Civil War Reenactor Reminded This Not His Personal Fife Recital
GETTYSBURG, PA—Following a fourth chorus of 'Kingdom Coming,' fellow participants sternly reminded local Civil War reenactor Christopher Geary that this was not his personal fife recital, frustrated sources confirmed Friday. 'This is the Battle of Gettysburg, not the Christopher Geary Music Hour!' said Frank Mercer, 54, who portrayed Gen. George Meade and had already told Geary six times to stop playing while officers were addressing the soldiers. 'Everyone's impressed that you can do all those little trills, but it's becoming a huge distraction. Today is about recreating a pivotal moment in American history, and one lone fife player shouldn't be stealing the spotlight by playing as loudly as possible. Also, it's pretty obvious you're sneaking in folksy renditions of Weezer songs, so knock it off.' At press time, Geary was insisting that despite his character dying on the battlefield, he should still be allowed to play the fife as a ghost.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Speed, celebs, Champagne: Formula 1 is having its Hollywood moment
If it seems like Formula 1 is inescapable this summer, there's good reason. Apple's"F1: The Movie," starring Brad Pitt, hit theaters Friday. It's one of Apple's biggest bets on entertainment, with the company's characteristic slick production, A-list cast, aspirational feel, and hefty price tag. The tech giant has gone all out to promote the movie, and even pushed discounted tickets using an iPhone notification. Apple isn't the only company betting on Formula 1. The sport, with its air of globe-trotting luxury and peak performance, has become a darling among brands. Tommy Hilfiger has a capsule collection tied to the "F1" film, and Heineken is using it to work itself into the cultural conversation. Formula 1 kept cropping up in conversations Business Insider reporters had with marketers during the recent Cannes Lions ad festival in the south of France. How did an exclusive, complex sport, with drivers hidden behind helmets and cars, enter the cultural mainstream? The sport got a big boost from the Netflix docuseries "Formula 1: Drive to Survive," which was not only a massive hit but was also credited with getting people to watch more races. The series started in 2019 and has run seven seasons so far. Formula 1 owner Liberty Media has worked to capitalize on the sport's increased popularity in the US. It added a second American race to the calendar in 2022, the Miami Grand Prix, and a third in Las Vegas in 2023, and has amplified the glitz factor with celebrities and splashy ceremonies. Teams are doing their part. McLaren Racing, home of the McLaren Formula 1 team, is doing a Trafalgar Square takeover in July to promote the team. Louise McEwen, CMO of McLaren Racing, said it was important to reach new and existing fans outside the track. "Seeing the new fans come into the sport, we needed to show up in their worlds and be meaningful in their worlds," she told BI at Cannes Lions. "Only 1% of fans ever go to the track in their lifetime." Formula 1 is still small compared to mainstream American sports like football and basketball, but the US has been one of its fastest-growing markets since Liberty's acquisition, according to Nielsen Sports. Globally, Formula 1 grew its fan base 12% to over 826 million in 2024. Women now make up 41% of the fanbase, and 16- to 24-year-olds are the fastest-growing age group, per Nielsen. A limitation of Formula 1 is that its drivers are obscured by helmets and cars, making it hard for fans to connect to them. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has been on a mission to expand the company's global footprint and US audience by promoting its drivers as actors in the drama of the competition. Cost is another limiting factor. Even basic tickets to this year's Miami Grand Prix went for hundreds of dollars. Those factors and the complexity of the sport have raised questions about how far its popularity can go. Brands are eagerly capitalizing on Formula 1's rise F1 is considered expensive and logistically challenging from a sponsorship point of view. Still, according to the research firm Ampere Analysis, sponsorship spending on F1 and its teams is expected to reach $2.9 billion this year, up 10% over 2024. Jae Goodman, whose Superconnector Studios firm connects brands to entertainment, said he saw F1's impact directly at the Miami Grand Prix, where he said that for every official sponsor, there was another brand attaching itself unofficially to the race. He was eager to see how the new Apple movie would confirm its relevance. "From a marketer's perspective, F1 feels like it's at the center of culture right now," he said. Mastercard, Qualcomm, and Atlassian are among those that are hoping to get the sport's high-tech gloss to rub off on them through team and media partnerships on and off the track. Some brands are looking beyond just putting logos in stadiums and on jerseys. For its sponsorship with the Formula 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing team, the Norway-based videoconferencing company Neat had its products used by the team's staff and in their hospitality suite, so that Neat could invite prospects to sporting events. Uber Advertising, pitching prospective clients, described how beauty brand La Mer sponsored rides to and from the Miami Grand Prix. Lenovo marketer Emily Ketchen recently discussed with BI how its partnership with Formula 1 includes using AI tech to improve the viewing experience. "That fusion of tech and performance is where we see a really nice alignment for our brand and for theirs," she said.
Tom's Guide
2 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
How to watch Weezer at Glastonbury 2025: live stream surf rock icons online for FREE
The legendary surf rock icons' UK festival tour continues as Weezer take to The Other Stage at Glastonbury 2025 on Saturday, with a one hour set spanning their over thirty-year career. You can watch Weezer at Glastonbury live streams from anywhere with a VPN and for FREE. Weezer's Glastonbury 2025 set takes place on Saturday, June 28.► Start time: 3:30 p.m. BST / 10:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. PT / 12:30 a.m. AEST (Sun.)• FREE STREAM — BBC iPlayer (U.K.)• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free Since the release of their debut, the "Blue Album", in 1994, Weezer have an incredible fifteen albums under their belt, including six self-titled efforts, with the band having sold over 25 million records worldwide. Having bagged Grammy's, MTV awards and reached the Billboard Hot 100 top ten, the band are still going strong, with their latest album, 'Van Weezer' arriving in 2021. Weezer's 2025 appearance at Glasto marks only their second time gracing the festival, the first being way back in 1995. With a heck of a lot more songs to choose from since then, expect to hear classics such as 'Say It Ain't So' and 'Buddy Holly' as well as smash hits like 'Hash Pipe,' 'Island in the Sun' and 'Pork and Beans.' Also look out for sing-a-long anthems 'Beverly Hills' and 'Memories,' and we wouldn't be surprised to see some cheeky cover versions peppered throughout. It's sure to be a grungy hour of anthemic nerd-rock that'll be a nostalgic treat for long time fans and just might bag some new ones. Read on for how to watch Weezer and live stream Glastonbury 2025 for FREE and from anywhere. Live coverage of all of the major stages at Glastonbury 2025 is being broadcast for FREE by the BBC in the U.K.. This means that you'll be able to catch a live stream of Weezer's set, along with all of the biggest acts performing at Worthy Farm this year, on BBC iPlayer. There's also TV coverage of the festival and highlights available each day, but the iPlayer live stream is the best bet to be sure you don't miss a minute of the set. Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch Weezer at Glastonbury 2025 as if you were back home. NordVPN is our top pick of the options and we'll show you how to access it below. Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the Weezer set on your usual subscription? You can still watch this and all the other Glastonbury coverage live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear as if they're back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market: NordVPN deal: FREE $50 / £50 Amazon gift card Boasting lightning fast speeds, great features, streaming power, and class-leading security, NordVPN is our #1 VPN. ✅ FREE Amazon gift card worth up to $50/£50✅ 4 months extra FREE!✅ 76% off usual price Use Nord to unblock BBC iPlayer and watch Glastonbury live online with our exclusive deal. Using a VPN is incredibly simple. 1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite. 2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're away from the U.K. but want to view BBC iPlayer as usual, you'd select a U.K. server from the list. 3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head over to BBC iPlayer and enjoy! The Glastonbury Festival is only shown in the U.K. so there's not set to be an international live stream of any of the sets from Glasto 2025. However, if you're currently on holiday in the U.S., Australia or Canada from the U.K., you can download one of the best VPN services and tap into your FREE home coverage of Glastonbury 2025 through the BBC iPlayer. We recommend NordVPN. Pyramid Stage The Other Stage West Holts Stage Woodsies Park Stage Acoustic Stage Avalon Stage We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
3 hours ago
Fans criticize Beyoncé for shirt calling Native Americans 'the enemies of peace'
A T-shirt worn by Beyoncé during a Juneteenth performance on her 'Cowboy Carter' tour has sparked a discussion over how Americans frame their history and caused a wave of criticism for the Houston-born superstar. The T-shirt worn during a concert in Paris featured images of the Buffalo Soldiers, who belonged to Black U.S. Army units active during the late 1800s and early 1900s. On the back was a lengthy description of the soldiers that included 'Their antagonists were the enemies of peace, order and settlement: warring Indians, bandits, cattle thieves, murderous gunmen, bootleggers, trespassers, and Mexican revolutionaries.' Images of the shirt and videos of the performance are also featured on Beyoncé's website. As she prepares to return to the U.S. for performances in her hometown this weekend, fans and Indigenous influencers took to social media to criticize Beyoncé for framing Native Americans and Mexican revolutionaries as anything but the victims of American imperialism and promoting anti-Indigenous language. A publicist for Beyoncé did not respond to requests for comment. The Buffalo Soldiers served in six military units created after the Civil War in 1866. They were comprised formerly enslaved men, freemen, and Black Civil War soldiers and fought in hundreds of conflicts — including in the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II — until they were disbanded in 1951. As the quote on Beyoncé's shirt notes, they also fought numerous battles against Indigenous peoples as part of the U.S. Army's campaign of violence and land theft during the country's westward expansion. Some historians say the moniker 'Buffalo Soldiers' was bestowed by the tribes who admired the bravery and tenacity of the fighters, but that might be more legend than fact. 'At the end of the day, we really don't have that kind of information,' said Cale Carter, director of exhibitions at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston. Carter and other museum staff said that, only in the past few years, the museum made broader efforts to include more of the complexities of the battles the Buffalo Soldiers fought against Native Americans and Mexican revolutionaries and the role they played in the subjugation of Indigenous peoples. They, much like many other museums across the country, are hoping to add more nuance to the framing of American history and be more respectful of the ways they have caused harm to Indigenous communities. 'We romanticize the Western frontier,' he said. 'The early stories that talked about the Buffalo Soldiers were impacted by a lot of those factors. So you really didn't see a changing in that narrative until recently.' There has often been a lack of diverse voices discussing the way Buffalo Soldiers history is framed, said Michelle Tovar, the museum's director of education. The current political climate has put enormous pressure on schools, including those in Texas, to avoid honest discussions about American history, she said. 'Right now, in this area, we are getting push back from a lot of school districts in which we can't go and teach this history," Tovar said. "We are a museum where we can at least be a hub, where we can invite the community regardless of what districts say, invite them to learn it and do what we can do the outreach to continue to teach honest history.' Beyoncé's recent album 'Act II: Cowboy Carter' has played on a kind of American iconography, which many see as her way of subverting the country music genre's adjacency to whiteness and reclaiming the cowboy aesthetic for Black Americans. Last year, she became the first Black woman ever to top Billboard's country music chart, and 'Cowboy Carter' won her the top prize at the 2025 Grammy Awards, album of the year. 'The Buffalo Soldiers play this major role in the Black ownership of the American West,' said Tad Stoermer, a historian and professor at Johns Hopkins University. 'In my view, (Beyoncé is) well aware of the role that these images play. This is the 'Cowboy Carter' tour for crying out loud. The entire tour, the entire album, the entire piece is situated in this layered narrative.' But Stoermer also points out that the Buffalo Soldier have been framed in the American story in a way that also plays into the myths of American nationalism. As Beyoncé's use of Buffalo Soldiers imagery implies, Black Americans also use their story to claim agency over their role in the creation of the country, said Alaina E. Roberts, a historian, author and professor at Pittsburgh University who studies the intersection of Black and Native American life from the Civil War to present day. 'That's the category in which she thought maybe she was coming into this conversation, but the Buffalo Soldiers are even a step above that because they were literally involved in not just the settlement of the West but of genocide in a sense,' she said. Several Native influencers, performers, and academics took to social media this week to criticize Beyoncé or call the language on her shirt anti-Indigenous. 'Do you think Beyoncé will apologize (or acknowledge) the shirt,' an Indigenous news and culture Instagram account with more than 130,000, asked in a post Thursday. Many of her critics, as well as fans, agree. A flood of social media posts called out the pop star for the historic framing on the shirt. 'The Buffalo Soldiers are an interesting historical moment to look at. But we have to be honest about what they did, especially in their operations against Indigenous Americans and Mexicans,' said Chisom Okorafor, who posts on TikTok under the handle @confirmedsomaya. Okorafor said there is no 'progressive' way to reclaim America's history of empire building in the West, and that Beyoncé's use of Western symbolism sends a problematic message. 'Which is that Black people too can engage in American nationalism," she said. "Black people too can profit from the atrocities of American empire. It is a message that tells you to abandon immigrants, Indigenous people, and people who live outside of the United States. It is a message that tells you not only is it a virtue to have been born in this country but the longer your line extends in this country the more virtuous you are.'
