Sunday, May 28, 2017

27 MAY

In Music History

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2017"Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber tops the Hot 100, becoming the first #1 on the chart sung mostly in Spanish since "Macarena" in 1996.
2014At his trial for historic sexual offenses, Rolf Harris sings a few bars of his hit "Jake The Peg." He's also known for the 1969 chart-topper "Two Little Boys."
2012On his 90th birthday, actor Christopher Lee announces the release of his Heavy Metal single "Let Legend Mark Me as the King."
2011Gil Scott-Heron, a spoken-word performer who dubbed himself a "bluesologist," dies at age 62. Although he had been diagnosed as HIV-positive several years earlier, his cause of death is not released.
2011A species of Afrotropical spider is named in honor of composer Brian Eno. The creature is called Pseudocorinna brianeno.
2009Gerard Way (of My Chemical Romance) becomes a father when wife Lyn-Z (of Mindless Self Indulgence) gives birth to daughter Bandit Lee.
2004The Bee Gees are made Commanders of the Order of the British Empire by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace; Maurice's son Adam accepts on behalf of his father, who'd just died six months earlier.
2003Italian composer Luciano Berio dies at age 77.
1999Lionel Richie and his wife Diane Alexander have their first child, Miles Brockman.
1989De La Soul's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, hits #1 on the BillboardR&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
1987U2's concert in Rome sets off earthquake alarms as a result of the noise level.
1977The Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" is released, selling about 150,000 copies in a week despite being nightparted on BBC's Radio 1 and declined by some record stores.
1975Rapper Andre 3000 (of OutKast) is born André Lauren Benjamin in Atlanta, Georgia.
1974Five year-old Lisa Marie Presley first meets Michael Jackson in Lake Tahoe, where her father had been performing. The pair will marry 20 years later in a union that lasts two years.
1972The Chi-Lites land their first and only #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Oh Girl."
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The Eagles Fly Again - This Time With $100 Tickets

1994
After a 14-year hiatus, the Eagles reunite for a show in Burbank, California, closing the show with "Desperado." They soon launch their "Hell Freezes Over" tour, which becomes the first tour to charge more than $100 for a substantial number of tickets.

The Eagles split up in 1980 after a grueling tour to support their album The Long Run, which took them 18 months to complete. All five band members took on solo projects: Don Henley released three successful solo albums and launched his Walden Woods Project; Glenn Frey released four albums and took up acting, appearing on Miami Vice and getting his own show; Joe Walsh played in various bands (including Ringo's "All Starr"), did session work, and released his own material; Timothy B. Schmit lent his voice to many recordings as a backup singer; Don Felder contributed songs to the Heavy Metal soundtrack and worked on his golf game.

In 1993, the five band members get back together to appear in the video for Travis Tritt's remake of "Take It Easy." The shoot goes so well, they decide to get the band back together (it helps that Frey's TV series has been cancelled).

They know better than to attempt another album, but Henley and Frey write a new song, "Get Over It," which they perform along with three other new songs (by other writers) and a smattering of their classic hits for an MTV special in April 1994. The two-day shoot results in Hell Freezes Over, a live album released in November (just in time for Christmas!). In May, they set out for a tour, opening with five shows in their stronghold of Irvine Meadows in Laguna Hills, California.

Arranged by their longtime manager Irving Azoff, the ticket prices are set at extraordinarily high prices, with many going for over $100. By now, many Eagles fans have given up life in the fast lane for life in the suburbs with a retirement account, and they have no problem ponying up to see the show. It's the economics of luxury: By setting the prices so high, it sends a message that this thing is huge. It also help thwart scalpers by essentially setting the prices at what they would ask.

The tour is scheduled to end in 1995, but is so successful they keep it going another year, including a European leg. It comes to a conclusion after 160 shows with 3.4 million tickets sold. The Eagles are the top touring act of 1995, with $63.3 million in ticket sales for 58 shows (Boyz II Men is #2 with $43.2 million from 134 shows).

The pricing has a profound effect on the industry, as boomer bands like Kiss, Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart and Jimmy Buffett become top earners by jacking up their prices to now-acceptable levels in line with the growing assets of their core fans.

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