Gorbachev Plays the Hard Rock

Former Soviet leader talks peace at Florida hotel casino
By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 16, 2008 6:27 PM CDT
Gorbachev Plays the Hard Rock
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, seen in a December photo, is at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in south Florida tonight to deliver a speech on peace.   (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

An unlikely entertainer is taking the stage tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., the Miami Herald reports: former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev, 77, will speak on peace in a venue where country crooner Reba McEntire and guitar legend Carlos Santana are also booked this month.

A fat paycheck from the Native American tribe that owns the casino hotel could be behind the appearance, the Herald notes, with Gorbachev commanding $125,000 in the past for one-hour engagements. But, a casino rep says, ticket business "has not been overwhelming," with 400 given away free to students at the nearby University of Miami. (More Mikhail Gorbachev stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X