PREVIEW: Don McLean - The American Troubadour
Don McLean is back in Derry for a second year in a row after his sell out tour last year.
The Grammy Award winner has amassed more than 40 gold and platinum records worldwide during a career which spans over 45 years.
Having at long last just recently divulged the meaning of his classic hit ‘American Pie’ when it’s manuscript sold for $1.2m at auction this year, it will now be possible to listen to Don singing the hit number live and finally know it’s true meaning.
Named as ‘Song of the Century’ by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2001, it has always been known that the start of the song, “the day the music died” was a reference to when he heard the news that Buddy Holly had died in a plane crash with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in 1959.
In an interview which was published in the online auction catalogue he said, “basically in American Pie things are heading in the wrong direction,” and went on “it is becoming less idyllic. I don’t know whether you consider that wrong or right but it is a morality song in a sense.”
The online catalogue states that it is safe to conclude that references to the king mean Elvis Presley, Helter Skelter refers to the Charles Manson murders, and “the jester on the sidelines in a cast” is Bob Dylan.
“I wanted to capture, probably before it was ever formulated, a rock and roll American dream” said Don.
Don Mclean is one of America’s living legends and has always been a major concert attraction in the U.S. and throughout Europe, with the 2015 ‘The American Troubadour’ tour being his 20th nationwide tour of the UK and Ireland.
Don McLean will be performing for one night only at the Millennium Forum on Tuesday, 2nd June at 8pm, with tickets from £22.50. (Photo credit: Keith Perry.)
