Hard Rock Celebrates 35th Anniversary With Global Ambassadors Of Rock Tour

Hard Rock Celebrates 35th Anniversary With Global Ambassadors Of Rock Tour

Roger Waters and The Who to Headline First Concert in Worldwide Series

ORLANDO, Fla., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- London's Hyde Park will be rockin' this July as Hard Rock International celebrates its 35th anniversary in true rock 'n' roll style with a concert series that will go down in music history. The Hyde Park Calling festival, a two-day concert event, featuring rock legends Roger Waters and The Who, will kick off Hard Rock's Ambassadors of Rock Tour, a series of concerts spanning the globe.

As part of the colossal celebration, one lucky consumer will have the chance to live the life of a rock star, traveling the world to Hard Rock's Ambassadors of Rock concerts. In addition to the kick-off event in London, the Ambassadors of Rock Tour will include shows featuring top artists in Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka, New York, Chicago, Hollywood (Fla.), Orlando and Caracas. Concert details and additional events will be announced this spring. Beginning Friday, March 10, 2006, consumers will be able to enter the sweepstakes via http://www.hardrock.com/ .

"Hard Rock's 35th anniversary promises to be one of the top global promotions of the summer," said Hamish Dodds, president and CEO, Hard Rock International. "Our celebration will reach millions of fans around the world through the Hard Rock Ambassadors of Rock Tour. We are thrilled to kick off the tour with The Who and Roger Waters -- two legends that have helped shape Hard Rock's history."

Hard Rock Presents Hyde Park Calling

Hyde Park Calling, a two-day festival held on July 1 and 2, will be one of London's premier music events, with more than a dozen top bands performing on two stages. Legendary rocker Roger Waters will headline the July 1 concert, which promises to be a show to remember, as the Pink Floyd front-man will perform the hit album, "Dark Side of the Moon," among several other fan favorites. Waters will also be joined by Texas.

On July 2, timeless rock legends Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry will take the stage with The Who, along with chart-toppers Razorlight. Additional artists will be announced and tickets for the festival are available at http://www.hydeparkcalling.co.uk/ .

In addition to renowned bands and an on-site Hard Rock Cafe, the festival will include a market area, performance art, a healing area and a "chill out" zone. Hard Rock Cafe London will also feature a star-studded celebrity V.I.P. party on Friday, June 30 to celebrate 35 years of Hard Rock.

Philanthropy will also be an important part of the 35th anniversary celebration as each Ambassador of Rock event will benefit a local charity, with the London Party benefiting the Nordoff-Robbins Foundation.

Pete ... Promise Not to Smash THIS Guitar!

It's fitting that Pete Townshend and The Who are a major focal point of Hard Rock's 35th anniversary, as Townshend is part of Hard Rock lore. In the early 70s, the guitarist and frequent guest of Hard Rock Cafe London saw that Eric Clapton had hung his guitar to mark his favorite bar stool. A week later, Townshend sent his guitar to Hard Rock's owner Isaac Tigrett with a note saying, "Mine's as good as his, Pete." The second guitar was placed on the wall next to Clapton's and Hard Rock's iconic memorabilia collection was born. The original Clapton and Townshend guitars are currently hung where they belong -- above the bar at Hard Rock Cafe London. And, the priceless collection, which started with two guitars, now claims more than 65,000 pieces of music history.

Rocking the World for 35 Years

From a humble beginning, a simple cafe in London, Hard Rock has grown into one of the top global brands with cafes, hotels and casinos around the world. In addition to the Ambassadors of Rock Tour, Hard Rock will celebrate its 35th anniversary with limited-edition Ambassadors of Rock merchandise, including apparel, glassware and other collectibles, and of course, Hard Rock's world-famous pins. Cafes around the world will also mark the milestone anniversary with special events. For local event details, visit http://www.hardrock.com/.

About Hard Rock International

With 121 high-energy Hard Rock Cafes, 11 Hotel & Casinos and two stand- alone Casinos in more than 41 countries, Hard Rock International is one of the world's most globally-recognized brands. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. Hard Rock International, Inc. is owned by The Rank Group Plc (RNK.L). For more information on Hard Rock, visit http://www.hardrock.com/ .

Source: Hard Rock Cafe

CONTACT: Brian Siemienas of Hard Rock International, +1-407-445-7625; or
Ginger Greager of GG Public Relations, +1-212-245-2727; or John Gogarty or
Meredith Miesieski, both of Coyne PR, +1-973-316-1665

Web site: http://www.hardrock.com/
http://www.hydeparkcalling.co.uk/

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