CONCERTS FOR A CAUSE

BY: Hannah Wigandt

We need Bob Geldof to crawl out from whatever rock he’s been living under in recent years and give the world another excellent benefit concert. Because honestly, where have the days of great shows for a cause gone? When all the media talked about was a benefit concert headlined by the biggest names in music? Where are the concerts that allowed us to come together as part of something bigger than ourselves?

Benefit concerts have been around for a long time. When artists became so big, they needed stadiums for tours, and concert organizers saw an opportunity to draw attention to global problems; it became one tremendous mutually symbiotic relationship. The philanthropists use the artist’s star power to bring the people together, while the artist gets to play to millions and boost their public image. However, some are motivated by their genuine concern. The bigger the artist, the bigger the success and amount of money raised. 

Concerts like George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 kicked off the trend officially. Then came the Secret Policeman’s Ball for Amnesty International, the Rock Against Racism Carnival in 1978, No Nukes in 1979, and into the ‘80s, the biggest concert for a cause; 1985’s Live Aid, the brainchild of Geldof, formed to help victims of famine in Ethiopia. It was a major success, primarily because of the sheer enormity of it. Acts like Queen, David Bowie, U2, and many others came out to thousands in stadiums on both sides of the Atlantic and the millions more who tuned in to watch through media coverage. 

 

Live Aid changed it all. Soon, Farm Aid, the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness in 1992, and the Tibetan Freedom Concert in 1996. Into the new Millenium, there was the SARS Benefit concert (2003), Geldof’s Live 8 (2005), and Live Earth (2007).

After these, benefit concerts became localized. Instead of championing global problems, we advocated for issues happening in our areas. Like the Concert for New York City after 9/11, the 12-12-12 Hurricane Sandy benefit, and the One Love Manchester concert in 2017. They had big acts and tons of media coverage but were nothing like Live Aid. 

Now, organizations don’t have the money to put on productions as big as Live Aid. Geldof himself said they wouldn’t work anymore because there’s “a new age” where anyone can go online and start a benefit to raise money. They all tend to disappear into the “ether.” Plus, the pandemic has halted live concerts, for now, ushering in the era of virtual benefits that haven’t made an impact either.

 

But there may be a return to benefit concerts held for global problems, however. On June 4th, at 3 p.m. ET Patti Smith, Dave Matthews, Michael Stipe, and many others will take the virtual stage to support the annual World Environment Day Livestream concert. It’s organized by Pathway to Paris, 350.org, and the United Nations Environment Program North America Region and will be viewable on each organization’s Facebook page. 

“It’s important for us to work together to continuously draw attention to the needs of our suffering planet,” Smith said in a statement, and while getting back to supporting these global problems is excellent, we have to ask ourselves; will this be beneficial or will this be another concert that disappears into the ether? They don’t benefit from shows as they used to, which is sad because we need them more than ever to focus on global problems.