Ron Wood, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards wrap up "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (but I Like It)." Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY
The Rolling Stones didn’t perform “Time Is On My Side” at the launch of their “50 and Counting” tour Friday at the Staples Center.
Instead, Mick Jagger sang “(This may be) The Last Time” and you could sense the collective thinking as he sang the last two words of the chorus: “Oh, no!” Continue Reading
Fans applaud as OMD performs in the Gobi tent during the second weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio,CA, Sunday, April 21, 2013. (Michael Snyder/The Desert Sun)
Festival producer Goldenvoice announced an attendance figure for its Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals this month that is larger than the population of Coachella Valley.
John C. Reilly, who plays serious and comic roles in the movies, played it straight at Stagecoach.
Despite requests for material from his film parody, “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” and overwhelming chants for “Boats ‘N Hoes,” a routine he did with Will Ferrell, Reilly sang an hour of folk songs, ending with a pretty blues harmony tune, “Blues, Stay Away From Me.”
Dan Bern, who wrote many of the songs from “Walk Hard” and accompanied Reilly on his set in the Mustang Tent, said he didn’t know for sure if Reilly had considered doing some of their parody tunes.
“You can’t bring your whole back of tricks,” he said after their show, “but I’m always happy to talk to a fan of Mr. Cox.”
The Blue Sky Riders feature Gary Burr, who has written 14 No. 1 hits, and Kenny Loggins, who has recorded at least 14 gold albums as a solo artist and member of Loggins & Messina.
So you have to wonder why they ended their set in the Palomino Tent with the Beatles classic, “Help.”
All jokes aside about how this two-year-old band could use all the help they can get to promote their three-month-old, self-produced debut album, the Blue Sky Riders actually have made “Help” the regular finale of their recent concert appearances.
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Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum talks with bandmates in their trailer backstage at Stagecoach at the Empire Polo Fields on Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Indio, Calif. (Marilyn Chung/The Desert Sun)
Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum wasn’t showing much of a baby bump when the band appeared this week on “The Voice.” That’s because the segment was shot in February.
Scott is heading into her seventh month of pregnancy and she said while sitting in the band’s air-conditioned trailer waiting for the opportunity to perform for more than 40,000 fans as Saturday’s headliner she’s having to compartmentalize her life.
Toby Keith performs on the Mane Stage at Stagecoach at the Empire Polo Fields on Friday, April 26, 2013, in Indio, Calif. (Marilyn Chung/The Desert Sun)
Trace Adkins, Hank Williams Jr. and Toby Keith, the final three acts Friday on the primary Mane Stage, were friends with George Jones, who died Friday and was honored through the day.
But, by the evening, the Stagecoach party was on.
Adkins planned his Stagecoach appearance with the thoroughness of one of his projects on “Celebrity Apprentice,” rocking the audience with “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” and showing his true country colors on the plaintive “This Ain’t No Love Song.”
A woman takes a photo as Commander Cody performs on the Palomino Stage on Friday, April 26, 2013, during the first day of the Stagecoach country music festival in Indio, Calif. (Crystal Chatham/The Desert Sun)
Stagecoach: California’s Country Music Festival began its three-day run at the Empire Polo Club with caution Friday as its organizers tried to put the reins on some of its historic partying.
The Goldenvoice producers reduced the number of camping spaces at the event by 20 percent to 30 percent and tried to make sure all of the rowdy friends would settle down.
It not only limited RV camping to owners of their own RVs and no more than five guests per space, but it required the RV owners to write an essay explaining why they wanted to come to Stagecoach. As a result of their critical grading system, attendance was down considerably.
While close to the maximum 55,000 people per day attended last year’s festival, Friday’s attendance was probably less than 45,000 people.
Roger McGuinn singer/songwriter and founder of the 1960s musical group The Byrds. (Gannett News Service, Linda Palmer Lee)
While Joe Nichols was singing a Tom Petty cover song before up to 10,000 people on the Mane stage, a singer who influenced Petty was singing before about 300 people in a big tent.
Roger McGuinn, co-founder and lead singer of the Byrds, the first electric folk rock band in America, told stories about Bob Dylan, Leadbelly, Peter Fonda and Gram Parsons, and played solo 12-string guitar and banjo to songs that are part of this country’s folk history.
Hayes Carll, who plays the kind of rock-influenced country music George Jones never particularly liked, paid his respects to the late country crooner Friday in the large Palamino Tent.
Acknowledging Jones’ death earlier in the day, Carll, 35, said, “It’s hard for that not to cast a shadow over today’s events. But hopefully he’s looking down at all of us.”
After his last number, the Goldenvoice staff played Jones’ novelty hit, “The Race Is On” as bumper music.
Next up on the Palomino stage is one of Jones’ favorite singers, Connie Smith.
George Jones performs on Sunday, May 4, during Stagecoach 2008. (Michael Buckner, Getty Images)
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For the second year, this year's Coachella Music Festival is two weekends: April 12-14 and 19-21. Stagecoach is one three-day fest: April 26-28.
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