Soul diva ARETHA FRANKLIN threatened to pull out of her planned performance at the recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary tribute - if organisers couldn't promise to shut off all ventilation at Madison Square Garden in New York while she was in the building.
The fussy star told Hall of Fame chairman Jann Wenner she'd be a no-show for the 29-30 October (09) supershows if promoters failed to guarantee the air conditioning at the venue would be shut off hours before the first concert.
Wenner, who is also the publisher of Rolling Stone magazine, has released one of her fiery voicemails to organisers to the publication as part of an expose about the planning of the Live Aid-type event, which brought big names like Franklin, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Sting and Metallica together.
In one voicemail, the Queen of Soul raged, "I am sorry that it is going down this way, but that's the way it's going down."
The magazine reports the air issue was one of many "elaborate demands" Franklin made, but doesn't list any of the others.
