Linda Ronstadt apparently got what she wanted -- to be 86'd from the Aladdin.
In a bizarre performance notable for its bridge-burning comments, Ronstadt inflamed more than her Aladdin audience on Saturday by taking potshots at Las Vegas and dedicating "Desperado" to "Fahrenheit 9/11" filmmaker Michael Moore.
When her show was over, the Aladdin had her checked out of her room and escorted off the premises.
Many walked out during the show, one concertgoer tossed a cocktail on her poster, others defaced her posters and the box office was "a mob scene" of people seeking refunds, according to an Aladdin spokeswoman.
"It's amazing how ugly it got," said Tyri Squyres, director of public relations at the Aladdin.
Ronstadt was a one-woman heat wave.
Early in the show she told the crowd not to expect her greatest hits and added a snide remark or two about Las Vegas and the Aladdin. Scores of fans filed out when Ronstadt made her dedication to Moore and his controversial political film.
"Our management is incredibly upset," Squyres said. "We're just very disappointed because we hired her for a good evening of entertainment for our guests.
"It was like she came in with a chip on her shoulder," Squyres said.
Ronstadt allowed no meet-and-greets and no photographers.
Squyres said Ronstadt "inaccurately" told the crowd she saw a billboard that promoted a greatest-hits show. Ronstadt's camp had provided and approved all ads, commercials, billboards and news releases, Squyres said.
"To be clear, the Aladdin does not condone the comments made by Ms. Ronstadt," Squyres said by e-mail. "Ms. Ronstadt was hired to entertain the guests of the Aladdin, not to espouse her political views.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jul-19-Mon-2004/news/24339959.html
In a bizarre performance notable for its bridge-burning comments, Ronstadt inflamed more than her Aladdin audience on Saturday by taking potshots at Las Vegas and dedicating "Desperado" to "Fahrenheit 9/11" filmmaker Michael Moore.
When her show was over, the Aladdin had her checked out of her room and escorted off the premises.
Many walked out during the show, one concertgoer tossed a cocktail on her poster, others defaced her posters and the box office was "a mob scene" of people seeking refunds, according to an Aladdin spokeswoman.
"It's amazing how ugly it got," said Tyri Squyres, director of public relations at the Aladdin.
Ronstadt was a one-woman heat wave.
Early in the show she told the crowd not to expect her greatest hits and added a snide remark or two about Las Vegas and the Aladdin. Scores of fans filed out when Ronstadt made her dedication to Moore and his controversial political film.
"Our management is incredibly upset," Squyres said. "We're just very disappointed because we hired her for a good evening of entertainment for our guests.
"It was like she came in with a chip on her shoulder," Squyres said.
Ronstadt allowed no meet-and-greets and no photographers.
Squyres said Ronstadt "inaccurately" told the crowd she saw a billboard that promoted a greatest-hits show. Ronstadt's camp had provided and approved all ads, commercials, billboards and news releases, Squyres said.
"To be clear, the Aladdin does not condone the comments made by Ms. Ronstadt," Squyres said by e-mail. "Ms. Ronstadt was hired to entertain the guests of the Aladdin, not to espouse her political views.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jul-19-Mon-2004/news/24339959.html
