I was at the Great Cranberry Riot in D.C. on 15 MAI 1995 with my friend Debbie. We both called out sick from work and went to see the free Cranberries show. We couldn't believe how many people were there, many more that usual for one of the WHFS free concerts. Because of the thousands who showed up all of the sudden there were more park police on foot and on horseback showing up around the perimeter of the Sylvan Theater grounds and it seemed they were trying to corral the crowd closer to the stage. A police helicopter showed up, hoovering overhead much lower than it had to be and then we noticed camera crews from the D.C. TV stations around the perimeter of the crowd also. We were laughing at the people in front of the stage moshing to 'Linger', and after the song ended there was an announcement that someone took one of Delores' guitars from the stage and the show was going to end unless it was returned, a few things were thrown at the stage and then all hell broke out as the mounted police moved in toward the stage then the police on foot started moving in and 10000+ people were scrambling to get away from the Sylvan. TV camera crews were all over filming the entire scene and Debbie and I were turning away from and ducking below TV cameras left and right, remember we had called out from work and did not want to end up on a local news broadcast! We finally made it up the hill near the Washington Monument and watched the police finish clearing the Sylvan Theater grounds. Thanks for such a great memory Delores, Godspeed and God Bless your family and band mates! Click the link for a very cool video version of 'Zombie' by Pub Choir. From the Washington Post and Rolling Stone
THE CRANBERRIES 'ZOMBIE'
That time the Cranberries played a free show in DC — and a riot broke out
By Neal Augenstein | @AugensteinWTOPJanuary 16, 2018 12:12 pm
WTOP's Neal Augenstein recalls The Cranberries in D.C.
With the death of Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan, long-time fans are recalling an impromptu show in the nation's capital that turned into a melee.
WTOP's Neal Augenstein recalls The Cranberries in D.C.
WASHINGTON — As the Cranberries rose to global stardom, on May 15, 1995, they played a free show in the nation’s capital that turned into a melee.
With Monday’s sudden death of singer Dolores O’Riordan, at the age of 46, Cranberries fans who have lived in the Washington area are remembering the lunchtime show at the Sylvan Theater, on the grounds of the Washington Monument.
In 1995, WTOP Director of Marketing Mary Kay LeMay was the promotions manager at WHFS, the alternative station that sponsored the show.
“It was a (Monday) so we only expected 3,000 and 10,000 showed up,” said LeMay. “So, there weren’t enough police.”
At the time, the Cranberries were hugely popular on MTV.
Bill Glasser, the director of marketing and promotions at WHFS at the time, orchestrated the show which turned out bigger than anyone had predicted.
“I’m the guy who put the deal together, with the U.S. Park Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department,” Glasser recalled.
“Little did we know, it seemed like everybody in the Washington area cut school, and showed up,” said WHFS DJ Bob Waugh.
Despite the show starting 45 minutes late, LeMay recalled O’Riordan didn’t seem in a rush to take the stage.
“There was an antsy crowd and she was literally filing her nails,” LeMay said.
Waugh said the crowd started an impromptu mosh pit.
Eventually the concert started — but didn’t last long.
“They finally came out, and people actually were stage diving and moshing to ‘Linger,'” a largely acoustic ballad, said LeMay.
“They only got through a song and a half before we were told to stop the show,” said Waugh.
LeMay said other people in the outdoor amphitheater were tossing bottles and cans toward the stage.
“I had crap all over me from people throwing food and drinks at the stage,” she said.
“Wes Johnson (then of WHFS, and also longtime P.A. announcer for the Washington Capitals) was on stage, trying to tell people to stop pushing and calm down, and that made it worse,” said LeMay. “Then all hell broke loose.”
U.S. Park Police determined the free show had turned dangerous, and ordered the music stopped. The Cranberries left, and were replaced on stage by police in riot helmets.
“They pulled the plug,” said LeMay.
As the crowd surged, O’Riordan’s acoustic guitar was stolen, LeMay said.
Waugh said he whisked the band to the airport, as Johnson tried to calm the disappointed crowd.
“I put the Cranberries in my black Izuzu Rodeo, and drove them to National Airport, ” said Waugh. “All along the way they seemed quite amused — it really struck them, for the first time perhaps, how popular they were in the United States.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story said that Mary Kay LeMay was WHFS’s Director of Marketing in 1985, the story has been updated to show she was WHFS’s promotions manager in 1995, when the concert took place. Bill Glasser was the director of marketing and promotions.
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Dolores O'Riordan, the Cranberries Singer, Dead at 46
Singer of Nineties hits "Linger," "Dreams" and "Zombie" dies in London as police classify death as "unexplained"
Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of the Irish alternative band the Cranberries, died Monday in London. She was 46.
The band confirmed O'Riordan's death in a brief statement, "Irish and international singer Dolores O’Riordan has died suddenly in London today. She was 46 years old. The lead singer with the Irish band The Cranberries was in London for a short recording session. No further details are available at this time. Family members are devastated to hear the breaking news and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
In a separate statement, the Cranberries' Noel and Mike Hogan and Fergal Lawler said, "We are devastated on the passing of our friend Dolores. She was an extraordinary talent and we feel very privileged to have been part of her life from 1989 when we started the Cranberries. The world has lost a true artist today."
No cause of death was revealed. A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police told the New York Times that police were called to London's Park Lane hotel Monday morning, where O’Riordan was pronounced dead at the scene. Her death has been classified as "unexplained," Reuters reports.
The Irish Times notes that the Cranberries were forced to cancel tour dates in 2017 due to O'Riordan's ill health; the band cited "medical reasons associated with a back problem." O'Riordan had also been diagnosed as bi-polar in 2014.
President of Ireland Michael Higgins said in a statement, "It is with great sadness that I have learned of the death of Dolores O’Riordan, musician, singer and song writer. Dolores O’Riordan and The Cranberries had an immense influence on rock and pop music in Ireland and internationally. I recall with fondness the late Limerick TD Jim Kemmy’s introduction of her and The Cranberries to me, and the pride he and so many others took in their successes. To all those who follow and support Irish music, Irish musicians and the performing arts her death will be a big loss."
“The band are floored but it’s of course her family we’re all thinking of right now," U2 said in a statement. "Out of the West came this storm of a voice - she had such strength of conviction, yet she could speak to the fragility in all of us. Limerick's 'Bel canto.'"
The Kinks' Dave Davies tweeted, "I’m really shocked that #DoloresORiordan has passed so suddenly. I was talking to her a couple weeks before Christmas she seemed happy and well - we even spoke about maybe writing some songs together - unbelievable god bless her."
"I am heartbroken and devastated by the news of the sudden and unexpected passing of Dolores," says Andy Rourke, the former Smiths bassist who played with O'Riordan in D.A.R.K. "I have truly enjoyed the years we spent together and feel privileged to call her a close friend. It was a bonus to work with her and witness firsthand her breathtaking and unique talent, I will miss her terribly. I send my love and condolences to her family and loved ones."
Born in Limerick, Ireland as the youngest in a family of seven children, O'Riordan auditioned to become singer of the Smiths-inspired band The Cranberry Saw Us, formed by brothers Noel and Mike Hogan, in 1990. As lead singer of the Cranberries, O'Riordan fronted what Rolling Stone said in 1995 was "Ireland's biggest musical export since U2."
The alternative rock quartet released their debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? – which spawned the singles "Dreams" and "Linger" – in early 1993. After initially failing to make an impact upon release, "Linger" entered heavy rotation on MTV in late 1993, eventually climbing to Number Eight on the Billboard Hot 100. "Dreams" was similarly successful upon re-release.
The alternative rock quartet released their debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? – which spawned the singles "Dreams" and "Linger" – in early 1993. After initially failing to make an impact upon release, "Linger" entered heavy rotation on MTV in late 1993, eventually climbing to Number Eight on the Billboard Hot 100. "Dreams" was similarly successful upon re-release.
"I know exactly what every song on that album was about," O'Riordan told Rolling Stone in 1995 of writing Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, which explored "a young woman's painful failures as an adolescent and her subsequent rebirth as a young adult." "And I know exactly what night I wrote it on and why I wrote it. And I'm kind of proud of them because they do elaborate very much how I felt at that time."
The Cranberries quickly followed up the multi-platinum success of Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? with 1994's No Need to Argue, another worldwide bestseller that boasted the hit lead single "Zombie," a political rocker about a young child killed in a terror attack. At the height of their fame, the Cranberries also appeared on Saturday Night Live and headlined their own MTV Unplugged concert. Over the course of their career, the Cranberries would sell over 40 million albums worldwide.
Stephen Street, who produced Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? and No Need to Argue, tweeted Monday, "I have just heard the new regarding #DoloresORiordan I need a little time to process what has happened. Suffice to say, I am very sad to lose someone who meant so much to me and to many people across the world. RIP my songbird."
1996's To the Faithful Departedyielded two more hits, "Salvation" and "When You're Gone," before the band's popularity began to recede. The Cranberries went on hiatus following the release of 2001's Wake Up and Smell the Roses. O'Riordan embarked a solo career in 2007 with the album Are You Listening? and, in 2016, formed the band D.A.R.K. with the Smiths' Andy Rourke.
"My friend, partner, and the love of my life is gone," D.A.R.K. bandmate and partner Olé Koretsky said in a statement. "My heart is broken and it is beyond repair. Dolores is beautiful. Her art is beautiful. Her family is beautiful. The energy she continues to radiate is undeniable. I am lost. I miss her so much. I will continue to stumble around this planet for some time knowing well there's no real place for me here now."
The Cranberries reunited in 2009, resulting in 2012's Roses and their latest album, 2017's Something Else. However, plans to tour in support of the album were cancelled following O'Riordan's medical issues.
"'Linger' was the first song I wrote after joining the Cranberries. I was 18, and the youngest member of the band was 16 at the time," O'Riordan told Rolling Stone in 2017, when the Cranberries released an acoustic version of the single for Something Else. "We never imagined it'd be such a big hit."
Late Late Show host James Corden tweeted following news of O'Riordan's death, "I once met Delores O’Riordan when I was 15. She was kind and lovely, I got her autograph on my train ticket and it made my day. She had the most amazing voice and presence. So sorry to hear that she’s passed away today."
Foster the People wrote, "Shocked and heartbroken over Dolores O’Riordan’s death. The Cranberries were pinnacle in showing me that it was possible to fully embrace masculine and feminine energy in one cohesive sound. She was a true pioneer."
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