Rock Legends to Perform at Mega Concert
The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Roger Waters and The Who -- the most celebrated acts in rock'n roll -- will perform at a mega festival in October, organizers said Tuesday.
The iconic artists have been confirmed for the October 7-9 concert at the Empire Polo field in Indio, in the California desert, an event being billed by music lovers as one of the greatest concerts ever.
"I can't think of a concert as big as this one," Jim Guerinot, a talent agent and former promoter, told the Los Angeles Times. "Neil Young opening for Paul McCartney -- are you kidding me?... I think it's a stupendous achievement."
Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the concert industry site Pollstar, told Agence France Presse that the presence of the legendary rock stars at the same event was a "unique concept" that was sure to prove successful.
"It is historic in that having just six headline acts over three days has never been done before and it really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said.
- 'Oldchella' -Tickets for the event, which has been rumored for weeks, will go on sale Monday and will range from $199 to $1,599, concert promoter Goldenvoice said. Customers are limited to buying a maximum of eight sets of tickets for the festival, which is being called "The Desert Trip."
"With performances starting after sunset, each artist will play a full set, serving up three incomparable nights of rock 'n roll," Goldenvoice said on its website.
The same venue hosts the annual Coachella music festival, one of the world's highest-grossing festival that attracts tens of thousands of fans.
Bongiovanni said given that the majority of the concert goers will likely be graying music fans, most tickets will be for reserved seats rather than general admission.
All of the artists except the Stones' 68-year-old guitarist Ronnie Wood are in their 70s. The acts all remain active and pull in major audiences eager to see them for nostalgia reasons.
Concert organizers said Dylan and the Stones would launch the concert October 7, Young and McCartney would perform on October 8 and the Who and Waters will close the three-day event on October 9.
The festival could mark a final appearance for The Who, whose members have hinted at imminent retirement.
The group was scheduled to end their tour in May, but have already added June dates to appear at festivals in Europe.
The Who frontman Roger Daltrey called the lineup for the October concert "the greatest remains of our era."
"It's amazing really. It's amazing we're still here," he told the BBC last month when rumors about the concert began swirling.
The megashow by the six Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees immediately created a buzz on social media, with many dubbing the concert "Oldchella."
One tongue-in-cheek posting on Twitter described it as "Desert Trip and Fall: The Broken Hip Tour."
Another tweet said: "Desert Trip, the classic rock festival is going to be pretty badass!"
Source: Agence France Presse
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