|
contents | blues | |||||||||||||
| "The Heroes of Woodstock" Hit the Road "The Heroes of Woodstock" hit the road June 12, opening this year's San Diego County Fair at Del Mar Farorgrounds. The two-hour, thirty-minute performance wowed the crowd as Jefferson Starship performed songs from Jefferson Airplane's "Woodstock" set, Canned Heat cooked with the special addition of "Woodstock" alumni Harvey Mandel & Larry Taylor to Fito de la Parras's iconic grooves, Big Brother & The Holding Co. channeled former bandmate, the late Janis Joplin, and Grateful Dead alumnus Tom Constanten snuck in a Garcia chestnut. Country Joe McDonald hosted, as he will throughout the year as the tour continues on with the addition of legendary British blues rockers and "Woodstock" alumnus Ten Years After in August. Edgar Winter, John Sebastian and "Summer of Love's" Quicksilver Messenger Service appear on select dates. "San Diego was great!" observes longtime Canned Heat manager and tour co-producer Skip Taylor, "but our guys have a lot more music than can be contained in a couple of hours." "Most of the shows let us run close to full sets, " adds Big Brother manager and tour co-producer Tim Murphy. "Besides, Ten Years After can play longer than that by themselves and with one hand tied behind their backs, " quips Murphy. Last month, the web site: www.theheroesofwoodstock.com launched, coinciding with promotional collaborations by Warner Home Video, (whose own "Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Directors Cut 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors' Edition" on Blu-Ray & DVD was released a short time ago to worldwide acclaim) & Rhino Entertainment (releasing "Woodstock: Music From The Original Soundtrack & More" and "Woodstock Two"). In all, eleven original performers from the most important event in rock music history are joined together to tour in celebration of and tribute to "The Original Three Days of Peace & Music" that occurred at Yasgur's Farm in Bethel, NY in August 1969. Under license from Woodstock Ventures LC, "HOW" will perform 40 dates in the U.S. and around the world. The tour pays further homage to the original festival as every ticket purchaser shall be given the free soundboard download of the performance they actually attend. "This is the first major tour in rock history to give the music away for free in this manner" boasts Voiceprint UK's Rob Ayling who helped mastermind the download component. With strong advance ticket sales, the "HOW" website launch, the aforementioned releases & the Ang Lee film coming in August, excitement and press interest is already building to a groundswell. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |