Bob Marley and the "One Love Peace" Concert
A Remedy for Political Conflict
The "One Love Peace" Concert was held on April 22, 1978 in Kingston, Jamaica during a political civil war. When Bob Marley & The Wailers performed, Marley called the two conflicting politicians on stage, Michael Manley and Edward Seaga, took their hands, and said, "I just want to shake hands and show the people that we're gonna make it right, we're gonna unite, we're gonna make it right, we've got to unite. The moon is high over my head, and I give my love instead. The moon is high over my head, and I give my love instead."
The ARMS Charity Concert
A Remedy for Multiple Sclerosis
The ARMS Charity Concert was a rock concert given in London, England in September 1983 in support of Action into Research for Multiple Sclerosis (ARMS The idea for the concert was Ronnie Lane’s, ex-bassist for The Small Faces and The Faces and a casualty of multiple sclerosis. Many popular British musicians supported and performed at the concert, including musicians like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood, Andy Fairweather-Low, Bill Wyman, Kenney Jones and Charlie Watts. The concert was so popular among both the audience and musicians that they decided to do nine more of the same concert in the US.
Live Aid Concert
A Remedy for Famine
Live Aid was a multi-venue rock concert held on July 13, 1985, to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. The event was held simultaneously in London (attended by 82,000 people) and Philadelphia (attended by 99,000 people), and inspired similar events under the same initiative in countries such as Australia. The concerts featured artists such as Sting, U2, Queen, David Bowie, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Black Sabbath, Bryan Adams, the Beach Boys, Madonna, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan and many, many more.
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
A Remedy for AIDS
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was an open-air concert held on April 20, 1992 in London as a tribute to the life of the late Queen lead vocalist, Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991. The show featured artists such as Metallica, Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, David Bowie, Paul Young, and Liza Minnelli, among many others. All proceeds went to AIDS research, and funds were used to launch The Mercury Pheonix Trust AIDS charity organization. The concert drew over 1 billion viewers worldwide.
The Concert for New York City
A Remedy for Tragedy
The Concert for New York City was benefit concert that took place on October 20, 2001 in New York City in response to the September 11th, 2001 attacks of the World Trade Center. The concert was honoring those killed in the attacks, and the firefighters who were working on the ongoing rescue efforts since then. The concert was organized by Paul McCartney, and featured many popular artists such as Mich Jagger, Keith Richards, The Who, David Bowie, Elton John, Eric Capton, Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp, Billy Joel, Melissa Ethridge, Goo Goo Dolls and Kid Rock, among others.
Live 8 Concerts
A Remedy for Global Poverty
Live 8 was a series of ten benefit concerts that took place on July 2, 2005 in the G8 states of South Africa. It was put on in support of the United Kingdom’s “Make Poverty History” campaign and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty. The concerts were meant to put pressure on world leaders to drop the debts of the world’s poorest countries, and increase and improve aid. As a result of the concerts, the G8 leaders agreed to double the amount of aid given in 2004, half of which was to go to Africa.
Live Earth
A Remedy for Global Climate Change
The Live Earth is an annual event that includes the production of concerts, films, music videos, and commercials to combat and raise awareness about global climate change. Organized by Save Our Selves, a group of activists organized to raise awareness on climate change, in collaboration with Al Gore, former U.S. Vice President and other organizations, in 2007 Live Earth put on eleven concerts all around the world, bringing together more than 150 musical artists. In December 2008, the second annual event will take place in India, and Jon Bon Jovi will pair with Indian film actor Amitabh Bachchan to host the concert.