From [www.youtube.com] :







Comparison with Bing Maps - note the flood light poles in the background of the picture above.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2016-03-09 17:25 by Irix.

[pbs.twimg.com]

Hi,

will anybody else stay in Varadero and like to organize a shuttle transfer to the concert with me ?

Does anyone know if visa for EU is easy to get at Havana airport?

Seriously thinking of booking flights but applying for visa etc.can take time.

90% sure visa can get at Havana airport.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-03-10 00:45 by crawdaddy.

Quote
59rocks
Hi,

will anybody else stay in Varadero and like to organize a shuttle transfer to the concert with me ?

If you are EU. citizen you do not need a visa .
Just a tourist card.
In paris you get it in 1 hour time.

Life is a Rock & Roll
Phiphi

Quote
crawdaddy
Does anyone know if visa for EU is easy to get at Havana airport?

Seriously thinking of booking flights but applying for visa etc.can take time.

90% sure visa can get at Havana airport.

Dead easy to get a visa, got mine through cubaism Ltd, did it online, their no is 02074987671, Drca business centre, Charlotte despard Ave, batteries park, sw115hd
Some airlines won't let you leave for a flight to Cuba without a visa so my advice would be get one beforehand if possible. Hope to see you there.
Chris

Satisfied since 1976

I was being a bit unrealistic really Chris.
I could get a return flight from Madrid for £620 but need the tourist card by Monday when I'm off to Spain.
It was only a last minute thought when I found out it was gonna be a helluva lot more than 15,000 free tickets.

KLM would not let my husband board last November...because he did not have the visitors card in advance. Check it out before you get to the airport. We went to the Cuban Embassy in Dublin this time..GOod luck.

Quote
crawdaddy
Does anyone know if visa for EU is easy to get at Havana airport?

Seriously thinking of booking flights but applying for visa etc.can take time.

90% sure visa can get at Havana airport.

Tourist card can be got from airline usually, 25$.

KLM would not let my husband board last November...because he did not have the visitors card in advance. Check it out before you get to the airport. We went to the Cuban Embassy in Dublin this time..GOod luck.

Staging The Rolling Stones' Historic Havana Concert: 'We Have To Bring In Literally Everything'

The 14th and final date on the band’s Latin American tour will be free and is expected to pack 500,000 people into the city’s Ciudad Deportiva de la Habana (with possibly hundreds of thousands more in the surrounding streets).

Full article ;

[www.billboard.com]

I'm really looking forward to this gig, following it on IORR from the comfort of my place in Spain.
My heart was ruling my head when I was seriously gonna get over to Havana, but I just couldn't get it to come together financially and practically.
I just got back to London from South America for gawd sake.
Hope they periscope it and I will be over the moon watching it from afar.

PERISCOPING HAVANA

I've decided to skip Cuba - it's killing me though. Which means there won't be a Debbie Tiger periscope.

I researched Periscoping the Havana concert a couple of months ago and I hope one of you who does go will periscope.

If your cell provider is Canadian or European, your phone will work - although the international data plan might be too costly. If you're in the US - only Verizon (and possibly Sprint) are offering service in Cuba and the last time I checked, only calls and text, no data. Also very expensive.

You can buy a SIM card from Cubacel (Cuba's cell provider) at the Havana airport. However, your phone must be unlocked* and it's call and text only, no apps, no web surfing, no Periscope. iPhone nano cards are supposed to be in short supply.

OneSimCard sells a Data and Roam card for Cuba (the smartphone has to be unlocked). The card is $29.99 and gives reduced rates on calls, text messaging and in the data plan list, it includes Cuba. When you click on cost of the Cuba plan, it lists N/A for the data plan. You would have to call to see if there is a data plan and how much it costs per mb.

[www.onesimcard.com]

If you're Canadian and have Rogers, there is a $95 Cuba plan. It only includes 500mb of data, then charges $20/mb. Periscoping a Stones concert is approximately 500mb**.

[www.rogers.com]

The best option might be to rent a mifi from Cellomobile. A mifi is wifi in your pocket or purse. You switch your smartphone to airplane mode when you step on the plane. When you step off the plane you turn the mifi on and connect your phone with the passcode provided. You can connect five devices to the mifi. You don't turn airplane mode off until you return to your home airport.

For $380 for one week Cellophone will rent a mifi that will work in just Cuba or Cuba and Mexico and includes 1 gb of data per day. If you use more than 1 gb/day too often, they cut you off. The price includes 2 day shipping to an US address and the prepaid return envelope. You can have it shipped to Canada or Mexico. The coupon code RCAB gives you $10 off. There is a $49.99 daily rate, but when I tried renting it for one day, the rate given was the weekly one. Calling the company might result in a rate for less than one week.

I would suggest buying a new battery for the mifi before you leave, the one included does not hold a charge like a brand new one will. Cellophone will tell you the mifi model and you can google the battery needed.

The mifi connects to Cubacel's cell towers, not their internet company. Some of the towers in Havana are 3G, the rest are 2G. If the towers near Sports City are 3G - there should be very few connection issues.

[www.cellomobile.com]

If you use the Talkatone app on your phone you can receive calls/texts from anywhere for free and make calls and send texts to the US and Canada for free. For $12.99 you can make 1000 minutes of calls elsewhere in the world. The Talkatone app gives you an US phone number and you can have calls to your phone forwarded to your Talkatone phone number. You can make free calls and texts to other Talkatone phone numbers. The Talkatone app will work with the mifi, it will not work with the Cubacel SIM card and might work with the OneSimCard card if there is a data plan.

[www.talkatone.com]

You can buy a dual port battery extender from Monoprice that will charge the mifi and phone at the same time. You'll have to purchase an USB cable for the mifi if Cellophone doesn't include one. There are two Monoprice dual port models, the 5000mAh is $17.99 ($20 at Walmart) and the 8000mAh is also $17.99. The 5000mAh will charge an iPhone or iPad four times, the 8000mAh a couple of more times before it needs to be charged. You can also buy a battery extender that only charges one device, I'd suggest getting one with at least 5000mAh.

[www.monoprice.com]

To use Cellophone's mifi with your phone to Periscope the concert, you will need an extra battery or battery extender. I rented a mifi to use in Europe on the 2014 tour - it was wonderful but even with the brand new battery I purchased, the mifi probably would have gone dead during Gimme Shelter.

To stay under 1gb/day, keep the mifi off when not using it. Talkatone will take messages if your mifi isn't on. Alyssa and I could use 1 gb in four hours when we were both using it to upload photos and videos, Facebook, email, Stones forums, calls/texts with Talkatone.

It's going to be costly to Periscope Havana and the connection might be iffy. I think many of us are willing to donate if one of you are willing to give it a try and set up a GoFundMe. I know I don't expect you to be up front and if you're a 1/4 mile away near a delay tower, I'll be happy even if you can only get a connection for half of the concert. You might even be the first Periscope from Cuba.

If you post your GoFundMe to EOMS, Facebook, IORR, Rocks Off, Shidoobee and Undercover - 30 to 40 people contributing $15 each should cover the cost of the mifi rental, extra battery, GoFundMe fees, etc.

Anyone willing to be our Periscoper?

*Unlocked Phone: Your cell phone is probably locked to your cell phone carrier unless you bought an unlocked phone. What this means if you install another SIM card, it will not work - only a SIM card from your carrier will work. Your contract probably locks your phone for two years, after that you're eligible to unlock the phone. It requires contacting your carrier to unlock the phone, then backing up your phone, erasing the entire phone and reinstalling your back up.

**I estimated I used around 400-500 mb of data to periscope an entire concert last summer.


NOTE: With one mifi we can connect five phones or iPads as long as they are within 100 feet of the mifi. Of course, Cellophone is probably going to cut the mifi off the next day if more than 2gb is used.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 2016-03-11 17:17 by GlimmerGirl24.

I will at the Cuba concert with my friend Phiphi Duviquet.

Got a ticket go and return from Paris for 708€55 on Cubana Air, departure Sunday 20 March, go back to Paris on Saturday 26 March.

Visiting Havana 4 days before the show should be a great experience, feeling the pre show atmosphere in the streets.

For sure, it will be historic.

Answering to another question, citizens from Europe do not need a visa. Just a tourist card (22€), I got it at the Cuba consulate in Paris, queuing for 45 minutes, open only in the morning, closing at noon.

Another important point, all visitors (European and out of Europe) need a paper from their health insurance to enter in Cuba. I got it in 2 minutes on the Internet, thanks to Visa card.

Staging The Rolling Stones' Historic Havana Concert: 'We Have To Bring In Literally Everything'

Billboard 3/10/16

[www.billboard.com]

by Ray Waddell

Cuba is a long way from becoming the next red-hot touring market, but when The Rolling Stones bring their massive production into Havana on March 25, it will mark a major milestone in the cultural emergence of this Caribbean -- and Communist -- frontier. Billed as the “first open air concert in the country by a British rock band,” the show has a chance to be something much more: A symbolic opening of a new era, ushered in by a group that for decades was considered the epitome of Western decadence.

The 14th and final date on the band’s Latin American tour will be free and is expected to pack 500,000 people into the city’s Ciudad Deportiva de la Habana (with possibly hundreds of thousands more in the surrounding streets).

“We are witnessing a historic embrace between the Cuban people and the international music community,” says Adam Wilkes, svp at AEG Live, which oversees the Stones show with AEG’s Concerts West division, producers of all the Stones’ shows since 2013.

Though only 90 miles from Florida, Cuba is still some distance -- perhaps years -- from becoming a profitable fixture on the global touring circuit. But the fact that the Stones are rolling in at all shows how quickly things can change. Speculation that the Stones might play Havana began when Mick Jagger visited the city in October; it was finally confirmed on Feb. 29, with negotiations taking place during the time in between.

The idea to play Havana came from the band, but the legwork was done by Stones manager Joyce Smyth. She and AEG Asia/ Concerts West worked with the Cuban government to secure the date. The parties declined to comment on negotiations, but Concerts West co-president John Meglen says the show received “the support and permission of the Cuban Institute of Music, and we wouldn’t do it without that.”

Still, the political and physical logistics of staging a show on such a scale in such relatively virgin territory cannot be underestimated. On March 6, Diplo’s group Major Lazer played a free outdoor show in Havana that drew an estimated 450,000 people. “You can’t just fill up a shipping crate and ship from Miami because of the embargo,” says the group’s agent, Sam Hunt of The Windish Agency. "Relations have warmed, but there are still a tremendous number of restrictions in place."

While the Stones show’s free status simplified some matters -- neither the band, which has grossed around $400 million in touring since 2012, nor AEG is taking a profit -- the issue remained of how to pay for it. The group will be bringing 61 sea containers and a 747 freighter full of gear, as well as a 350-strong crew. “We have to bring in literally everything,” says Concerts West co-president John Meglen.

Ultimately, Smyth secured the necessary funding -- estimated at over $7 million -- to bring the country the Stones’ full stadium-level production. The majority of financing comes from Fundashon Bon Intenshon [FBI] on behalf of the Island of Curacao, which “initiates and supports international charitable projects in the fields of education, athletics, cultural literacy, healthcare and tourism,” according to the Stones’ press release. (The concert is being filmed, which could bring in additional revenue down the line.)

“Between the politics you need to deal with in order to make this event happen properly, through the financing and funding that keeps this a free event, you have to give [Smyth] a tremendous amount of credit for putting this together,” says Meglen, adding that, in this case, free really means free. “We’re not doing VIP packages or any of that type of stuff. The band wanted this for the people of Cuba, and if you’re in Cuba, you can go.”

Producers expect the audience to be massive. In addition to the 500,000 people in the park, “If [the crowd] branches off into the streets, [attendance] could go over a million people,” Meglen says. And while he points out that “the British have always had open relationships” with Cuba and the Stones could have performed in the country at virtually any point in their career, that doesn’t diminish the significance of this concert. “I think for the band it’s more about opening up this world to see the Rolling Stones,” he says. “We know [Cubans] know their music, but they’ve never had an opportunity to see the Rolling Stones live.”

While two free concerts do not constitute a new live-music industry, the shows are in many ways a jumping-off point for a new era in Cuba. “The Rolling Stones are the catalyst for exciting times to come,” says AEG’s Wilkes. “It will be a slow road, but there is so much potential and opportunity ahead.”



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-03-11 01:27 by mnewman505.

[www.youtube.com]

Some footage of the crew building the stage.

Quote
GlimmerGirl24
PERISCOPING HAVANA

I've decided to skip Cuba - it's killing me though. Which means there won't be a Debbie Tiger periscope.

I researched Periscoping the Havana concert a couple of months ago and I hope one of you who does go will periscope.....

Thank you for your efforts and consideration regarding this...
and again, thank you very much for your spectacular results scoping the many Stones shows you did for us last year, you made my night many times. You are are THE BEST!!

Quote
mnewman505
Staging The Rolling Stones' Historic Havana Concert: 'We Have To Bring In Literally Everything'

Billboard 3/10/16

[www.billboard.com]

by Ray Waddell .....

Nice read!! thanks for posting

Quote
jambay

Quote
GlimmerGirl24
PERISCOPING HAVANA

I've decided to skip Cuba - it's killing me though. Which means there won't be a Debbie Tiger periscope.

I researched Periscoping the Havana concert a couple of months ago and I hope one of you who does go will periscope.....

Thank you for your efforts and consideration regarding this...
and again, thank you very much for your spectacular results scoping the many Stones shows you did for us last year, you made my night many times. You are are THE BEST!!

Just persistent.

I hope someone will rent a mifi and scope for us.

GlimmerGirl24 so sorry you won't be there...Was looking forward to meeting you... Still don't know what the concert will be? But we will be there and report back...:-))

So sorry you can't make it GlimmerGirl24.

I was hoping to, but it is just not possible after back home in UK after four gigs Brasil.

Just can't do it financially and practically with just one day on March 17th feasible, but can't get tourist card in time etc. without a load of hassle and expense.
I done the right thing and great memories from Brasil.

Hey! Any idea about in which hotel is the band going to stay? Travelling to the concert from buenos aires, come on!

Quote
MoonlightMile92
Hey! Any idea about in which hotel is the band going to stay? Travelling to the concert from buenos aires, come on!

Wo do not post such information on IORR sorry.

Bjornulf

jjjjjjjjj guido ......

[www.youtube.com]

Quote
leahoneill
GlimmerGirl24 so sorry you won't be there...Was looking forward to meeting you... Still don't know what the concert will be? But we will be there and report back...:-))

I was looking forward to meeting you too, Leah. In the end, I just couldn't rationalize the expense for a concert where I could end up a block away from the site, out of the range of a delay tower. If I could have found a traveling partner to hang out with in Cancun and Havana - I would have rationalized it as a vacation with a friend - so if I ended up a half mile from the stage, no problem.

And it didn't help that I couldn't find a casa particular.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-03-12 03:44 by GlimmerGirl24.

I know what you are saying. If I could redo, I most likely would have gone to Bogota, but couldn't make the dates work. And, hate to be so far away that I can't see anything..but like your thought, decided it as a holiday. Will keep you posted and really can't thank you enough for all your advice and research along the way.

Any mention of Andrew Loog Oldham in the local media?
Just intrigued to know if he got an invite.Or has given any quotes.

I'm definitely going with a friend and wish i would be 9 days older just to take the plane. I have to say the late annoucement didn't help to find a room in La Habanna, but here we go, won't be homelesses, after a few nights and days looking for a home and sending tons of emails.

Just a question, i know it's hard to provide because it will be a "premiere" and nobody knows how much people will go. 400000 is huge (my last show in Montreal was "only" 100000 people and it was something), 1 million is another story.

You guys know at what time you plan to go to the show? I mean i don't care if 40000 people are in front of me, the concert is free and is for cubans people first (i'm glad there is no vip section btw), and i'm 100% ok with that and will be there more for the event and to share the feeling with all those stones virgin. I don't mind to cross eyes with Keith this time.

But it would be a bit frustrating to be 500 meters far from the stage....

I was wondering how many people the stadium in cuba holds?and is it really completely free if you get there on time?

As far as i understand, it's not in the stadium but on a huge open air ground. Some say 400000, and more in the streets around the site. I tend to think it will be that big. As far as the acces is free, even if didn't give a damn about the Stones and lived there, i would probably go just to have a look.