The HARLEY-DAVIDSON PRESS CONFERENCE
House of Blues, Hollywood ... June 27, 2002 4:00 pm
I was alerted to this press conference by a friend in the media. I called the House of Blues and inquired about fans getting in, and was told absolutely NOT. I took the afternoon off work, tracked down my friend Beverly, dashed home for camera and a change of clothes, and off we went anyway.
We heard the radio announcement about John Entwistle's death just as we arrived at Sunset. We saw dozens & dozens of bikes lined up on the street near the House of Blues. The riders were all hanging out around the outside of the venue. We were early enough that the press table wasn't even set up yet, and we just walked right inside, unchallenged.
Tommy Lee was appearing there that night so there was a crew doing the setup and sound check, while the Harley people were setting up a smaller stage w/mikes in the pit in front of the stage. We stayed quietly in a corner and still remained unchallenged as to why we were there.
About 3:45 the media began arriving .. we spotted LA deejay Jim Ladd there. At 4:00 the bikers were let into the club. At 4:15 the Harley folks began their blah-blah about their history & the events planned, and announced the artists appearing at each of the participating cities. After all the other performers were announced, FINALLY, they announced that on September 6th they would be presenting The Doors ... and out came Ray, Robby, and Danny Sugerman.
They were presented with Harley jackets and Ray took over the mike, speaking for several minutes, even teasing about the Miami incident as he played with holding the jacket in front of himself. Ray said that Ian Astbury would be their vocalist, and alluded to other surprises. He said they have been working on some new music. Ray joked that they would be doing the "Billy Idol song, LA Woman," and also the "Jose Feliciano song, Light My Fire."
When Ray finished, Robby took the mike and said that Ray had just about said it all! Danny took the mike and said a few words. Ray mentioned the very recent news of John Entwistle's death and asked for a moment of silence. They posed for a flurry of pix on the stage, then moved near a Harley bike for another bunch of photos, and then the press conference was over!!
The line-up for California Speedway in Fontana is as follows:
Sept. 7: Billy Idol -- Nickelback -- Stone Temple Pilots -- and more!
Sept. 8: Doobie Brothers -- George Clinton & Parliament / Funkadelic -- Journey -- and more!
The asterisk on Densmore was referenced in small print at the bottom of the flyer, and says: * Due to health concern, John Densmore's participation is subject to change.
Obviously this is a reference to John's tinnitus .. my guess is that this allows them to bill themselves as The Doors, but gives them the out if only Ray and Robby appear.
This is the link for the Harley Davidson event. Tickets are on sale now, $55. per day. As best as I can determine, this is general admission. http://www.harley-davidson.com/en/home.asp?bmLocale=en_US
return to Ida's LA Woman Confidential home page
for more Doors news and reviews
6/27/02