| I would like to take this opportunity to let everyone know about the "behind the scenes" events at Leeds regarding GN'R. From the first band all the way through the day, the set changes kept getting longer and longer. Prodigy was supposed to go on until 9.30pm, but didn't end up leaving the stage until 10.10pm.
This letter is not to make excuses for Gn'R taking time to get to the stage. We had out normal 45-minute set change. This letter is to thank one man. Festival organiser Melvin Been. He risked going to jail - and they were not idle threats from the local authorities - if he did not shut down the show. Myself and my partner Merck, and our production manager were in his office during the GN'R set, and I saw this man, who had been a gentleman to us from the inception of our committing to play the event, in great emotional turmoil and unrest. He faced the very real threat for being prosecuted, and the very real possibility of losing any future chance of ever having another Leeds festival. He also knew that if we shut down the show, the fans would most likely riot, and another rock'n'roll tragedy would be the headlines today.
Readers, if you enjoyed the festival as much as I did, I urge you to do what you can to keep Leeds alive. The whole event was one of the best bills I've bee involved in. And to Melvin, thank you for making the choice you did. You took a huge personal risk to make sure your fans were firstly safe, and entertained. Thank You.
Doug Goldstein, Co-President
Sanctuary North America,
Management Division |
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