Santa Rosa Press Democrat : Ronstadt show goes on without ado

Santa Rosa Press Democrat // News for California's North Bay and Redwood Empire: "Singer Linda Ronstadt continues her four-day sweep through the Bay Area this weekend as curious audiences and anxious concert promoters wait to see if the controversy she stirred last weekend in Las Vegas recurs.

"It was anticlimactic," said Wente Vineyards executive Rick Reid of the Thursday night show, even though Ronstadt earlier in the week added fuel to the media fire through published political remarks.

Playing to a sold-out crowd of 1,700 Thursday night at the Livermore winery, Ronstadt waited until the end to dedicate her last song, "Desperado," to Moore.

"It was done very quickly -- however long it takes you to say a sentence," said Reid, who fielded dozens of e-mails, phone calls and media inquiries from around the country earlier this week.

"The applause was more prevalent, but you did get some boos. About a hundred people walked out at that point. There may have been some people who walked out because it was the last song, but undoubtedly some were leaving in protest."

"I would expect her comments would be well received in Marin," said Jim Farley, Marin Center director of cultural services. He received about a dozen calls earlier this week -- most of them negative. "But regardless of that, I can't tell you how many times we've had artists express their political views from the stage. That's what you want an artist to do in their music or their songs or lyrics. That's what it's all about -- free expression.""


By JOHN BECK
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT