Singer Linda Ronstadt Ejected by Las Vegas Casino
 

Singer Linda Ronstadt Ejected by Las Vegas Casino
Mon Jul 19, 2004 06:54 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Linda Ronstadt was thrown out of the Aladdin casino in Las Vegas on the weekend after dedicating a song to liberal film maker Michael Moore and his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11," a casino spokeswoman said on Monday.

Ronstadt, who had been hired for a one-show engagement Saturday night at the Las Vegas Strip casino, dedicated a performance of "Desperado" to Moore and his controversial documentary, which criticizes President Bush and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

That dedication angered some Aladdin guests who spilled drinks, tore down posters and demanded their money back, said casino spokeswoman Sara Gorgon.

"We had quite a scene at the box office," she said.

About a quarter of the 4,500 people in the audience got up and left before the performance had finished, Gorgon said.

Before her concert, Ronstadt had laughingly told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she hoped that the casino performance would be her last.

"I keep hoping that if I'm annoying enough to them, they won't hire me back," she was quoted as telling the newspaper.

A statement issued by the Aladdin said Ronstadt had been "escorted out of the hotel" just after her performance and said the performer would "not be welcomed back."

"Ms. Ronstadt was hired to entertain the guests of the Aladdin, not to espouse political views," the casino said.

Ronstadt was not immediately available for comment.

Awwww, what about the people who WERE entertained by Ronstadt's performance? I'd have been entertained by the fact that so many people got hot under the collar about it.

“Yes, it’s a lovely home, and the neighborhood is great. I’m sure my client will appreciate your generous offer, and I’ll have our escrow company start drawing up the papers.

Before we sign the offer though, I’d like to take 5 minutes to explain why you should voted Republican in the upcoming election. Remember, a vote for a Democrat is a vote for treason …

… hey, where are you going? What about my right to free speech? CENSORSHIP! CENSORSHIP!”

If you’re hired to do a job, do the job. She was hired to be a singer, not a political commentator.

-sm

She was hired as a "performer" and singers often talk between songs. That's common and expected; otherwise they could just play a CD. Singers are not robots and they use emotion in their acts.

My ex-wife works for the Alladin and it's filled with stuffy English pricks. Do you think they'd kick U2, the Beastie Boys, Garbage, Barbara Streisand, etc. off the stage? All of them are known for their political comments while performing. There's no way in hell they'd do that to the other performers.

She did her job, and the Alladin was out of line. Now I have another reason never to go there.

Demonstrates the type of people who support George Jr. Low intelligent, easily swayed by Rush Limbaugh 'lies by telling half truths', and so extremist as to justify destruction of property only because another expresses a political viewpoint. I have even seen it happen in coffee shops. Linda Rhonstadt got blamed only because some drunk extremist fools like the mental midget and got violent. Their violence is justified when they express their political views? And Linda Rhonstadt cannot express any views? How right wing extremist! What CIA agent will be outted next in retaliation? What happens there stays there? Apparently not when right wing extremist put their spin on facts. Violence by right wing extremists is justified.

Violence in support of a mental midget president is justified? Singing a song in opposition to that president is not?
"Tin soldiers and Georgie's coming.
We're finally on our own.
This summer I heard the calling.
Dead posters in Las Ve Gas."

Bad lyrics to a song dedicated to a lying president. One who did nothing even after his Presidental Daily Briefings even warned of the WTC attack.

Blaming violent rioters on Linda Rhonstadt is classic of right wing extremist spin. Something I would expect from CBN, Fox News, or fools who believe Rush Limbaugh - prophet of god's choosen president.

If she were in a dirt bar singing this stuff and went off on a leftist rant in the middle of her set, she would get booed right offstage, and not collect her payday, and we would all nod and understand completely.

"I'd like to introduce my keyboard player Jimmy, give him a hand folks... he doesn't care if half of you don't care about the state of the country. Get up and dance people, unless you don't care about the landmines issue. Oh and please tip the waitresses, you morons."

Stipe once stopped a concert to complain about the brand of beer some fan was drinking. I don't get it: if we tell him to shut up and just sing, it's some kind of quashing of debate, but if Stipe wants to instruct the mob on what beers are politically correct it's not acting oppressive at all.

If they don't want certain people in the audience, or if they expect some sort of group-think, well I think they should print that on the tickets.

When did we have to print on the ticket that right wing and violent extremists are not welcome in any concert?

She wasn't trying to control the audience, she was expressing herself. The Audience is free to agree or disagree and to leave the concert. But destruction of property isn't allowed, and isn't the fault of someone expressing themselves. If those audience members don't like what she's saying or otherwise don't like her show, they're free to leave and not purchase her albums anymore.

What is it about the right-wing zealots that they can't grasp the concept of changing the channel or voting with their dollars? If something is offensive on television, the radio, etc. don't violate thier rights, just change the channel or turn it off. What's so hard about that?

Careful, that knife cuts both ways.

-sm

Depot Ronstadt to Mexico.
Send rioting patrons to Cuba.
Let's get back to debauchery.
Viva Las Vegas. :biggrinje

Am I missing something, or is the "extremist, violent destruction of property" that we're referring to here the spilling of a few drinks, and maybe one drunk guy ripping down her poster on the way out?

What is it about left-wing zealots that always equates “voting with their dollars” as a form of censorship. Dixie-chicks piss off their audience, the core country fan base doesn't want to listen to them anymore, radio stations stop playing their music, and it's a censorship issue, a conservative witch-hunt.
Whoopie makes crude comments about the Prez, Slim-Fast realizes that a pretty good chunk of their market base probably likes the guy, so they vote with their pocketbook and drop her. Suddenly it's a censorship issue; Whoopie releases a statement accusing the Bush re-election campaign of scheming to harm her financially. I think the conservative right is pretty damn good at voting with their pocketbook. The thing you're pissed about is that our pocketbook holds billion dollar companies like Clear Channel, Newscorp, Nabisco, Aladdin, Icon ...

-sm

I really can't answer that question since I'm not a right-wing or a left-wing zealot. I have absolutely no problem with people voting with thier dollars. I don't consider it censorship. If I'm going to hire someone to sell a product, it will be someone for whom the consumers of my product will like. I wouldn't hire Michael Moore to represent Smith & Wesson, and I wouldn't hire George W. Bush to represent the United States of America.

"My ex-wife works for the Alladin and it's filled with stuffy English pricks"

Theyre English? And they support Bush?

If you go to a Ronstadt concert you know the rant is coming, unless you actually think Rush has permission to use her music. This all played out the way it should in an open society, she says what she thinks and the casino decides whether in the future they want to give her a forum.

You know that the Dixie Chicks thing is more complicated than that, because the Feral Government decides who gets broadcast licenses. We do NOT have a free market in broadcast media.

*grin* nice line!

Hey, maybe Derek Jeter can step out of the batter's box grab a wireless mic and start lecturing the fans in Yankee Stadium about how John Kerry is going to place our military under the control of Kofi Annan and the United Nations and its the duty of every red-blooded American to not vote for him. Who cares if its true - Jeter has the right to speak his mind, right?

Let's see all the Ronstadt supporters come to his aid. I'll be sure to hold my breath.

He can and Steinbrenner can trade him or put language (betcha it's already in there) in his contract (prolly MLB already has something in the collective bargaining agreement about pissing in the soup) forbidding it. If Linda broke a contractual agreement that is another thing entirely. When you go to see Ronstadt you know what you are in for. The dopes who made a scene probably went there intending to make a scene.

Wow did she just say, "I dedicate the next song to Michael Moore" or was it more than that? Damn! :eyebrow: :mad:

I doubt it Griff, I've a feeling that crowd was probably clueless. The Conceirge said I can get you into Ronstadt and they said OK, I've heard of her. :rolleyes:

That's about it. It sounds like she may have said a few things about the film, encouraged people to see "the truth about how things really are."

-sm

Sounds like she might have taken a minute or two. :)

"Sounds like she might have taken a minute or two. "

.........Oh well in that case it's perfectly understandable and reasonable that the adult patrons threw a tantrum

Hey sm, as a guy who just might get such work, what do you think the rest of the band thought? Ronstadt herself doesn't give a crap but what about the $300 a day people backing her up? Do they get paid now or not?

i actually did blue bayou at a wedding once, but not her version

Here's an interesting article about Ronstadt. The article acknowledges the Moore thing but is about Linda Ronstadt.

Love her or hate her (I'm a huge fan but had no idea she incorporated her politics in her act- not that I care I just didn't know), you have to admire her musical flexibility. I don't necessarily agree with her top songs as indicated in the article and would add her remake of Elvis Costello's Girl Talk to the list.

Of course she was (is?) married to Jerry Brown... :)

So the bottom line has nothing to do with Linda Rhonstadt. Problem really was either with patrons who were too inferior to act as adults (throwing drinks; attacking billboards) or with management of the Aladdin casino that failed to maintain order. The casino is ultimately responsible for protecting those 75% of their patrons from the 25% who acted as children; who destroyed a good show for the other 75%.

The Aladdin casino has the right to cancel all future engagments with Linda Rhonstadt. And Linda Rhonstadt has every right to dedicate her music to Saddam Hussien if she wants. Instead she dedicated music to an American that extremists so fear as to attack other patron's entertainment. For that, the children went ballistic? And were forgiven because they supported an extremist right wing agenda? No wonder those children also fear what Howard Stern or Bill Mahr might say. Then an extremist press spins this into condemnation of Linda Rhonstadt? Do they think we are that stupid?

None of this can be discussed without first pointing to the reasons for all this: a lying president.

Unfortunately more civil disobedience is expected because a president lies - even about knowing in advance about the WTC attack - the 6 Aug Presidential Daily Briefing and a 5 Jul National Security Council meeting that will be discussed tomorrow.

When presidents lied about VietNam and patriots properly demonstrated in Chicago, then the police, under orders of Mayor Daley, unilaterally attacked those demonstrators. The whole world was watching. This is what extremist supporters do in the name of lying leaders. What happened in Las Vegas suggests what is in our future because George Jr is a liar - and a mental midget president. Extremists will condone more violence under the disguise of patriotism? And Rush Limbaugh will condone their violence as well? This is what a second George Jr administration threatens for America - not to mention how things get unsafe for Americans overseas.

Things will get even more confrontational if George Jr is reelectted and then starts his invasion of Iran. So how will those inferior patrons from the Aladdin casino blame Linda Rhonstadt and Michael Moore for that war? This Linda Rhonstadt event is becoming more frequent. I have seen same in coffee shops in different states. We need an honest president. George Jr does not qualify.

"Then an extremist press spins this into condemnation of Linda Rhonstadt? Do they think we are that stupid?"

Unfortunately yes, they do. You only have to look at the coverage in the media of the "war on terror" to see that they really have a very low opinion of their audience. "We have always been at war with Eurasia"

No, because they were paying customers. The bottom line has replaced Elvis as king, in Vegas and most everywhere else. :yelsick:

You're prolly right about the Vegas scene. People don't really seek out acts they just end up places. I don't get the mentality, but since when do I understand American culture?

"It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is a Republican or fundamental Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."
--- Linda Ronstadt (from Beestie's link)

That's exactly how your audience feels about you, Ms. R.

Shut up and sing.

Vote as you like, think as you like but when people are paying to hear you sing (or whatever artistic product you are selling)........do the doin' and go home.

Tell your dog how you think. He might give a rat's ass.

More people seem to care more about what Linda Ronstadt thinks than is probably healthy.

she actually has made that a part of every show since F9/11 came out. this is the same woman who said that she is unable to enjoy a show if she thinks there might be a republican or a fundamental christian in the audience. just another entertainer who forgot that they exist to entertain us, not lecture us. and yes, i feel that way about every entertainer no matter their political preference.

the aladdin has every right to toss her out. they are a business. whether they feel that her comments were inappropriate or her breath was just a little smelly, it doesn't matter, they own the joint and they have to right to toss her for any reason or no reason at all. freedom to express one's opinion goes both ways.

Like so many problems, it seems that the cause of this was a number of people behaving stupidly in a close proximity. Linda Ronstadt, who made volatile, politically charged remarks to her politically-mixed "fans," and the audience members who thought that a temper tantrum was a suitable rebuttal. Aside from the destruction of property, nobody did anythig "wrong," but many are guilty of being nose-bleedingly stupid.

Sure, she has the right to say whatever she wants, but then she must pay the obvious consequences (being asked to leave, and never being invited back). The ultimate price of freedom is that other people may sometimes exercise their freedoms in ways you don't like. Many Americans seem to forget that these days.

Why? What makes you think entertainers exist only to entertain you? If someone has a soapbox and an opinion, they have every right to use it. Being a singer doesn't make her opinions any more valid - or any less. It's easy enough for me to not listen to Dennis Miller. I don't try to get him fired. (In fact, if he were fired, his occasional egregiously bad bits wouldn't make the rounds on the internet.)

Of course the Alladin has the right to fire Linda Ronstadt. If their clientelle can be whipped into a riot by the mention of Michael Moore, it would be foolish for them to have someone a controversial as Linda Ronstadt. They should just pipe in some light jazz.

it doesn't sound like a riot to me. sounds more like a few drunken idiots who found an excuse to act out. i've seen one or two of those in vegas, myself.


i wasn't saying that entertainers give up the right to speak their minds. if i go to a musical concert, i pretty much just want to see the show, hear the songs, that type of thing. if i go see a comedian, i expect to hear political ranting. anyway - they have the right to say what they want, it is their stage. i just hate hearing some of them turn around and cry when people respond by boycotting their projects. it is not censorship when your marketability suffers because of your politics, no matter what Martin Sheen, Robbins, or any of the others think.

Just like the Dixie Chix - that whole thing was overblown and stupid, but really. if you make your very comfortable living off country music fans, who for the most part are red, white, and blue wearing, right leaning, self-described patriots who support the president - don't be surprised when people quit buying your tickets and cd's for a short period of time after you insult the man.

I can have as many discussions of political (or religious or other controversial) topics as I like amongst my coworkers, behind the scenes.

If I do so with a customer (patient or patient's family) I can be fired.

Says so in my employee handbook and everything.

What kind of dumb question is that? No entertainer has the right to hijack a performance for which they are being compensated. No one has the right to use their employer's venue to espouse their personal opinions.

A soapbox speech is delivered at the expense of the deliverer and not on someone else's dime. If Linda Ronstadt has something to say, let her pay for a concert hall, sell her own tickets and then she can blab all she wants. Or, she can publish her own book or cut her own CD with her views narrated on it. Or she can ask Oprah to invite her on to discuss her views. Whatever.

It isn't free speech when someone else is paying for it! Of course, highjacking a conservative venue to deliver a liberal message is ok since the end justifies the means, right?

If she didn't have the right to say it, she would have been sued. As it was, she was invited not to return. She was well within her rights to say it and the casino was well within their rights to fire her. The only people who did anything wrong were the vandals.

Our society has a lot of self-imposed pseudo-rights which are based on political correctness. As a citizen, Linda Ronstadt has the right to do anything that is not against the law. If her contract said that she is forbidden from sharing political views while performing, then she has waived that right upon signing it. But it is doubtful that her contact carried any such stipulation, otherwise we'd be reading about the breach of contract.

So yes, she had the right to do it, but that doesn't make it smart, nor socially appropriate. And the consequence will probably be reduced popularity with the Repulicans out there. But if that doesn't bother her, why should it bother anybody else?

And there was I thinking America had a long and proud tradition of protest singers. Woody Guthrie must be turning in his grave. Would you guys prefe rit if there had been no Dylan? Or would you just like to have had him declawed ?

Since when were Americans so afraid of political views? Since when did they compartmentalise politics away from entertainment and the arts? Life is political. Man is a political animal and so is a female singer. She was honest and true to herself as an artiste and as a human being. To percieve such a vast crime ( rightly or wrongly) and to allow that crime to go unmentioned when she has a platform would be negligence on her part. Keeping silent whilst crimes are committed in your name is in itself a crime to my mind.

To be silent about a crime you do not percieve is one thing, to stay silent when you believe these things to be true is unforgivable.

If you pay to see a show, you are paying to see whatever show the entertainer wants to give you. You don't choose which songs they'll sing or what they'll talk about. She was given a suite by the hotel which was surely in her contract. She was escorted (thrown) out of the casino before she could even go to her room to collect her things.

She did nothing wrong, but the hotel did. They have the right to fire her, but if her contract called for a suite, she's entitled to it, and entitled to gather her things before leaving.

Also if the musicians didn't lose thier job because of something she said, they lost thier job because a bunch of morons decided to throw drinks and make a big deal out of nothing. They lost their jobs because the casino chose to fire the band even though Linda Rondstadt did nothing that could be considered inappropriate.

um, yeah. all i am saying is that when entertainers,who do not have politics as a normal subject matter in their performance, go on a rant it can be annoying. they have the right to do it. i defend that right. i also defend the right of the people who object and refuse to give further funds to the entertainer. i do not support idiots who were looking for an excuse to throw drinks.

personally i would throw drinks and go into violent convulsions just being forced to listen to Linda R's voice. ;)

Linda Ronstadt is not now nor has she ever been a protest singer. She is a used up, has been lounge singer.

Protest singers are fine people ... there's a big difference, though, between "Blowing in the Wind" and "When Will I Be Loved" in terms of political content.

I gotta say that "I didn't expect to hear Moore's name" has gotta be the stupidest excuse for vandalism I've heard in a while.

*chuckles* I agree HM

UT

RE: the band getting cut their checks, it depends on how good the Musical Director was when he negotiated the contract. If this was a house gig (they were staying for an extended time in one spot) then they are being contracted by the venue, not the artist, and they probably got paid by the week, and had the rest of that weed paid out.

If it was part of a road gig, then they are being contracted by the artist to fulfill her obligation to promoters, and they are paid for the amount of time spent on the road regardless of how many dates are booked. If they're getting $3k a week for 12 weeks, then they get their cash even if individual dates fall through. If the whole tour gets cancelled though, then they're lucky if they get a plane ticket home.

-sm

I want a house gig so I can be paid in weed... I'm in the wrong profession.

"I want a house gig so I can be paid in weed... I'm in the wrong profession."

You should come work for me making pot pipes :P

SM, it was a one shot deal, neither road trip (tour) nor extended stay. :)

then if they showed up, they got paid. Doesn't matter if the thing got canned.

and HP, that was a Freudian slip if ever I've seen one!

-sm

Summary:

Ronstadt had the right to say what she wished.
The casino had the right to kick her out.
The audience did not have the right to vandalize the place.
The new owners of the casino will have the right to invite Ronstadt and Moore back, to sing "America the Beautiful".

damn... new management - politics aside i hope they don't change much in the casino. the aladdin is my favorite place to play roullette.

Unfortunately, I believe they plan on changing it to the "Hard Rock Casino". So the decor will probably change.

dammit OC don't you know GWB shot JFK, on a special operation for the CIA, thus putting into power LBJ, who lied??? this led us to nixon who lied and eventually died... ford was in power even though he never appeared on a ticket. carter was just a saintly good old boy, but he fell to the evil evil ronnie raygun who had iran contra with the CIA/DIA and more recently died... after him we have a little bush who once worked for the CIA, then our hero Bill Clinton, who tried to help his friend Al, but the election was stolen by the evil GWB then he took us to war with lies from the CIA... now we have come full circle because GWB is up against another JFK... all because there was no *drum roll* no smoking gun!!!

Nothing involving the WTC and Pentagon attacks can be discussed without mentioning the 6 Aug 2001 briefing that George Jr apparently did not even read. What was he waiting for? A formal invitation to the party from Osama? The contentiouos nature - and the reason why those extremists felt justified in creating civil disturbances in a Rhonstadt concert is directly traceable to the current political climate in America - as created a mental midget president and his administration. An administration that even justified the outing of a CIA agent and Gitmoizing of innocent Iraqi prisioners.

Osama bin Landen will attack buildings with airplanes? So he sat there for seven minutes in an elementary school as if he knew nothing about what was happening. Oh wait. He did not know. Cheney did not tell him to read the details. It was only titled "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US.” To understand planes attacking buildings, the president would have had to read details. Details. That is Cheney's job. Therefore those anti-social minority in a Las Vegas concert are justified in destroying a the night of entertainment for real Amerians?

When someone criticized this president, what do all good Americans do? At minimum they stay quiet and acknowledge that all who criticize this president have plenty of reasons to do so. Did I mention something called an economy?

What is wrong here is that anyone is even discussing Rhonstadt. The problem is George Jr and his extremist friends who find nothing wrong in trashing a casino. Also wrong here are those who don't comdemn those extremist violent actions in their very first post - hint hint.

And so to understand the violence in Las Vegas, we start with the source - George Jr and his 'screw everyone else' politics.

That's the second time in the same thread that you've used the phrase "Nothing can be discussed without...".

It's an obvious gambit to force the discussion into a specific channel. I don't know about others, but it ticks me off because you are telling me how I have to approach a topic.

The phrasing is definately not a "Win Friends and Influence People" sort of thing.

Who? Clinton or Berger?

Just in case you need a refresher...

Richard Clarke: Let's GET Osama!!
Berger: no.

Richard Clarke: Let's GET Osama!!
Berger: no.

Richard Clarke: Let's GET Osama!!
Berger: no.

Richard Clarke: Let's GET Osama!!
Berger: no.

There appears to be very much truth to what Beestie posts here. I have not yet read enough to be sure. But this has been my suspicion for some time. Clinton signed off again and again to attack, capture, or kill bin Laden between 1997 and 2000. Tribal leaders with intimate knowledge of where bin Laden always was were to kidnap him. Delta Force could not get spooky into position due to fuel limitations. The Emir of UAE got in the way. Cohen, during the Clinton era, was even running a field office dedicated only to getting bin Laden. When we did go after bin Landen just once, either the Navy used surface ships (giving away what we were doing) or Pakistan had to be notified so that those cruise missiles launched against bin Laden did not start an Indian / Pakistani nuclear war. Either way, bin Laden and his closest 50 friends at the meeting left quickly.

Of course we were not the only ones who tried to take out bin Laden. The list includes Egypt, Syria, Saudia Arabia, Jordan, and even Libya. Got to give the man credit. He stays alive. He has inadvertant friends in the right places (from his perspective). He even has a president who would not let the Marine expeditionary force nor 10th Mountain go get him. Bin Laden even got an American president who helped him stay alive. (Generals Zinni and Shelton were furious.)

If you are posting to win friends and influence people, then you are not my friend. I want the facts, blunt and honest. That means being politically incorrect. Those who are politically correct lie too much. If you have an emotional opinion of what I have posted, then, as far as I am concerned, you have not yet learned to be an adult. Your opinion should only be on the facts as posted. Emotion has no place in adult thinking.

Truth must be posted bluntly no matter how much it hurts.

Same applies to those who want to save me from seeing something painful or atrocious. Don't insult me. If they are cutting off his head, then show me ... in detail. Then I can assertain the credibility of the event, appreciate the real intent of the killers, AND identify other unique information not observed by others. Again, stop with thinking nice is good. Nice is bad. Honest and blunt is good.

In the meantime, it is an honest opinion but not backed up by supporting reasoning. You don't think there is anything gained by first starting with the reason for that Las Vegas violence? Fine. You don't like it. Why? Why does that unjustified violence by a minority of Las Vegas extremists not belong in this discussion first and foremost? Not your feelings. Facts. Why should we ignore the fundamental reasons for the disruption of a show at the expense of other Linda Rhonstadt fans?