After more than 15 years, I still see frequent references to Linda Ronstadt's July 2004 concert appearance at the Aladdin in Las Vegas.
And usually they repeat the same inaccurate conservative talking points- that Linda Ronstadt
was escorted off the property, that she was banned from the Aladdin or from Las Vegas. Most of
this information came from the President of the Aladdin, Bill Timmins, who went to the press
to discuss this earth-shattering event.
The Aladdin appearance was not the first time that Ronstadt has dedicated an encore to Michael Moore and recommended his film. She had done that at most of the previous concert dates in the schedule shown above. And at each venue, she received cheers and boos and life went on. Until Las Vegas. That was the first concert where some in the audience took to throwing drinks and creating property damage. All this because Ronstadt took about 60 seconds during her encore to make an encore dedication that did not please everyone.
Linda Ronstadt was not fired from the Aladdin. She had a contract to perform one concert, and she completed the job. She had left the stage and come back for the encore. So there's no reason for anyone to repeat this lie again.
The tweet below makes note of the fact that the crowd booed and many people left. Absolutely true. Everyone left because Desperado was the last song of the evening. In fact, many people were making their way to the exit before the dedication, possibly to beat the crowds as they knew the event was ending.
Aladdin President Bill Timmins chose to alert the media so his version of the events was the first reported:
And here is how the event was reported in Rolling Stone Magazine:
Linda Ronstadt disputed much of Bill Timmins' story. The Los Angeles Times reporting included some feedback from Linda Ronstadt:
Of note in the Los Angeles Times interview are Linda's remarks about not wanting to know, when she is in the audience, whether a performer is a Republican or right-wing Christian. This has widely been distorted on conservative websites and reported that Linda did not want any Christians or Republicans in her audience when she performed. Of course that would be her right if it were true, but in fact is not what she said in the interview.
Click on the image below to read more about Linda in Las Vegas:
The Aladdin appearance was not the first time that Ronstadt has dedicated an encore to Michael Moore and recommended his film. She had done that at most of the previous concert dates in the schedule shown above. And at each venue, she received cheers and boos and life went on. Until Las Vegas. That was the first concert where some in the audience took to throwing drinks and creating property damage. All this because Ronstadt took about 60 seconds during her encore to make an encore dedication that did not please everyone.
Linda Ronstadt was not fired from the Aladdin. She had a contract to perform one concert, and she completed the job. She had left the stage and come back for the encore. So there's no reason for anyone to repeat this lie again.
The tweet below makes note of the fact that the crowd booed and many people left. Absolutely true. Everyone left because Desperado was the last song of the evening. In fact, many people were making their way to the exit before the dedication, possibly to beat the crowds as they knew the event was ending.
Aladdin President Bill Timmins chose to alert the media so his version of the events was the first reported:
And here is how the event was reported in Rolling Stone Magazine:
Linda Ronstadt disputed much of Bill Timmins' story. The Los Angeles Times reporting included some feedback from Linda Ronstadt:
Of note in the Los Angeles Times interview are Linda's remarks about not wanting to know, when she is in the audience, whether a performer is a Republican or right-wing Christian. This has widely been distorted on conservative websites and reported that Linda did not want any Christians or Republicans in her audience when she performed. Of course that would be her right if it were true, but in fact is not what she said in the interview.
Click on the image below to read more about Linda in Las Vegas: