Since 1861 the venue has been haunted (in a good way) by its history, hosting artists from Rachmaninoff to The Rolling Stones. Now, after having cancelled nearly 500 shows due to the pandemic, the 6,000-seat hall is reopening, filling a hole in Britain's cultural life.
cbsnews.comFILE - In this Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020 file photo, Elton John performs "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" nominated for the award for best original song from "Rocketman" at the Oscars, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Dozens of U.K. music stars including Elton John, Ed Sheeran and conductor Simon Rattle on Wednesday Jan. 20, 2021, say musicians have been shamefully failed by the British government, which has left them facing post-Brexit restrictions on touring in the European Union. Britain and the EU disagree about who is to blame for the omission, each accusing the other of rejecting a deal for touring artists. The new rules mean U.K. performers have to comply with differing rules in the 27 EU nations, negotiating visas for musicians and permits for their equipment. Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage acknowledged the situation was “incredibly disappointing,” but said “the door is open” to talks with the EU on a deal for musicians.
Alumni of nearby Finneytown High School, who lost three classmates in the tragedy, faced obstacles in 2020 to their annual memorial scholarship fund-raising event. Aging alums had wanted their schoolmates to be remembered and decided that the tragedy “could be turned into something that was a living memorial,” Wittenbaum said. Boosted by a visit from Daltrey in 2018 to the Finneytown High memorial, where he signed a guitar, albums, books and other items for auction, they raised enough last year for four scholarships. Wittenbaum, choking up, unveiled a new plaque at the Finneytown memorial listing all 11 who died. The stars, of course, were Daltrey and Townshend, who spoke in separate interviews about how the tragedy has haunted them.
