The Power of the Benefit Concert Quiz

Answer: Bangladesh

George Harrison knew that an impressive lineup of performers would bring needed relief funds for refugees of war-torn Bangladesh, not so much from the concert itself, but from sales of a recording of the event. The event raised $250,000 while the album raised over $10 million.

Unfortunately, the concert was not properly registered as a charity event beforehand, so most of the money raised was taxed and held up in court for a decade before it could be used to benefit the Bangladeshi refugees. The benefit concert was the first time Ringo Star and George Harrison shared the stage together since 1966 and was also the first live performance Bob Dylan had given in 5 years.

By the way, at the time of the concert Bangladesh was transitioning away from being Eastern Pakistan to their own independent country.

Answer: Rock Against Racism

Racial tensions were high in the late 1970s in Britain with a strong sentiment from the white majority to push out the recent influx of immigrants. Eric Clapton in particular made some direct comments about ridding the UK of blacks and other minorities which inspired several musicians to band together to form the Rock Against Racism series. One of the main goals was to bring black and white musicians together on stage at the same time, which was traditionally not done.

The hope was to have a common bond by having both white and black listeners enjoying the music together. Joe Strummer and his band "The Clash" performed "White Riot" at the show.

Answer: Ethiopia

In 1985 Ethiopia was hit with a massive famine which left many of its inhabitants starving. Geldolf pulled together a massive lineup of great musicians to raise money to help Ethiopia. Even more importantly, the event really brought to focus the humanitarian crises that frequented the African continent and increased the overall global support when disaster struck in the future.

The Live Aid concert was held both in London and in Philadelphia, closing with the signature closing songs "Do They Know it's Christmas?" and "We Are the World".

Answer: Stop foreclosures of small farms

When the USA became a country, about 90 percent of the US population lived on farms, while in 2000 only about 1% of Americans were still farmers. During the 1980s, factory farming surged and many small farms could no longer compete with the huge corporations, thus facing foreclosures on their mortgages. Willie Nelson and his friends were hoping to save the small farmer.

As a result of Farm Aid, the Agricultural Credit Act was passed to help provide a safety net for the small farmers. The original concert was intended to be a one-time event but due to the continual need, multiple concerts have followed.

Answer: AIDS Awareness

Freddie Mercury was one of the first celebrities to die from AIDS which at the time was a taboo disease afflicting primarily homosexuals. This concert helped put a human face on this tragic disease. Set up in two sections, the concert's first half consisted of short sets by prominent bands.

In the second half, the key member of each of those bands played with the remaining members of Queen. The proceeds from the concert were used to start "The Mercury Phoenix Trust" to help those fighting AIDS.

Answer: George Clooney

While much of America was still in shock during the days following 9-11, the heads of the major television networks collaborated to put together a tribute concert for the fallen heroes of 9-11. George Clooney worked quickly to line up an incredible set of musicians and actors on three different stages.

The artists were able to take the somber emotions of the time and put those feelings into beautiful music. According to some, several of these artists gave some of their best performances of their career.

The concerts were broadcasted commercial-free, and several of the artists even volunteered to work the telethon phones to fund raise for the fallen rescue heroes.

Answer: G8 countries

The Live 8 concerts were held in all the G8 countries and South Africa. As a result of pressure from fans, the G8 nations planned to double their pledges in support of impoverished African countries by 2010. In reality, these goals were never reached, one benefit, however, was the agreement to cancel the debts of the 18 most impoverished African nations.

Some of the countries that benefited from this charity have actually been able to increase their focus on education and healthcare as a result. Despite what this relief accomplished, there was speculation at the time that the event boosted the artist's career more than it aided Africa. On another interesting note, this concert was the only time that Roger Waters played with the other 3 main members of Pink Floyd since leaving the band in the 80s.

Answer: Al Gore

There were lots of sevens involved with Al Gore's "Live Earth" event - it was held on 7/7/07, on seven continents, with a seven point pledge for individuals to sign to reduce their carbon footprint. The seven point pledge was for citizens to both keep their leaders accountable for climate change, while reducing their own dependence on fossil fuels.

The event was indeed held on all seven continents - including Antarctica! A few of the talented scientists at the Rothera Research Station also play in their own indie rock band named Nunatak, and they performed live to all seventeen station members as part of the "Live Earth" celebration. Overall, the "Live Earth" event received mixed reviews.

Some criticized that the goals were not concrete enough while others criticized the huge amount of fossil fuels needed to get artists and audiences to the events.

Answer: A bombing at one of her shows

Tragically someone chose the end of Ariana's Manchester show for a suicide bombing which ended up claiming the lives of 22 people and injuring hundreds of others. Grande called all her friends to join her for a follow-up benefit concert being held 12 days later with a star-studded cast of performers.

While a somber tone might have been expected, the concert instead focused on joy and positivity to counteract the intended fear of terrorism. Fans who had been at the original concert were allowed to attend for free.

The proceeds of this globally televised event went to help support the many victims of the bombing. Ariana finished the concert with "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" with not a dry eye in the audience.

Answer: Corporate sponsors

Since finances were tight for many due to Covid concerns, it was decided the "One World" concert would be free for fans. Instead, Lady Gaga focused on corporate donations to make up the bulk of the money raised for the World Health Organization. The WHO distributed the funds between the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund and local and regional responders.

The shows themselves were a window into the artists' personal lives as many of the songs were filmed from the artists' own living rooms. The tone of most of the performances was more somber and many of the artists avoided playing their hits, maybe in an effort to avoid the appearance of making light of the challenges brought on by Covid-19.