Bodyguards Included

King Tut mania builds: First artifact installed at MFAH under watchful Egyptianeyes

Original canopic container, from which today's stopper was taken for display inthe upcoming Tutankhamun exhibit.
The canopic stopper with couriers Samira Ahmed Medany Dawoud Soliman and HodaSaleh Abdelnaby Soliman.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs opens at the MFAH nextSunday, Oct. 16 and will be on view through April 15, 2012.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Lid for canopic container, 1355-13-46 B.C.E., Thebes, Valley of the Kings,Tomb of Tutanknamun.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Mark Lach, senior vice president of Arts & Exhibitions, the organization stagingthe Tutankhamun show.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Original canopic container, which remains in Egypt.

The white gloves came out Thursday morning at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston as expert handlers from Egypt installed the first item — a canopic stopper — for the upcoming exhibition, Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs.

“This is an exciting day for us,” says Mark Lach, senior vice president of Arts & Exhibitions International, which organized the traveling exhibit. “Up to this point the show has just been walls, lighting and displays.”

So, what is a canopic stopper, exactly?

“Once installed in Cairo, it’s likely these items will never again leave Egypt,” Lach says. “This is an extremely rare opportunity for U.S. visitors to see King Tut’s items.”

After an ancient pharoahnic ruler was properly embalmed and mummified, his or her essential organs were placed in vessels for all eternity — or, in this case, until British archaeologists uncovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. The canopic stopper is simply the decorative cap that seals the container to preserve the body parts.

Dating from the 14th century BCE, the artifact stands nearly 10 inches high and bears a resemblance to Tut’s famous mask, which remains in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings due to its fragility. Carved from alabaster, this intricate lid topped one of four chambers carved into a larger burial vault. Within each chamber, a small miniature coffinette would have held one of Tut’s mummified organs. (See the slideshow for images of the larger canopic container.)

“Burial rituals were quite the industry in ancient Egypt,” explains Frances Marzio, who organized the Tutankhamun show as MFAH curator of The Glassell Collections. “These elaborate rites kept the economy going.”

In the second floor gallery of the MFAH’s Caroline Weiss Law Building, where the show will open on Oct. 16, Lach gave a brief introduction before two Egyptian handlers gently wheeled the stone lid into the room and placed it in its case. The Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities requires the traveling artifacts to be managed by a team of its couriers at all times.

“Ultimately,” Marzio says, “what we hope to do is generate funds for the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where the Tutankhamun artifacts will remain from this point forward.”

“Once installed in Cairo, it’s likely these items will never again leave Egypt,” Lach says. “This is an extremely rare opportunity for U.S. visitors to see King Tut’s items.”

Treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb toured seven U.S. cities throughout the late 1970s, attracting more than eight million visitors and striking the country with a case of Tut-Mania, best remembered by Steve Martin’s zany King Tut performance.

The upcoming exhibit at the MFAH will feature more than 50 artifacts from Tut’s tomb, less than 10 of which are repeated from the '70s show. Other treasures from ancient Egypt will also be included in what surely will be one the museum’s most popular events in years.

Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs opens at the Caroline Weiss Law Building at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston next Sunday, Oct. 16 and will be on view through April 15, 2012. Tickets can be pre-purchased at 888-931-4TUT or on the exhibition website.

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Concert News

Classic rockers Styx will sail away to Houston on summer 2025 tour

Photo courtesy of Styx

Styx will tour in summer 2025.

Legendary rockers Styx and Kevin Cronin, lead singer of REO Speedwagon, will team up to co-headline the “Brotherhood of Rock” tour in 2025, which will include a stop at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on Friday, June 6.

The large, 40-city tour will take place over three months, starting in Greenville, South Carolina on May 28, and wrapping up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 24.

In addition to Houston, the tour will go to Austin on June 4 and Dallas on August 1. It will include special guest Don Felder, former lead guitarist for the Eagles, at all dates.

Fans can expect some of the greatest rock anthems of all time, including “Renegade,” “Keep On Loving You,” “Come Sail Away,” “Can't Fight This Feeling,” and “Hotel California.”

Styx and Cronin (as part of REO Speedwagon) first toured together in 2000 and in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, coming together to form the Rock to the Rescue 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. This will mark their sixth time joining forces on the road.

2022 was the 50th anniversary of Styx's self-titled debut album, but they have yet to slow down. The band released their 17th album, Crash of the Crown, in 2021. Of course, not everyone is a fan, as this classic clip from The Simpsons illustrates.

REO Speedwagon's recording days appear to be done, with their last album coming out in 2009, but the main group of five has been together since 1989. On this tour, Cronin will be joined by REO's lead guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bryan Hitt.

General tickets for the tour will go on sale starting on Friday, December 13 at 10 am at LiveNation.com.

Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets in the U.S. beginning on December 9 at 10 am through the Citi Entertainment program.

Styx and Kevin Cronin will be offering VIP packages via their own exclusive pre-sales beginning on Tuesday, December 10 at 10 am, as well as at LiveNation.com.

“Brotherhood of Rock” tour dates

Wed 5/28 Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Sat 5/31 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Mon 6/2 Jacksonville, FL Daily's Place
Wed 6/4 Austin, TX Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Fri 6/6 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
Sat 6/7 Ridgedale, MO Thunder Ridge Nature Arena
Mon 6/9 Denver, CO Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
Wed 6/11 Salt Lake City, UT Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Fri 6/13 Concord, CA Toyota Pavilion at Concord
Sat 6/14 Bend, OR Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Sun 6/15 Ridgefield, WA RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
Sat 6/28 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater
Mon 6/30 Colorado Springs, CO Ford Amphitheatre
Wed 7/2 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
Sat 7/5 Birmingham, AL Coca-Cola Amphitheater
Sun 7/6 Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Tue 7/8 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
Wed 7/9 Raleigh, NC Coastal Credit Union Music Park
Fri 7/11 Virginia Beach, VA Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Sat 7/12 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
Mon 7/14 Syracuse, NY Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
Tue 7/15 Bridgeport, CT Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
Fri 7/18 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion
Sat 7/19 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center
Sun 7/20 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Fri 8/1 Dallas, TX Dos Equis Pavilion
Sat 8/2 Brandon, MS Brandon Amphitheater
Mon 8/4 Franklin, TN FirstBank Amphitheater
Wed 8/6 Richmond, VA Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
Fri 8/8 Camden, NJ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Sun 8/10 Burgettstown, PA The Pavilion at Star Lake
Tue 8/12 Saratoga Springs, NY Broadview Stage at SPAC
Wed 8/13 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage
Fri 8/15 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center
Sat 8/16 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre
Tue 8/19 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Wed 8/20 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
Fri 8/22 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sat 8/23 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Sun 8/24 Milwaukee, WI American Family Insurance Amphitheater

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