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by: Shelly Harris THE TIGER JAM...
No, it’s not Skippy’s latest marketing trick aimed at pitching jars
of prepackaged peanut butter 'n jelly swirls to the Saturday morning cartoon
set, but it just may be one of the best examples of the “sports & music
connection” you’ll come across this year.
In fact, "Tiger Jam V," to be specific, is the fifth annual
concert/entertainment event organized by TIGER
WOODS to benefit the Tiger Woods
Foundation (TWF), a charity
founded by the reigning golf meister and his dad Earl six
years ago and which, according to Tiger, primarily sponsors “junior
golf clinics, motivational speeches, and educational and community programs in
an effort to empower young people to reach their highest potential.”
In the past, Woods, an ardent music fan, has brought in a diverse array
of artists to perform at the event – and all ones that he admires and listens
to himself, including THE EAGLES, THIRD
EYE BLIND, GLEN FREY, CHRISTINA AGUILERA, BABYFACE, JOHN MELLENCAMP, SEAL, LeANN
RIMES and HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH.
And, with DON HENLEY and
recent Grammy winners TRAIN on board
for the April 10 event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, this year
is no exception. As Woods has noted: “I
am very excited to have both Don Henley and Train as part of Tiger Jam V. I have been a
fan of Don's for a long time, and Train is a band whose sound I really love.”
(FYI, Woods has great taste on both counts; while Henley’s artistry is
well documented, Train, apart from their recent hit tunes and accolades, was
stunningly excellent during their recent live shows at Chicago’s HOB during
New Year’s Eve and Day.)
However, the TWF event obviously goes well beyond music for Woods, who
notes on his website that he would like that foundation to help turn his success
and the game of golf into “a vehicle to reach out to children and families.
The Foundation actively promotes parental responsibility and involvement in the
lives of children. We believe that children need guidance and encouragement to
make their dreams come true. I personally have pledged my time and financial
support to assist the Foundation in creating and supporting programs that fill
these needs.”
On the flip side, while Tiger
Jam also allows the planet’s premier golfer (despite the conservative
and deceptively “laid back” image of the sport) to “rock out” with some
of the best musicians in the world (while also raising money for worthy causes),
it is interesting to note that many, many musicians are also huge fans of ––
and religious participants in –– the game of golf.
While it may be no surprise to hear that guys like PAT BOONE and VINCE GILL
are avid golfers who often appear in various charitable celebrity golf
tournaments, some of their fans may be amused with the irony of discovering that
seemingly unconventional guys like ALICE
COOPER, VINCE NEIL (Motley Crue), K.K.
DOWNING (Judas Priest), and even DAVE
MURRAY and NIKKO McBRAIN (both of
Iron Maiden) have been religious
golfers for many years, and often work in games into hectic schedules at every
available opportunity.
Indeed, it is actually an ironic fact that while most athletes in
fast-paced contact sports like football and hockey will often “psyche up”
for games and practices by listening to hard, rhythm heavy rock, conversely, the
musicians who play such music often maintain their own mental health, especially
while in the throes of touring, by “chilling out” and escaping the
whirlwinds with slower-paced, precision/skill sports like golf and fishing.
(i.e. Maiden’s Murray and “guitar twin”/boyhood mate ADRIAN
SMITH have also been avid fishermen since the band's early touring days,
staking out whatever local creek they could find, and –– amusingly ––
Smith just recently won a “catch of the week” award in the UK’s "Angler’s
Mail" magazine after sending in a letter and picture of himself with a
recent catch –– a 22 pound carp!)
However, Alice Cooper and Vince Neil are especially active in the
celebrity golf circuits like the Bob Hope, Phoenix Open, AT&T, Dinah Shore,
and the Frank Sinatra charity events.
Vince Neil, who, like nearly every golfer on
earth says his fantasy foursome would include Tiger Woods, has also been golfing
for nearly 20 years, even though he admits there are times when he’s not able
to play for months. Neil, who lost
a four-year-old daughter to cancer, also puts on his own Malibu County
Club-based tournament as well, usually held in April, to benefit the L.A.
Children’s Hospital and TJ Martell Cancer Foundation.
Echoing a common sentiment that Tiger Woods would certainly concur with,
Neil says that sports and music, and golf in particular, “...is a great way to
get a lot of people together and raise a lot of money... It’s great, you
know.”
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Cooper, who has been a “serious” golfer for 20 years, and gets out on the
course at least five days a week, often plays several of the major tournaments
in a row –– just like a “mini tour.”