Hot on the heels of their Brits performance and Award, Blur have now been announced as headliners for the Hype Park Olympic ‘closing’ concert on August 12th along with New Order and the Specials as part of the BT London Live series of events. And Blur guitarist Graham Coxon said he would refuse to play the gig if sound limits were reduced, as a protest at ‘people being boring’. The concerts are on, although with some reduced capacities and noise monitoring, but still much to fan’s and Live Nations’s delight, But what’s this, an article by Simon Jenkins in the Evening Standard saying “Parks are meant to be for pleasure and not for business” attacking the events in Hyde Park and the fact St James park will be closed is favour of a few ‘bikini clad Olympic family” plutocrats (for the beach Volleyball by the way). He goes on, saying that when Westminster Council suggested noise limits and reduced capacities the entertainment industry responded with “whinging and blackmail”, quoting a certain “John Diggings” from “Solo Productions” who called the sound restriction “ludicrous” ??? Errrm John WHO???? And surely this is not the same Simon Jenkins who championed that monument of all bores – the Millennium Dome – which wasted nearly £800 million of public money at the end of the last century - now thankfully replaced by the far more exciting (and loved) albeit rather expensive O2 Arena. Entertainment industry whinging? Misinformed journalist whinging more like! Hyde Park will be provide great live music in a one-off Olympic year - Surely something to cheer?
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