Stereogum Home
July 17, 2006

Virgin Visits Baltimore

Virgin Megastore hosts some of most godawful publicity stunts, don't they. I'm still recovering from that footage of K-Fed's 'Save The Penny' campaign, but I think Branson's outdone himself today.

Gawker asks:

Is there anything more compellingly awkward than a press event based on a magazine cover stunt from last decade? In order to announce the American incarnation of the Virgin Festival, the first 50 people who showed at the Union Square Virgin Megastore wearing nothing but a tube sock (in honor of the Red Hot Chili Peppers appearance on the two-day lineup) received free tickets to the festival. Nothing eases the pain of a biblically nasty Monday than watching people with nothing better to do at 11 AM than flaunt the illusion of their manhood as lengthened by a white cotton sock.
Yes, they have video (YouTube) of the guys Virgin got to give it away now (it = their dignity). "NSFW if your office has a problem with anyone but Anthony Kiedis pulling this crap," Gawker warns.

The stateside V Festival premieres 9/23 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore (be careful, kids). The line-up:

Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Who
The Killers
The Flaming Lips
The Raconteurs
Gnarls Barkley
Scissor Sisters
Keane
Thievery Corporation
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
New Pornographers
Drive-By Truckers
Kasabian
Brazilian Girls
Wolfmother

DJs:
James Holden
2ManyDJs
Rjd2
Carl Cox
John Digweed
Tiesto

Tickets ($97.50 for the day) go on sale at Ticketmaster this Saturday.

Hmmm ... socks on cocks -- Gnarls, you up for it?

Posted at 2:45 PM
Tags:




11 Comments

my eyes are burning. my god, i'm blind...

Posted by: sonicdeath99 at 07/17/06 3:54 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

The killers are playing in the first part.

Posted by: Kevin at 07/17/06 4:53 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

not sure if i want to go to a show with this group.

Posted by: 1000yregg at 07/17/06 7:10 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

How is it possible that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are getting top billing over The Who? I know there's only two of them left, and the band is a ghost of their former selves, but still... I'm surprised.

Posted by: Ike at 07/17/06 7:19 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

I think the Who and RHCP are both being billed as headliners, though the press release put RHCP on top. Not sure who the last act to play is.

Posted by: scott at 07/17/06 7:39 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Seriously, why pull a press stunt like that? The Chili Peppers aren't even remotely into that anymore.

http://www.musictimes.com.au

Posted by: Music Times at 07/17/06 8:11 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Christ that shit is scary. Especially the guy with the landing strip.

Posted by: Dom at 07/17/06 8:18 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

we have a V Fest in Toronto on the 9th and 10th of september... many of the same acts plus a few others o.O check it out at www.fromenglandwithlove.ca

Posted by: Jared at 07/17/06 8:18 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Too bad it's so pricey and I dislike most of the bands, because I'd really like to go see the Killers. Ah well.

Posted by: Jamie at 07/18/06 12:40 AM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

97 bucks? can these festivals get any more reatarded? take out the RHCP and the Who and charge 15 bucks, THEN i'll drive down the street to listen.

whatev's!

Posted by: booboo at 07/18/06 2:15 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

That price includes so much more than a "concert" Virgin is billing this as a 2-day music and fun festival! Why else do you think those guys wearing socks would go to such lengths for free tickets!?

Posted by: Tyson at 07/19/06 9:37 AM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Leave a comment


 

The 'Gum Drop

Get our newsletter. MP3s and giveaways weekly.

Search




Sort by:date relevance

Information

  • Contact:
  • About
  • Press
  • Advertising
  • Stereogum RSS Stereogum RSS XML Icon
  • MP3-Only RSS Stereogum RSS XML Icon

Staff

Founder/Editor-In-Chief
Scott Lapatine
Executive Editor
Amrit Singh
Senior Writer
Brandon Stosuy
Columnist
Jon McMillan
Technology & Operations
Jim Jazwiecki
Angela Williams

The Cool Kids

All Stereogum Posts


Get Flash to see our mp3 player. Here are our mp3s: Cold Cave - Sex Ads (»)
The Acorn - Crooked Legs (»)
The Raveonettes - Come On Santa (»)
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Everything With You (»)
Crystal Stilts - Crystal Stilts (»)
Crystal Stilts - Shattered Shine (»)
Blackout Beach - Astoria, Menthol Lite, Hilltop, Wave of Evil, 1982 (»)
Ben Kweller - Hurtin' You (»)

Progress Report logo

Progress Report: Kings Of Convenience

NAME: Kings of Convenience PROGRESS REPORT: Recording their third studio LP, Quiet IS The New Loud (working title), at Esagono Studios near Reggio Emilia, Italy Things are coming full circle for Kings Of Convenience, at least as album titles go....

MORE »

Commercial Appeal logo

Lost Gets Into The Fray

Last month Chris Cornell released a video that doubled as a commercial for ABC's Life On Mars. This week the Fray released a video that is also a trailer for the fifth season of ABC's Lost. Gabe at Videogum says,...

MORE »

Premature Evaluation logo

Premature Evaluation: The Killers - Day & Age

The Killers did good with Hot Fuss, their flashy debut of hooky Vegas new wave. Their look and glitzy synth tones were dialed directly into Indie '04, and after a few years of touring and fan base swelling, they talked...

MORE »

Band to Watch logo

Band To Watch: Cold Cave

Cold Cave is the brainchild of Philadelphia's Wesley Eisold, ex-Some Girls, Give Up The Ghost, XO Skeletons, and currently Ye Olde Maids, etc. We're calling his newest project a Band To Watch, but Eisold received some high-profile press when Fall...

MORE »

Quit Your Day Job logo

Quit Your Day Job: Crystal Stilts

In this special Thanksgiving installment of Quit Your Day Job, Frankie Rose and I talk a lot about drinks. When not bartending at Great Jones Cafe in New York City the ex-Vivian Girl plays stand-up drums in Crystal Stilts, the...

MORE »

The Outsiders logo

The Outsiders: Vol. 21: Harry Pussy

Not all of Stereogum's favorite sounds conform to what folks expect us to cover. In this space, resident Bananafish fetishist Brandon Stosuy focuses on bands, albums, singles, and villages in Sweden that may otherwise pass by unnoticed. This installment's virtual...

MORE »

The 'Gum Drop logo

MV & EE - "Anyway"

Prolific deepwoods Vermonters Matt Valentine (who played in the excellently ramshackle Tower Recordings) and Erika Elder are back with Drone Trailer. They're not shy about releasing recordings (together and apart), but the collections often show up in limited runs or...

MORE »