Perry Farrell, The Doors’ John Densmore, Shirley Manson to Celebrate Music & Activism with L.A. Concert

Billboard Staff
·2 min read
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Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, Doors drummer John Densmore, Garbage singer Shirley Manson and visual artist Shepard Fairey will take part in WERD, a “live magazine” celebration of music and activism, at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on April 28.

The event will feature Farrell and Fairey in conversation along with a one-on-one talk with Manson and a rare appearance by Densmore. The night will also include acoustic performances and an all-star jam by artists still to be announced.

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The show, presented by Coachella promoters Goldenvoice and produced by Red Light Management’s Jonathan Shank and WERD founder and curator and Billboard contributor Steve Baltin, in partnership with 1215creative, benefits P.S. Arts and their “quest to provide arts education for underserved schools and communities.”

“Under a government that is already cutting funding to the arts, I’m very proud to participate in an event that will benefit P.S. Arts, a program that supports and provides arts education to underserved public schools and communities throughout California,” Manson tells Billboard.  “I believe very strongly that exposure to the arts is important to a child’s development and all children regardless of their socio- economic backgrounds are deserving of access to the arts.”

Adds Densmore: “Without my high school marching band, I wouldn’t be the drummer in The Doors.  And, guess what… I was good at math. I wonder why. Because music teaches math.”

WERD was founded by Baltin and launched with an invite-only event in 2015 featuring Incubus’ Brandon Boyd, Moby and more. In 2016, the “live magazine” appeared at festivals Lollapalooza and Life Is Beautiful and featured such artists as G Eazy, Dua Lipa and more.

“I approached Farrell and Fairey about doing a joint talk in Las Vegas but the schedules didn’t line up,” says Baltin. “I continued to pursue the idea and asked Shank for his guidance in producing an event of this size. Before we knew it, we had Densmore and Manson on board for what promises to be an incredible night that, best of all, allows us to give back to arts education.”

“When Steve first approached me about getting involved with WERD, I could feel his passion for the platform and he had an amazing vision for what we hope will become a meaningful series of events,” adds Shank. “The outpouring of support from the industry and the artist community has been tremendous, and we are excited to present a unique program to support the arts.”

Tickets, priced at $55 and $33.50, go on sale Friday, March 24, at 10 a.m. PDT at AXS.com.

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