DATE: OCTOBER 11, 2005
FROM: MARCEE RONDAN/KRISTINE ASHTON-MAGNUSON/
MITCH SCHNEIDER
VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE: RESTORE. REBUILD, RETURN
TWO GREAT CITIES, ONE GREAT CAUSE:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 CONCERT RETURNS TO NEW ORLEANS AS THE FIRST FULL-SCALE ENTERTAINMENT EVENT TO BE STAGED WITHIN CITY LIMITS;
THE INVITATION-ONLY EVENT
WILL ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK THOSE INVOLVED IN THE RECOVERY AND REBUILDING OF THE CITY;
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30
VOODOO ROCKS MEMPHIS
Two cities united with a common goal: to celebrate and renew the city of New Orleans. As a sign of support and rebirth as New Orleans begins to rebuild, this observance of music will bring together the diversity of culture that serves as the foundation for both cities.
In an historic move, this year’s VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE will joyfully return home to New Orleans for the first of its two back-to-back concerts. The Saturday, October 29 event in New Orleans will celebrate the heroic efforts of countless individuals who have worked tirelessly and dedicated the past six weeks to the clean-up and recovery of New Orleans. The New Orleans event will be an invitation-only celebration (previous ticketholders exempt) for police, firefighters, National Guard, military and countless others who have aided in the recovery efforts of the city. The event will take place at Riverview Park (behind the Audubon Zoo).
Festivities remain in place for the Sunday, October 30 event in Memphis, TN. The full concert at AutoZone Park will be in the heart of downtown. In addition, look for a series of free concerts in downtown Memphis beginning Thursday, October 27 and continuing throughout the weekend.
“In the course of the past few weeks, the outpouring of support from not only the music industry, but from people from all walks of life, who want to come together to celebrate New Orleans has been tremendous,” says festival producer, Stephen Rehage. “The ability to move forward in two cities–with so much music history–is overwhelming to everyone involved with this year's event. We want to thank all the artists who have shown their support by honoring their commitment to this historic event. We all look forward to making this weekend one to remember.”
Marc Geiger from the William Morris Agency adds, “We’ve always supported the Voodoo Music Experience. This year, as we watched the events unfold, we knew that we had to do more to make this year special for music fans in both New Orleans and Memphis. We’re glad to be a part of bringing the music back to New Orleans.”
Originally scheduled for Halloween Weekend in New Orleans’ City Park, VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE was displaced by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. While plans were in full swing to move forward with relocation to Memphis, community leaders in New Orleans approached festival producers about the opportunity to move the event back home for one of its two days, as a tribute event for relief workers. Festival organizers and Memphis representatives alike agreed this was an amazing opportunity to increase the scope of the event.
VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE would like to thank the following artists who are generously donating their performances to this year’s event: Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, New York Dolls, North Mississippi All Stars, DJ Tiesto, Carl Cox, Cake, Digable Planets, The Decemberists, Secret Machines, The Bravery, Sevendust, Mindless Self Indulgence, LCD Soundsystem, VHS or Beta, HIM, Dan Dyer, HIM, The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Better than Ezra, Cowboy Mouth, Supagroup, World Leader Pretend, Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers, Something for Rockets, The Giraffes, Ivan Neville Dumpstaphunk, Rebirth Brass Band, Brotherhood of Groove, Morning 40 Federation, Michael Tolcher, Ghost, Bonerama, Fi Yi Yi Sprit of the Mandingo Warrior w/ Reverend Goat Carson, Papa Mali, Cyril Neville and Tribe, James Andrews and the Funky All-Stars, Jose Conde and Friends, New Birth Brass Band, Flaming Arrows Mardi Gras Indians, Corey Henry and the Young Professionals, Theresa Andersson, CC Adcock, Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Ballzack and Big Sam’s Funky Nation.
Tickets for the October 30 Memphis event in AutoZone Park will be available for $35 beginning on Wednesday, October 12 at 5pm EST through Ticketmaster and www.voodoomusicfest.com.
Current ticket holders are asked to visit www.voodoomusicfest.com for important details regarding their tickets.
As previously announced, proceeds from the VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE will benefit the New Orleans Restoration Fund (NORF), a donor-advised fund of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The remainder of the funds will be distributed directly to humanitarian organizations such as Mercy Corps and Habitat for Humanity as well as local organizations committed to restoring the vibrant cultural community of the greater New Orleans area, including Bring New Orleans Back, a non-profit organization to the restoration of the city of New Orleans; WWOZ, 90.7, New Orleans Roots Radio; and YA/YA, Inc. (Young Aspirations/Young Artists), a local organization dedicated to empowering future generations of young artists and community leaders.
VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE has been made possible by: PlayStation®, Miller Lite, RollingStone.com, VH1, Southern Comfort, nine.com, SPIN, Windows XP, MySpace.com, Spencer’s, STA Travel, KKND, Filter, Revista Sonika, Gambit Weekly, NOLA.com, Where Y’at Magazine, Offbeat Magazine, Memphis Flyer, and WWOZ.
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