THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS

Carruthers fails to lure The Who to Murrayfield
DAVID FERGUSON
A DEAL to bring legendary rock band The Who to Murrayfield in May has run aground after the band's promoters failed to agree terms with the new owners of Edinburgh Rugby.

Bob Carruthers, who heads a consortium which took over the rugby team from the SRU last year, will today announce the first acts he has lined up a part of a new deal struck with the Scottish Rugby Union to make Murrayfield one of the UK's leading concert venues.

He told The Scotsman in December that The Who would lead the 2007 line-up as part of a blend of crowd-pulling acts and up-and-coming bands.

He said then: "The first major concert will be Kathryn Jenkins, one of the biggest names in classical music, with Russell Watson. The Who will be coming on 26 May and we have Aerosmith lined up as well, and we'll see how they go down with a Scottish public.

"But we'll also look to twin the older acts like The Who with younger bands such as the Zutons, Snow Patrol, Kaiser Chiefs, though who exactly that will be has still to be confirmed."

Carruthers was yesterday unavailable for comment, but The Who have announced their UK tour dates and will be playing in Hull on 26 May. There are no Scottish dates on the band's tour. The failure to land what would have been a major event represents a setback for the pro team owners.

Promoting bands at Murrayfield represents a key part of the operation's business strategy, and without revenue from bands, it will be harder to fund the expense of running a professional rugby team.

It is estimated that it costs approximately £3 million per annum to run a pro team, although Edinburgh benefit from assistance from the SRU, who are business partners in the arrangement.

Murrayfield has played host to such top acts as Robbie Williams, The Eagles, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, REM and Oasis in the past, but the SRU shelved concerts during the tumultuous year of 2005 when a spiralling debt forced a massive internal reorganisation.

Carruthers' company, Murrayfield Sports and Leisure Ltd, have signed a five-year deal with the SRU and the first concert, to be confirmed at the City of Edinburgh Council Chambers today, will also launch an Edinburgh-based arts programme, termed the "Capital Inspirations Series", and the "Capital Showcase", which aims to showcase emerging Scottish talent.

This article was originally posted on 21-Feb-2007, 08:26 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 21-Feb-2007, 08:28.