(NEW ORLEANS) It's the same old story with a different twist. Just as most captive audiences are tough on buskers, the same held true recently when a busker decided to entertain passengers on a public streetcar in New Orleans.Being the birthplace of jazz, it isn't unusual to find buskers performing songs up and down the venues in the French Quarter which is quite famous for the impromptu entertainers. However, this time was to be different.

The busker pulled out his guitar on the trolly and started singing old Beatles tunes including "A Hard Day's Night". The passengers went about their business expecting the street-performer to soon pass the hat and be on his way. Much to their surprise, the busker just kept playing more Beatles songs having a seemingly endless supply of them on hand.

When...

[ Continued ]

Tom Jones’s first attempt at busking began ominously as a crowd gathered around a set of speakers and a lone microphone set up on the South Bank of the Thames near the Royal Festival Hall. “It’s Tom Jones, isn’t it?” one woman asked. “I’ve never liked him since he had his nose done. He had a sensible Welsh nose in the old days.”

Skateboarders and BMX bikers gathered nonplussed at a nearby underpass. Sir Tom would be using the graffiti-covered skating area if it rained, they were told. “That would be a bit awkward,” one BMX rider said. “We’d have to ride around him.”

But any doubt that the 68-year-old singer could still thrill a crowd was dispelled the moment he stepped up to the microphone. “Can you hear me all right?” he asked. The crowd, which had swelled to about 400, cheered and raised their arms, not in celebration, but to capture the moment on their mobile telephones.
...

[ Continued ]

(TOURISM) Museums, theaters, galleries – The world’s cities are full of attractions they promote to lure visitors.However, even streets can become important landmarks attracting tourists from afar. The very least we can do is try to busk them all.

Below is a list compiled by Tourism-Review.com on their top 10 most popular streets in the whole wide world.

Champs Elysées - Paris
La Rambla - Barcelona
Fifth Avenue - New York
Appian Way - Rome
Magnificent Mile - Chicago
Gran Vía - Madrid
Wall Street - New York
Lombard Street - San Francisco
Zeil - Frankfurt
Váci Utca - Budapest


Full story

(UK) If only all the nations of the world would observe a National Busking Day, it would make for a better planet. Towns and cities around the UK have created special National Busking Day pitches where you share your talents and perhaps make a few quid, too. Locations included Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Canterbury, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Gateshead, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Margate, Newcastle and York.

Everyone from professionals to beginners took part in the first annual affair - whether they specialized in music, magic, comedy, physical theatre, living statues or dance.

To commemorate the celebration, the Express newspaper published the top 11 celebrities who have been filmed busking which include the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Olly Murs, Tom Jones, and (sorry)...

[ Continued ]

(LAS VEGAS) Let's take a trip down the Strip in Las Vegas and see how the buskers are melting. No, it's not that kind of trip. This is for reals.It's never been hotter in Sin City which just tied an all time record of 117 (47.2 C) degrees in June. Regular street-performers seem to be gravitating towards the Fremont Street Experience where it's a tad cooler. But anyone in an enclosure or costume almost has to have a whole thermos of cold water with them.

Cupid has the right idea. This short, chubby busker runs around in his wings sporting a white g-string. Mix in a few drunks and it makes for a good time - assuming you drink. This is, after all, Las Vegas - home to over 400 Elvis'.

Off to the left is a Golden Statue, to the right is Gold Man. In the center is Golden Girl. Down the way is Sponge Bob...

[ Continued ]