Los Angeles: Long before Tsunami relief, Live 8 and Live Aid, former Beatle George Harrison assembled an all-star concert that cast the mould for celebrity charity, now with a new DVD and remixed songs, "The Concert for Bangladesh" is raising money again.
The 1971 concert in New York's Madison Square Garden featured Harrison, who died four years ago, fellow Beatle Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Billy Preston and sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar.
The pair of shows, one afternoon and one evening, benefited UNICEF and raised $2,50,000 dollars from ticket sales alone. While that may seem a small sum compared to tens of millions raised for Katrina relief or in the Live 8 concerts to raise awareness of poverty in Africa, it was a huge amount at the time.
All the performers worked for free to aid refugees from Bangladesh, erstwhile East Pakistan, who suffered from starvation and disease during its separation from Pakistan.
"I think musicians are selfless," Olivia Harrison, widow of George Harrison said at a recent event to promote the new DVD. "And they respond to one another, something I've really encountered since George died".
Commenting on the 1971 concert former Doors drummer John Densmore said "It was the beginning of conscious giving".
"When you get the brass ring, spread it around. Money is like fertiliser?if you hoard it, it stinks. If you spread it around, stuff grows," Densmore added.
The gift still gives
Since the original show, $15 million has been raised from sales of the original concert album (which won a Grammy), CD and videos of the film documenting the historic concert.
The new DVD hit retail shelves last month, along with a remixed CD set of the music, and sales will again benefit UNICEF through a new charity, The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF.
The 2-disc set also contains a new 45-minute documentary about the concerts with never-before-seen footage, and the companion CD features previously unreleased performances by Dylan and others.
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