OREGON ZOO NEWS

For Immediate Release
July 1, 2010
LAST CHANCE FOR FEMI KUTI CONCERT TICKETS

Kuti returns to the Oregon Zoo concert stage July 2, tickets still available

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Zoo is kicking off the holiday weekend with a performance by Nigerian Afrobeat superstar Femi Kuti and his band, the Positive Force. Tickets for the July 2 performance are still available. Femi Kuti is the second concert of the zoo’s popular summer series, presented by NW Natural.

Kuti, the oldest son of legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, home base for his father’s powerful blend of funk, jazz and heavy percussion. While a natural heir to his father’s musical legacy, Femi Kuti also draws on elements of dance music and hip-hop to create a modern and soulful Afrobeat style entirely his own.

“Femi Kuti’s passion is evident in each song,” said Krista Swan, the zoo’s event coordinator. “His music speaks straight to the heart.”

Kuti performs regularly in Nigeria, where he is a bona fide superstar. He has toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States with his band, the Positive Force. On record, he has collaborated with musicians such as Macy Gray, Mos Def and Common. His most recent album release, “Day by Day,” captures the fierce passion of his live performances, while offering more refined Afrobeat tones, elaborate instrumental patterns and tunes to ignite any dance floor.

Tickets for Femi Kuti and the Positive Force can be purchased at the Oregon Zoo for $17. Tickets can also be purchased (with service charge) at all Ticketmaster ticket centers, online at Ticketmaster.com and by phone at 800-745-3000. For more information on the concert series, visit www.oregonzoo.org/Concerts.

Among the other popular acts set to play the zoo this summer are reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff (July 23), U.K. jazz wunderkind Jamie Cullum (July 25), rock ’n’ roll legend Levon Helm (Aug. 8), new-wave party rockers the B-52s (Aug. 13), heartthrob crooner Chris Isaak (Aug. 14), hometown heroes Pink Martini (Aug. 26 and 27), and Garrison Keillor’s long-running live variety show “A Prairie Home Companion” (Aug 28).

The Oregon Zoo has brought outdoor music to Portland for more than 30 years. In 1979, the zoo became the first zoo in the nation to host a summer concert series. Since then, the series has become one of the top outdoor events in the Northwest, and is the region’s longest continuously running outdoor series.

The zoo’s summer concert series is presented by NW Natural with support from KINK.fm, KATU, The Oregonian and Portland Monthly magazine. It features more than 15 performances from June to August.

The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission of inspiring the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington’s pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid’s lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.
The zoo opens at 8 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $10.50 (ages 12-64), $9 for seniors (65 and up), $7.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

OREGON ZOO SUMMER CONCERTS
Presented by NW Natural With support from KINK.fm, KATU, the Oregonian and Portland Monthly magazine

July 2 Femi Kuti & the Positive Force $17
July 7 Carolina Chocolate Drops and Konono N°1   $14.
July 14 Caravan Palace     $12
July 21 Bassekou Kouyate   $11.50
July 23 Jimmy Cliff with Trevor Hall $24
July 25 Jamie Cullum with Gin Wigmore   $22
July 28 Great Big Sea   $12.50
Aug. 4 Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys    $11
Aug. 8 The Levon Helm Band with Joe Pug   $24
Aug. 11 Leroy Bell and His Only Friends    $10.50 with Tahoe Jackson & the Trojan 7
Aug. 13 The B-52s     $27
Aug. 14 Chris Isaak   $37.50
Aug. 18 The Quebe Sisters Band $10.50
Aug. 20 The Swell Season with Black Francis     $24
Aug. 26 Pink Martini     $32
Aug. 27 Pink Martini     $32
Aug. 28 A Prairie Home Companion     $39.50
Sept. 1 Cyndi Lauper   $27

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Oregon Zoo ¨ 4001 SW Canyon Rd. ¨ Portland, Oregon 97221 ¨ 503-226-1561