PUNMASTER MUSIC NEWS-SELECTED ARTICLES
Rock great Chuck Berry falls ill at New Year's show
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Rock 'n' roll great Chuck Berry was feeling fine and headed back to his hometown of St. Louis, associates said on Sunday, hours after the musician fell ill during a New Year's performance in Chicago.
The 84-year-old entertainer startled fans on Saturday night when he slumped over his electric piano before a crowd of some 3,000 at Chicago's Congress Theater and had to be helped off stage.
Berry returned about 30 minutes later, waved to the crowd and said he was OK, according to concert-goer Jim O'Malley. Then, as if to reassure the audience, he did an abbreviated version of his signature duck-walk move before leaving the stage again.
An assistant to Berry said in a telephone on Sunday morning that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer he was feeling well and returning to his home outside St. Louis in the afternoon.
Another associate, Joe Edwards, owner of the Blueberry Hill nightclub in St. Louis where Berry performs monthly, told Reuters, "I spoke to people with him, and he is en route to St. Louis and he is OK."
"He is in flight right now. I think he was just tired," Edwards added. "He is in phenomenal health, and he doesn't drink or smoke and is a very strong person."
Hotel staff at the Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago, where Berry was staying, also told Reuters they saw the performer on Sunday morning and that he looked good.
O'Malley said Berry had appeared to be struggling through much of Saturday night's set, and paused a number of times for difficulties with his guitar, before he finally ceased performing about an hour into the show, slumped at the piano and waved for help.
"He appeared to be very tired, and seemed disappointed that the set didn't go well. But he also seemed physically drained and not steady on his feet," O'Malley told Reuters.
Some members of the crowd shouted, "We love you, Chuck!" as the performer, known for such rock 'n' roll standards as "Johnnie B. Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Sweet Little Sixteen," walked off stage with the help of two assistants.
"There was definitely a strong sense of concern and affection for the man," O'Malley said of the audience.
A local fire department spokesman said Berry had complained of feeling ill before Saturday's concert and was checked out by paramedics before going on stage.
Edwards said paramedics also were present when the show ended, but Berry declined medical treatment.
The musician arrived in Chicago for the show, billed as "Chuck Berry's Winter Dance Party," after playing for a New Year's Eve celebration the night before in New York City.
"He really is in remarkable health for someone 84. He still cuts his own grass and is an active person," Edwards said.
Berry's next performance at Blueberry Hill is slated for January 19 and already is sold out, he added.
Jimi Hendrix Biopic Cancelled; Parties Argue Over Fault
The biopic of Jimi Hendrix that was in the planning stages at Legendary Pictures has been pulled at the request of Experience Hendrix, the overseers of all things Jimi.
Reports say that the people at Experience Hendrix got cold feet on the deal after considering the ongoing success of the Hendrix catalog and the hit that the Doors' catalog supposedly took after the release of the Olvier Stone film.
Legendary Pictures had already acquired Paul Greengrass to direct the film and Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) as the star but executives felt that they just couldn't go forward when the soundtrack would be limited to only covers of other people's songs that Hendrix performed.
Thomas Tull, the head of Legendary Pictures, recently said "Unless Experience Hendrix has a change of heart, the movie has gone up in flames."
Janie Hendrix, Jimi's step-daughter and the controller of Experience Hendrix, contacted Mike Fleming from Deadline New York to say "Legendary proceeded without our permission, direction or involvement. It didn't 'fall apart,' it never was. When we do the Jimi Hendrix feature film bio, we will be involved and in control from the beginning."
Producer Bill Gerber replied to Fleming, "To say we proceeded without permission isn't fair. Thomas Tull couldn't have been more generous and eager to collaborate with the estate. He was ready go finance their version of Jimi's story, he got a script that made The Black List and brought Paul Greengrass to the party. It boggles the mind."
MOTORHEAD ANNOUNCE TOUR
Motorhead have announced their latest North American tour, which will support their new album, The World is Yours, due out on the 8th. The trek kicks off on January 25th in Anaheim, California and runs through mid-March. During the jaunt, the guys will celebrate their 35th anniversary and the release of the new record. Get all the dates at iMotorhead.com.
WOOD WANTS STONES TO PLAY AGAIN SOON
Ronnie Wood wants the Rolling Stones to play at England’s Glastonbury festival next summer. The guitarist told the U-K’s Metro that it’s “high time” the band got back together to play after their three year break. He added that he’d love to do Glastonbury saying, “I’m always up for the festivals.” It seems that every year the band is rumored to play Glastonbury but we’ll know for sure who’s performing when the line-up for the June event is announced in April.
LENNON’S ABBEY ROAD SUIT SELLS FOR 46-GRAND
The white suit John Lennon wore on the cover of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album sold this weekend for 46-thousand dollars at an auction in Connecticut. According to the Associated Press, the winning bidder wished to remain anonymous. Meanwhile, a Connecticut man paid 55-hundred bucks for the rusted green 1972 Chrysler station wagon Lennon and Yoko Ono once owned.
GEORGE MARTIN ON WORKING WITH THE BEATLES
George Martin celebrates 85th birthday. The legendary producer is best known for his work with The Beatles. Here he is reflecting on his time working with the Fab Four.
(Cut #3) “There are lots of giggles we had, lots of fun we had. The Beatles were great people to work with in the studio. I mean, obviously, we had our problems and wrangles and frustrations but listening to those recordings again, I am amazed at the quality of them. Particularly, the quality of the songs.”
You can celebrate George’s birthday by listening to those quality Beatles songs.
JONES SAYS WHAT COULD’VE BEEN WITH ZEPPELIN
Bassist John Paul Jones turns 65. The rocker spent a dozen of his years in Led Zeppelin and the band could’ve been around for longer had drummer John Bonham not passed away in 1980. So what does John think would’ve happened had Bonzo never died?
(Cut #1) “We were optimistic. I knew it would have been interesting. It would’ve been musically interesting and it would’ve been nice to see us happy again. We were getting happy again. There were a few dark moments at the end of the ‘70s.”
These days, Jones is part of Them Crooked Vultures alongside Dave Grohl and Josh Homme. The guys are working on their second album, which may come out this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment