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| VoodooChileInWOnderl |
Rolling Stones deny role in on-again, off-again HK gig saga
Thu Nov 6,12:14 PM ET
HONG KONG (AFP) - Wrinkly rockers the Rolling Stones denied any part in an on-again, off-again saga that had Hong Kong guessing whether or not Mick Jagger (news) and co. would play in the territory, a band official said.
"We have never planned not to come to Hong Kong," Jake Berry, Rolling Stones production manager said as the band warmed up for two shows at a controversial music festival here.
The gigs had been thrown into doubt after the Hong Kong government-appointed promoters last month said the band had not signed their contract in time. A day later, however, the Stones' management denied the claim.
Doubts remained that the gigs would in fact happen right up until the Stones -- Jagger, Keith Richards (news), Charlie Watts (news) and Ronnie Woods -- arrived in the former British colony earlier this week.
Berry said the saga was not the Stones' fault, adding the confusion over the contract could be down to the time differences between Asia and Europe and the US, where the band members are based.
"We were working 24 hours, seven days a week to try to make it work," said Berry.
The Stones had already cancelled a series of shows in Hong Kong and China in the spring due to fears over the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS (news - web sites)) and the apparent scrapping of the rescheduled concerts added to fans' anger.
The weekend shows will bring to a close the government's month-long 130 million HK dollar (17 million dollar) Harbourfest music festival, created to raise the international profile of Hong Kong in the wake of the SARS crisis.
The festival has been plagued by controversy, with the specially built 13,000-seat venue half empty during many of the shows and criticism over the 5 million US dollars of public money said to have been spent to lure the Stones.
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| egon |
does EVERY article about the boys start with "Wrinkly rockers"?
jezus! |
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