40 years ago, we had Live Aid. Now it’s time for Earth Aid

Just the other day, someone asked me “Do you think we’ll ever see the music industry come together again for a massive charity event?” We now have our answer.

Harvey Goldsmith, a veteran promoter and the co-producer of Live Aid (1985) and Live8 (2005), is behind a new series of stadium concerts entitled Earth Aid Live. Call this a follow-up to Live Earth (2007) for which Goldsmith was an advisor.

With the goal of addressing the climate emergency all issues surrounding sustainability, the plan is to offer events in six countries beginning in August 2025. At this point, London, Los Angeles, and Rio De Janeiro are confirmed sites with cities TBA in Africa, South Asia, and East Asia. Artists are being sourced as we speak.

I quote Harvey: “[This is] a new era marked by unity, sustainability, and a profound positive impact on the planet. Building on what we have already achieved with Live Aid, our aspiration is to unite people from all walks of life in the shared mission of bettering our world…[We] “evolve from a traditional fundraising effort…[involving] “individual action, community engagement, corporate participation and intergovernmental collaboration.”

There will be a metaverse component, too. “[R]eal world concerts in a mixed-reality immersive experience designed to connect with young audiences.”

Excellent. But you can imagine the challenges here. How do you stage six massive events around the planet while also living up to the need to be climate-friendly, sustainable and carbon neutral? They’ve got more than a year to figure it out.

Meanwhile, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, and Mark Knopfler pulled together artists for a new charity single. Among the 54 people on the song–a cover of Knoplfer’s “Going Home” (a lovely instrumental from the movie Local Hero) are Sting, Brian May, Sheryl Crow, Nile Rogers, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltery, Sam Fender, and Joan Armatrading. Proceeds will benefit cancer research.

Here’s a taste.