The Cult's Astbury And The Flys On Tap For Tibetan Festival

06/25/1999 7:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(6/25/99, 4 p.m. PDT) - This year's Tibetan Freedom Concerts may just be a memory (LAUNCH, 6/14), but there's still an opportunity to support the Tibetan cause and rock out. On July 4, Cult leader Ian Astbury and friends, and the Flys will headline the Third Annual Tibetan Independence Festival at the House Of Blues in Los Angeles.

Other acts confirmed on the bill include Gordon, the Tibetan dance troupe Chaksam-pa, Deborah Falconer with Drizz, and DJs the Bud Brothers and Michael Dog from the U.K.

Organizers point out that July 4 may be "Independence Day for us...but not for everyone." The concert, which is being staged by Open Productions in association with Los Angeles Friends Of Tibet, is being held "in honor of the 6 million Tibetans who continue to seek freedom from China."

After a press conference at the Alpine Valley, Wis. Tibetan Freedom Concert, Astbury told LAUNCH that his interest in the Tibetan cause is sincere. "This is truly not an egocentric experience for me," he said. "This is truly out of pure heart and altruism. And I'd be quite happy to do this, even if I wasn't in a band. I mean I'm not here for any showboating or career move."

To read a Flys feature, click here.

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