Benefit Concert - Notable Examples

Notable Examples

In chronological order, beginning with the earliest date:

• The Concert for Bangladesh (1971)

August 1, 1971. The Concert for Bangladesh took place at Madison Square Garden, New York. Conceived and produced by George Harrison. Performers included: George Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Leon Russell.

• A Poke in the Eye (With A Sharp Stick) (1976)

April 1-April 3, 1976. Amnesty International staged the first in what became its long-running Secret Policeman's Ball series of events raising funds for - and awareness of - the human rights issue. The show titled A Poke in the Eye was staged at Her Majesty's Theatre in London over three consecutive nights. It was primarily a comedy gala starring Monty Python, Peter Cook, Beyond The Fringe and others. Produced by John Cleese and Martin Lewis.

• A Gift of Song: The Music for UNICEF Concert (1979)

January 9, 1979 - The A Gift of Song: The Music for UNICEF Concert was held at the United Nations General Assembly and broadcast worldwide to raise money for UNICEF and mark the International Year of the Child. Performers included ABBA, Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, Olivia Newton-John, John Denver, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson, Rod Stewart, Donna Summer. The concert was the idea of impresario Robert Stigwood, the Bee Gees, and David Frost.

• The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979)

June 27-June 30, 1979 - Amnesty International staged the third of its Secret Policeman's Ball benefits. The show titled The Secret Policeman's Ball was staged in London over four consecutive nights. In addition to the usual comedic performers from Monty Python, producer Martin Lewis secured musical performances from Pete Townshend and Tom Robinson.

• The No Nukes concerts (1979)

September, 1979 The No Nukes concerts in New York

• The Concerts for Kampuchea (1979)

December 26-December 29, 1979 - The Concerts for Kampuchea were held at the Hammersmith Odeon, benefitting the citizens of Cambodia who were victims of the tyrannical reign of dictator Pol Pot.

• The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (1981)

September 9-September 12, 1981 - Amnesty International staged the fourth of its Secret Policeman's Ball benefits. The show titled The Secret Policeman's Other Ball was staged in London over four consecutive nights. This show expanded on its 1979 predecessor with appearances by multiple rock musicians including Sting, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Phil Collins, Donovan and Bob Geldof.

• Nuclear Disarmament Rally (1982)

June 12, 1982 - In NYC, 750,000 people marched from the UN to Central Park to protest nuclear weapons — in what was probably the largest single protest in U.S. history. New York City was shut down for the day. The concert featured Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Bruce Springsteen, etc. Keith Haring created a poster for the event which was handed out free to the audience and John Fekner stencils were on the site.

• Live Aid (1985)

July 13, 1985 - The Live Aid benefit concerts - conceived and organized by Bob Geldof - took place in London and Philadelphia. Similar concerts were held in Sydney and Moscow.

• Farm Aid (1985)

September 22, 1985 - The first Farm Aid concert, organized by Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp to raise money for family farmers in the United States, was held in Champaign, Illinois. There have been 19 Farm Aid concerts as of 2007.

• Self Aid (1986)

May 17, 1986 - The Self Aid concert held in Dublin, Ireland aimed to highlight the chronic unemployment problem in Ireland at the time. Performers at the event included U2, Van Morrison and The Pogues.

• Conspiracy of Hope US Tour (1986)

June 4-June 15, 1986 The Conspiracy of Hope US tour of six rock concerts for Amnesty International. Performers included U2, Sting, Joan Baez, Lou Reed, Jackson Browne, The Neville Brothers and, at the final three concerts, a reunion of The Police.

• Heart Beat 86 (1986)

March 15, 1986 - The Heart Beat 86 concert was held near Birmingham England to raise money for the Birmingham Children's Hospital.

• Human Rights Now! World Tour (1988)

September 2- October 15, 1988 The Human Rights Now! World tour of rock concerts for Amnesty International

• The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert (1992)

April 20, 1992 - The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was organized at Wembley Stadium, London, to pay homage to recently deceased Queen singer and to raise money for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a fund for victims of AIDS. Among the performers: David Bowie, Elton John, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Robert Plant, Liza Minnelli, Roger Daltrey, George Michael.

• America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001)

September 21, 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes was a telethon in the style of a benefit concert organized in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon by the four major United States television networks.

• The Concert for New York City (2001)

October 20, 2001 The Concert for New York City was a benefit concert organized as a tribute to the heroes and survivors of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York. It was initiated by Paul McCartney and produced by a team including Harvey Weinstein and Jann Wenner

• The SARS Benefit Concert (2003)

July 30, 2003, 450,000 spectators saw The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, and others at the largest concert in Canadian history, the The SARS Benefit Concert concert in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, held to prove that the city was safe from SARS.

• Live 8 (2005)

July 2, 2005 - Bob Geldof and Bono organised Live 8, a set of 8 concerts held in 8 cities around the world on the same day - as part of a campaign to persuade the G8 member governments to increase their fight to eradicate poverty in third-world countries.

• Live Earth (2007)

July 7, 2007 - Al Gore inspired and helped organize Live Earth. During its first year, it consisted of a series of concerts held on all 7 continents of the planet on the same day.

• A Billion Hands Concert (2008)

December 5, 2008 - Anoushka Shankar and Jethro Tull held A Billion Hands Concert in Mumbai, India. All proceeds from the concert went to victims of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

• 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief (2012)

December 12, 2012 - 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Proceeds went to the Robin Hood Relief Fund to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

• MDA Show of Strength (ongoing, began 2012)

The former Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, which aired each year every Labor Day weekend, was dramatically reformatted over the course of 2011 and 2012; from the program's founding in 1966 until 2010, the program aired as a traditional long-form telethon over the course of 21 hours. By the time of the 2012 edition, its name had been changed to the current moniker, its longtime host ousted, and its format reduced to a three-hour benefit concert for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

• Rockdrive (ongoing)

December 11, 2010 - Max Lugavere held Rockdrive for it's 3rd year in Los Angeles, California at the iconic Troubadour. Proceeds from the concert went to charities supporting public education, generally the Los Angeles Unified School District. In 2011, the Rockdrive movement was initiated in Nashville and Miami.