Weddings, Parties, Anything

As any garage band will tell you “a gig is a gig.” In what seems like a nod to “truth in advertising” Australian musician Mick Thomas (guitar, mandolin) formed the 1980’s folk rock band Weddings Parties Anything. Thomas says he got the name from the punk rock group The Clash’s song Revolution Rock from their 1979 double album London Calling.

“Any song you want
playing requests now on the band stand
El Cash Combo
pays fifteen dollars a day
Weddings, Parties, Anything
and Bongo Jazz a speciality”

Thomas wasn’t the only one to take this message to heart. Museums around the world have picked up on it as they attempt to keep their books in the black. Targeting the lucrative corporate market they have designed packages to utilize and monetize their halls outside the hours they are open to the public.

National Museums Liverpool offer packages ranging from private dining, receptions, conferences, exhibitions, weddings, filming and meetings at any of their seven art galleries and/or museums. New York’s Whitney Museum expands their list to include fashion presentations and product launches.

And now the Vatican has joined the fray. On the 18^th of October the Sistine Chapel hosted a concert and diner for 40 people from the Porsche Travel Club’s Tour of Rome. The Vatican’s administrative director, Monsignor Paolo Nicolini, said Porsche’s donation for its use of the chapel would be directed to a charity chosen by the Pope.

Now the only question that seems to be unanswered is if Pope Francis’ music choices are catholic enough to include The Clash rocking the papal apartments?