Latest news with #DisneyHall
The Advertiser
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Paul Simon undergoes successful back surgery
Paul Simon has successfully undergone surgery for "chronic and intense back pain". The 83-year-old singer/songwriter was forced to cancel two concerts last weekend after his pain became "unmanageable" and while his surgery "went well", he will need an extra day of rest and recuperation before he starts touring again. A message on his Instagram stated: "As previously reported, Paul Simon underwent a surgical procedure this week to alleviate severe back pain that he has been experiencing for some time. Thanks to a great team of doctors, the surgery went well, as expected. "However, it has become clear he will need one additional day of rest and recuperation to insure he is able to perform at the top of his ability in Long Beach. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to move the previously scheduled show on Monday, July 7, at The Terrace Theater in Long Beach, to Tuesday, July 8. "We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but Paul is looking forward to seeing everyone in Long Beach on Tuesday. All tickets purchased will be honored for the rescheduled date. For those unable to revise their plans, refunds are available at point of purchase." Simon previously shared his health issues on Instagram, with a message which said: "Paul has been struggling with chronic and intense back pain. Today it became unmanageable and demands immediate attention." Unfortunately he has been unable to reschedule the cancelled gigs. The message added: "We have to cancel these shows at this time, as we don't have the ability to reschedule them. However, we are hopeful after this minor surgical procedure which has been scheduled in the next few days, Paul will be able to complete the tour as well as look into returning to make up these dates. "In the meantime, please go to your point of purchase or local ticket provider for a full refund." The star, who is currently on his A Quiet Celebration Tour, will follow his performance in Long Beach with a five-night residency at Los Angeles' Disney Hall. Paul Simon has successfully undergone surgery for "chronic and intense back pain". The 83-year-old singer/songwriter was forced to cancel two concerts last weekend after his pain became "unmanageable" and while his surgery "went well", he will need an extra day of rest and recuperation before he starts touring again. A message on his Instagram stated: "As previously reported, Paul Simon underwent a surgical procedure this week to alleviate severe back pain that he has been experiencing for some time. Thanks to a great team of doctors, the surgery went well, as expected. "However, it has become clear he will need one additional day of rest and recuperation to insure he is able to perform at the top of his ability in Long Beach. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to move the previously scheduled show on Monday, July 7, at The Terrace Theater in Long Beach, to Tuesday, July 8. "We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but Paul is looking forward to seeing everyone in Long Beach on Tuesday. All tickets purchased will be honored for the rescheduled date. For those unable to revise their plans, refunds are available at point of purchase." Simon previously shared his health issues on Instagram, with a message which said: "Paul has been struggling with chronic and intense back pain. Today it became unmanageable and demands immediate attention." Unfortunately he has been unable to reschedule the cancelled gigs. The message added: "We have to cancel these shows at this time, as we don't have the ability to reschedule them. However, we are hopeful after this minor surgical procedure which has been scheduled in the next few days, Paul will be able to complete the tour as well as look into returning to make up these dates. "In the meantime, please go to your point of purchase or local ticket provider for a full refund." The star, who is currently on his A Quiet Celebration Tour, will follow his performance in Long Beach with a five-night residency at Los Angeles' Disney Hall. Paul Simon has successfully undergone surgery for "chronic and intense back pain". The 83-year-old singer/songwriter was forced to cancel two concerts last weekend after his pain became "unmanageable" and while his surgery "went well", he will need an extra day of rest and recuperation before he starts touring again. A message on his Instagram stated: "As previously reported, Paul Simon underwent a surgical procedure this week to alleviate severe back pain that he has been experiencing for some time. Thanks to a great team of doctors, the surgery went well, as expected. "However, it has become clear he will need one additional day of rest and recuperation to insure he is able to perform at the top of his ability in Long Beach. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to move the previously scheduled show on Monday, July 7, at The Terrace Theater in Long Beach, to Tuesday, July 8. "We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but Paul is looking forward to seeing everyone in Long Beach on Tuesday. All tickets purchased will be honored for the rescheduled date. For those unable to revise their plans, refunds are available at point of purchase." Simon previously shared his health issues on Instagram, with a message which said: "Paul has been struggling with chronic and intense back pain. Today it became unmanageable and demands immediate attention." Unfortunately he has been unable to reschedule the cancelled gigs. The message added: "We have to cancel these shows at this time, as we don't have the ability to reschedule them. However, we are hopeful after this minor surgical procedure which has been scheduled in the next few days, Paul will be able to complete the tour as well as look into returning to make up these dates. "In the meantime, please go to your point of purchase or local ticket provider for a full refund." The star, who is currently on his A Quiet Celebration Tour, will follow his performance in Long Beach with a five-night residency at Los Angeles' Disney Hall.
Perth Now
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Paul Simon's successful back surgery
Paul Simon has successfully undergone surgery for 'chronic and intense back pain'. The 83-year-old singer / songwriter was forced to cancel two concerts last weekend after his pain became 'unmanageable' and while his surgery 'went well', he will need an extra day of rest and recuperation before he starts touring again. A message on his Instagram stated: 'As previously reported, Paul Simon underwent a surgical procedure this week to alleviate severe back pain that he has been experiencing for some time. Thanks to a great team of doctors, the surgery went well, as expected. 'However, it has become clear he will need one additional day of rest and recuperation to insure he is able to perform at the top of his ability in Long Beach. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to move the previously scheduled show on Monday, July 7, at The Terrace Theater in Long Beach, to Tuesday, July 8. 'We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but Paul is looking forward to seeing everyone in Long Beach on Tuesday. All tickets purchased will be honored for the rescheduled date. For those unable to revise their plans, refunds are available at point of purchase (sic).' Paul previously shared his health issues on Instagram, with a message which said: 'Paul has been struggling with chronic and intense back pain. Today it became unmanageable and demands immediate attention.' Unfortunately he has been unable to reschedule the cancelled gigs. The message added: 'We have to cancel these shows at this time, as we don't have the ability to reschedule them. However, we are hopeful after this minor surgical procedure which has been scheduled in the next few days, Paul will be able to complete the tour as well as look into returning to make up these dates. 'In the meantime, please go to your point of purchase or local ticket provider for a full refund.' The star, who is currently on his A Quiet Celebration Tour, will follow his performance in Long Beach with a five-night residency at Los Angeles' Disney Hall.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L.A. Curfew Put In Place Downtown, 'Local Emergency' Declared By Mayor Amid Ongoing Protests & Unrest
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced a curfew tonight for Downtown Los Angeles after five days of protests and minor clashes with police. 'The curfew will be in place from 8 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. tomorrow,' announced Bass, noting that it could last for several days and would be reevaluated tomorrow. 'Everyone must abide by this curfew.' More from Deadline Donald Trump Responds To Gavin Newsom's Dare To Arrest Him, Says He 'Would Do It' If He Were The Border Czar CNN Correspondent Detained By LAPD, Camera Crew Arrested Trump Wins Bid To Halt Newsom's "Dangerous" Desire For Restraining Order Against Troops In LA Over ICE Raids; Rubber Bullets Fired Downtown - Update The boundaries of the area impacted are relatively small: One square mile from the 5 freeway to the 110 freeway and from the 10 to the point where the 110 and the 5 merge. The mayor emphasized that the protests have been limited to roughly this one square mile across the 500-plus square miles that make up L.A. 'Limited exceptions will apply for residents, people traveling to and from work and credentialed media representatives,' said Bass. 'If you are within that curfew during the restricted hours without a legal exemption, you will be arrested,' said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. The area under curfew encompasses Disney Hall, the Taper, the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, Areana, L.A. Live, the Convention Center, City Hall and Union Station. In fact, Disney Hall canceled a performance. 'Due to the curfew put in place for downtown Los Angeles, tonight's Seoul Chamber Music concert has been canceled at Walt Disney Concert Hall,' according to a statement. Bass also said a 'local emergency' has been declared and that the curfew was necessary after dozens of businesses were looted last night. The recent protests, sparked by federal immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles and more recently President Trump's order to have U.S. Marines deploy in the city, led to dozens of arrests today as demonstrators gathered outside the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center and a splinter group made its way onto the Hollywood (101) Freeway, briefly blocking both directions of traffic. The federal detention center on Alameda and Aliso streets has been a common site of protests over the past four days, along with the nearby federal building and federal courthouse. The nearby federal building on Los Angeles Street houses the local office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hundreds of people ultimately gathered outside MDC Tuesday afternoon, but National Guard troop formed a skirmish line to prevent them from entering the facility. By early afternoon, the Los Angeles Police Department had ordered the crowd to disperse, and many protesters made their way either north or south on Alameda Street, away from the MDC. A group of several hundred protesters marched east on Temple Street then made their way north to the 101 Freeway, poured through a gap in a chain link fence and walked onto the freeway, blocking traffic on both sides. California Highway Patrol officers, however, wasted little time and took aggressive action to push the crowd off the roadway. At least two people were seen being taken into custody as they struggled with CHP officers pushing them back. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, 96 people were arrested on suspicion of failure to disperse during Monday night's demonstrations. One person was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, another on suspicion of resisting arrest and one on suspicion of vandalism. Another 14 people were arrested on suspicion of looting. Two officers were injured during the Monday unrest. They were treated at a hospital and released, according to the LAPD. Numerous less-lethal rounds were fired by officers from the LAPD and other partner agencies Monday night and early Tuesday morning. Police eventually demobilized around 3 a.m. Tuesday. Mayor Karen Bass condemned the looting, noting in a social media post that people who are vandalizing and burglarizing stores are unaffiliated with people legitimately protesting on behalf of immigrants. Trump over the weekend federalized 2,000 California National Guard troops and ordered them to be deployed to Los Angeles, despite protests by Bass, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other local officials who said such a move would further exacerbate tensions and lead to more intense protests. But Trump doubled-down on the move Monday, ordering an additional 2,000 Guard troops into the city, while also directing 700 U.S. Marines to move into Los Angeles and support the Guard's mission of protecting federal facilities and personnel. Pentagon officials said Tuesday the deployment is expected to cost about $134 million. The state of California sued Trump on Monday to overturn the federalization of National Guard troops, and it filed an emergency motion in federal court in Northern California Tuesday seeking a restraining order to block the deployment of the National Guard and the Marines. It was unclear when a hearing on the matter might be held. Newsom also condemned the move, saying Marines 'shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president. This is un-American.' LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, meanwhile, said his agency had been given no formal notice about Marines being deployed to the city, and he said without better coordination, their arrival could present 'a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city.' McDonnell indicated tonight that his department has everything it needs to protect the city which, he said, was 'nowhere near' needing federal troops on the street. In fact, he said, the next move would be to request more help from the neighboring counties, not the feds. 'The sequence would be: We request mutual aid from partner agencies throughout the seven county area. The next step, then, is though the governor — the sheriff to the governor and the emergency OES at the state — that the national guard be deployed. We are nowhere near that in this environment. We believe we can do what we need to do with the resources that we now have access to.' City News Service contributed to this report. Best of Deadline List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lopez: 20 years and counting: How a chance encounter with a street musician led to a lasting bond
I was driving through Westlake, on my way to pay Nathaniel Anthony Ayers a visit at his nursing home, when it hit me. My God. Has it been 20 years? Hard to believe, but yes. The year was 2005. It was around noon, as I recall, on a drizzly, late-winter day. I heard music in Pershing Square, followed the sound and spotted him next to a shopping cart heaped over with his belongings. And so it began: Mr. Ayers with a violin that was missing two strings, trying to get back on track three decades after illness forced him out of New York's prestigious Juilliard School. Me with my notebook, getting to know this Cleveland-born prodigy while trying to navigate a mental health system that left thousands fending for themselves on the streets of Los Angeles. Neither of us could have known where we'd be headed together in the years to come. To Disney Hall. To the Hollywood Bowl. To Dodger Stadium. To the beach. To the White House. To an operatic series of starts and stops, of swelling strings and crashing cymbals, riding the waves of what Mr. Ayers calls the music of the gods. 'Can you believe we've been friends for 20 years?' I said to him during my visit a week ago. He's been immobilized by a hip injury, and looked up quizzically from his bed. He hadn't done the math, but it couldn't be disputed — we'd taken the express train from our 50s to our 70s. He smiled and said that when we met, he was 'on the street, homeless, playing a violin with two strings.' That was the headline of the first column. 'Violinist has the world on 2 strings," a reference to his unshakable love of music, despite his predicament. He played near the Beethoven statue in Pershing Square, for inspiration, he said. And the sign on his shopping cart said, "Little Walt Disney Concert Hall." I reminded Mr. Ayers — that's what I call him, and he calls me Mr. Lopez — of the response to the first column I wrote about him. Soon after, six readers sent him violins, two others gave him cellos and one donated a piano we hauled into a Skid Row music room, with his name on the door, at the homeless services agency now known as The People Concern. It took a year to convince him to move indoors, and he taught me so much in that time, primarily about how every individual in his shoes has a unique set of needs and fears, as well as a complicated history of trauma and stigmatization. Such people often languish in a disjointed, multiagency system of care. Through Mr. Ayers, I've met countless dedicated public servants in the mental health field. They are out there every day doing difficult, noble work, offering comfort and changing lives. But the need is great, complicated by the street drugs some people use for self-medication, and progress is often stymied by multiple forces despite billions of dollars worth of investments in solutions. Read more: Mr. Ayers ends up in the hospital, a reminder that problems with nursing home oversight remain Jon Sherin, former chief of the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, said that while good work is done by many, bureaucracy sabotages innovation and erodes the morale of front-line workers. "We live in a world in which people are paid to deliver a service regardless of whether it has any impact, and billing becomes the primary agenda of the bureaucracy and everybody in it," said Sherin, a psychiatrist who endured similar frustrations when he was at the Veterans Administration. "We're taking care of process, and we're not taking care of outcomes." The goal, Sherin said, must be adequate resources for housing and help, along with creating safe living environments that offer what he calls the three Ps — people, place and purpose. In the last two decades, many have stepped up to provide those things for Mr. Ayers, with varying degrees of success and no shortage of either heartbreak or hope. His sister Jennifer is his conservator, longtime family friend Bobby Witbeck checks in on him and so does long-ago Juilliard classmate Joe Russo. Gary Foster, who produced the movie "The Soloist," based on my book by the same name, has served Mr. Ayers and many others for years as a board member at The People Concern. Back in 2005, Peter Snyder, then an L.A. Philharmonic cellist, offered to give lessons to Mr. Ayers. They took place in an apartment where he would eventually live. Adam Crane, who was then working in communications at the L.A. Phil, opened the doors of Disney Hall to Mr. Ayers and reintroduced him to a community of musicians: Pianist Joanne Pearce Martin, cellist Ben Hong and violinist Vijay Gupta, among others, befriended Mr. Ayers and played music with him. One night at Disney Hall, Crane and Hong took us backstage after a concert so Mr. Ayers could reunite with a former Juilliard classmate by the name of Yo-Yo Ma. "Nathaniel ... has had an astounding, life-changing impact on me," said Crane, who is now with the New York Philharmonic. "I've often spoken about the power of music to transform lives, but I've never experienced it as profoundly and passionately as I have in the time I've spent with Nathaniel. From the first time we met in 2005 — when he was in my office playing my cello (his joy, as well as his past training, shone through) — to the years that followed, I've seen Nathaniel both medicated and un-medicated, living on and off the streets. The one constant has been his dependence on — and sheer love of — music for his happiness and survival." Read more: A place for Mr. Ayers to show off his gifts I knew there was an instant bond between Crane and Ayers, but I didn't know the full story until later. "There was an immediate connection," Crane explained, "not only in our shared love of music, but in our battles with mental illness, however differently it manifested in each of us. Nathaniel has helped shape my understanding of mental illness and the human condition, and he has profoundly deepened my perspective on what music can mean to people." I visited Mr. Ayers a few weeks ago with one of his former social workers, Anthony Ruffin, who lost his home in the Altadena fire in January. Mr. Ayers was not always Ruffin's easiest client — he could be resistant to help and even combative. At one point, Mr. Ayers "fired" Ruffin, just as he had "fired" Ruffin's mentor, Mollie Lowery. But Ruffin is a skilled observer who saw through the mask to the essence of the man, and he was inspired by the resilience he witnessed. "There's so much going on in the world, and when I meet and talk with Nathaniel, it makes the world seem perfect," Ruffin said. "When he speaks to me, he always gives me a little bit of insight about life in general, and I walk away from his presence humbled. Extremely humbled." Mr. Ayers has plenty he could complain about. Being homeless for so many years has taken a toll on his body, and for the past couple of years, hip and hand injuries have kept him from playing his violin, cello, keyboard, double bass and trumpet. But on my last visit, when I asked how he would describe the last 20 years, he didn't hesitate. "Good," he said cheerily. We talked about our visit to the White House, when he performed at the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and met then-President Obama, sporting a white suit and top hat he had purchased at Hollywood Suit Outlets. And we talked about his reunion with Yo-Yo Ma, when the cellist hugged him and said they were brothers in music. I remember Mr. Ayers refusing to get out of my car one night until the last note of the Sibelius Symphony No. 2 played on my radio. I remember him saying that in his New York apartment, he practiced Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings on his upright bass while watching snow fall outside his window. I remember the night on Skid Row when, before falling asleep, he grabbed two sticks on which he had written the names Beethoven and Brahms. When the rats come up from the sewers, he said, a tap of the sticks would make them scatter. Since our chance encounter 20 years ago, he has given me a greater understanding of patience, perseverance, humility, loyalty, love. He is a reminder that beyond first impressions, stereotypes and the borders we construct, there is shared humanity and grace in opening yourself to the richness of it. When I asked Mr. Ayers his advice on getting by, even through all the hardships and disappointments he has faced, he pointed to the radio next to his bed, which is tuned always to classical KUSC, 91.5 on the FM dial — home to the music of the Gods. "Listen to the music," he said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
