New York – Along with several large concerts in the planning stages, artists around the world are putting on their own benefit shows or donating to funds for the victims of the recent tsunami in Southern Asia.
Sting will play a Feb. 10 concert at the Leeuwin Estate Winery in Perth, Australia, with 100% of the net proceeds donated to the relief efforts. The British rocker already has two sold-out shows booked at the 6,000-capacity venue for Feb. 12 and 13. He had been booked to play a now canceled Feb. 9 show in severely hit Sri Lanka.
In the U.K., Queen guitarist Brian May has pledged that proceeds from the 1,000th London performance of the musical production “We Will Rock You” on Jan. 12 will be donated to the Disaster Emergency Committee (http://www.dec.org.uk/) appeal for tsunami and earthquake relief efforts. It has been rumored that May and the band’s drummer, Roger Taylor, may perform at the show.
The Disaster Emergency Committee has also gotten a lift from Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, who have reportedly donated $190,000 and are featured in an MTV-produced television ad soliciting public donations. “We can save lives and get people back on their feet,” Ozzy Osbourne says in the ad. “We need to give money to help the survivors.”
In North America, Willie Nelson, Patty Griffin, Spoon, Joe Ely, Alejandro Escovedo and others will play Sunday at the Austin (Texas) Music Hall with proceeds going to the American Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org/), UNICEF (http://unicef.org) and Doctors Without Borders (http://www.doctorswithoutborders-usa.org).
In Seattle, the Presidents Of The United States Of America, MxPx and Smoosh will perform at the Showbox on Jan. 12 with proceeds going to the Tsunami Relief effort of Northwest Medical Teams (http://www.nwmedicalteams.org).
Clear Channel Entertainment will produce the Concert for Tsunami Relief in Vancouver on Jan. 29 at the GM Place. The event, to be announced Thursday, will feature such acts as Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies, and Sarah McLachlan.