a record-setting
1.3-million copies in 24 hours.
In 1984: Patti Scialfa joined The E Street Band
as a vocalist. She would later join Bruce Springsteen as his
second wife.
In 1987: Reba McEntire filed for divorce from
her husband, former rodeo king Charlie Battles.
In 1992: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame unveiled
for the public some of the memorabilia that was to be displayed
in its new Cleveland building, including a necklace owned by
Janis Joplin.
In 1995: At a Grateful Dead show in Washington,
D.C., three fans were struck by lightning.
In 1998: Marilyn Manson drummer Ginger Fish came
down with mononucleosis, which caused the band to miss playing
the Roskilde Festival in Denmark.
In 2003: Ozzy Osbourne denied charges that he
fathered a child out of wedlock and noted that he had a vasectomy
17 years earlier.
In 2004: David Bowie underwent an emergency angioplasty
to open up a blocked artery after complaining of a pain in his
shoulder.
