THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603280349
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Willie Nelson, the wailing Texas troubadour, and the Marshall Tucker Band will add country flavor to the four-day American Music Festival planned for Labor Day weekend at the Oceanfront.
Other major entertainers booked for the third annual festival include Huey Lewis and the News, the Temptations and the Four Tops.
Rhythm and blues artist Percy Sledge, KC and the Sunshine Band, Johnny Rivers and the Guess Who also have been booked for appearances at four resort beach stages by Beach Events, an arm of Cellar Door Productions of Virginia.
Mickey Thomas and Starship, Eddie Money, Kansas and the Rascals round out the list of name entertainers to be imported for the event.
Nelson, the Marshall Tucker Band, Lewis, the Temptations and the Four Tops will be featured on a yet-to-be-built surfside stage at 5th Street, the main venue for the weekend entertainment. The festival begins Aug. 30 and ends Sept. 2.
The music fare ranges from Nelson's twangy and soulful crooning of ``Whisky River'' and ``Always On My Mind'' to Sledge's intense ``When a Man Loves a Woman.''
Absent from the gathering of musicians this year for the first time are the Beach Boys.
The group packed the resort beach during the past two Labor Day weekends with '60s vintage paeans to the joys of surfing, beach romances and hot-rod racing.
Scheduling conflicts kept them from returning to Virginia Beach this year, said Bill Reid, president of Cellar Door Productions.
``They really liked performing on the Oceanfront stage,'' he said.
The third edition of the outdoor festival will be on beachfront stages at 17th and 24th streets in addition to the 5th Street structure.
Ticket prices and outlets have yet to be determined, said Reid, who explained that some acts on the schedule are subject to change. Last year, for instance, Christopher Cross had to be scrubbed from the all-star lineup, due to a sudden illness.
Parking, trolley transportation and traffic control arrangements at the Oceanfront have yet to be solidified.
Detailed announcements about these and other housekeeping items will be made as the event draws nearer, Reid said.
Last year, concert tickets were made available through Ticketmaster outlets and at hotels offering weekend packages and room rates.
The festival is part of an annual entertainment package offered under city sponsorship to give Oceanfront tourism one final, season-ending shot in the arm. ILLUSTRATION: Willie Nelson
The Marshall Tucker Band will be one of the featured performers on a
yet-to-be-built stage at 5th Street.
by CNB