Argentine rocker Charly Garcia goes orchestral

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — One of Latin America's most influential rock stars is preparing to make good on his dream of playing guitar with a full orchestra in the majestic Teatro Colon opera house in Buenos Aires.

Charly Garcia says the work planned for Sept. 23 and Sept. 30 isn't a rock opera: It's more like something from the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's period. In an Associated Press interview, the 61-year-old musician calls it "a humanistic work that erases the limits between spectator and composer."

Mayor Mauricio Macri's approval for the concert was a vote of confidence for the talented artist with a troubled past. No-shows and drug habits left him in a psychiatric hospital five years ago. Garcia says he also got Yoko Ono's blessing for his latest adventure.