People: Strait’s tour finale draws 105,000 fans
Known for his easygoing manner and everyman’s appeal, country music legend George Strait strolled from the floor of the Dallas Cowboys’ lavish stadium onto the custom-built stage Saturday night in a blue plaid shirt, Wrangler jeans, a silver belt buckle and a black cowboy hat, facing the largest crowd for an indoor concert in North American history.
About 105,000 people packed in for the last concert of Strait’s final tour, shattering the previous record set by the Rolling Stones at the Louisiana Superdome in 1981.
Pickup trucks full of tailgaters started to pull into a parking lot across the street from the stadium hours before show time. Fans exchanged stories about seeing the legendary country star over his lengthy career and belted along to hits playing on a car stereo.
The show Saturday brings an end to nearly 40 years on the road for Strait, which started in 1975 with the Ace in the Hole Band. And he did it in style, having invited several of country’s biggest stars, including Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Kenny Chesney and Eric Church.
Gary Glitter charged with sex offenses
British prosecutors say they are charging former pop star Gary Glitter with eight sex offenses involving teenage girls.
The charges against Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, are related to two women who were aged 12 and 14 at the time of the alleged offenses between 1977 and 1980.
The 70-year-old was arrested in October 2012 – the first in a series of arrests in the wake of a child abuse scandal surrounding late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile.
Glitter is best known for the hit “Rock & Roll (Part 2),” but he fell into disgrace after being convicted on child abuse charges in Vietnam.
He is due to appear in court on June 19.
Watterson makes cartoon appearance
“Calvin and Hobbes” creator Bill Watterson says he made a brief, unannounced return to newspaper cartooning to raise money for a good cause – and because he thought it would be funny.
Watterson collaborated with “Pearls Before Swine” cartoonist Stephan Pastis on three strips that ran last week. The strips made fun of Pastis’ drawing ability, and Watterson drew one panel in each. It was the first time his art has appeared in the funnies since “Calvin and Hobbes” ended its run in 1995.
Watterson said he joined up with Pastis to raise money for Team Cul de Sac, a charity co-founded by cartoonist Richard Thompson that raises money to fight Parkinson’s disease.
The birthday bunch
Comedian Jerry Stiller is 87. Comedian-talk-show host Joan Rivers is 81. Singer Nancy Sinatra is 74. Singer Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night) is 72. Singer Boz Scaggs is 70. Actress Julianna Margulies is 47. Rapper Kanye West is 37. Guitarist Derek Trucks (Allman Brother Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band) is 35.