Linda Ronstadt, in an interview she gave to the Las Vegas Review-Journal before her most recent - and last - appearance at the Aladdin casino, said, "I keep hoping that if I'm annoying enough to them, they won't hire me back."
So, one wonders if her praise of Michael Moore and his latest propagandistic work, Fahrenheit 9/11 , was a guaranteed attempt to get herself fired from the Aladdin. It worked. The casino's president, British-born Bill Timmins, escorted Rondstadt off the premises and vowed she would never play there again.
“As long as I'm here, she's not going to play," Timmins said, very angry at the accomplished singer. "[Rondstadt] spoiled a wonderful evening for our guests and we had to do something about it."
After performing an encore rendition of "Desperado," Rondstadt told the audience of 4,500 that Michael Moore was "a great American patriot, someone who is spreading the truth," and urged everyone to see F 9/11.
Most of those in the audience booed and jeered, stormed out, tore down concert posters, threw cocktails and demanded their money back from the box office.
Now, Rondstadt is a liberal, no doubt, but even some of those on the Left aren't totally enamored with Moore at the moment, agreeing that his intentions to vilify Bush go too far. Was Rondstadt really endorsing Moore or was it merely the assurance she needed that she'd be let go by the casino as she appeared to want? We don't know the answer to this question yet, as the singer's manager was unavailable for comment.
It is, nonetheless, right to feel contempt for Rondstadt because she purposely aggravated an audience that had paid good money to see her. Ronstadt let many of her fans down, fans who never expected and certainly - as they made clear from the near-riot that ensued - didn't want the pro-Moore diatribe she delivered during her encore.
For this reason alone, Ronstadt deserved every boo, jeer and heckle she received, and Timmins was well within his rights to fire her.
Article comments
1 - JOlmsted
British-born Bill Timmins will be out of a JOB in August. The Aladdin is being sold to Planet Hollywood. (I believe Ronstadt is or was an investor!)
If you spend the time to read the Las Vegas Review-Journal article published the day before her final LV performance, you will discover she has been talking about MM and F911 at all of her performances this summer.
Aladdin mgt had warning about her performance. What was the surprise?
Man...you have to follow the story to find out for yourself what the facts really are. The Associated Press spins stories, too!
2 - Stephen K
One has to wonder: if she had made pro-Bush, war-supportive comments a year ago, and anyone in the audience had torn things up (as the hooligans described above did in response to her pro-Moore comments), don't you think the management would have gone after the patrons, and not the artist? Seems like those supporting the Prez are touchy and way too reactive, now, more than ever.