Tibetan freedom concert 1996

Overpeople attended the concert.

By Steven Stolder. Tibet was invaded in by the Chinese government, which has since pursued a policy of cultural genocide and human-rights violations, destroying monasteries, resettling Chinese citizens in the region and brutalizing the Tibetans who remained there. In the 46 years since the invasion, an estimated 1 million Tibetans have been killed and hundreds of thousands imprisoned. The concerts, which were alcohol-free, came off without any major disturbances, although incongruities abounded. The monks and nuns in attendance were essentially guests of honor at an event that attracted alternative-rock fans mostly in their teens and early 20s. Each day, the shows were opened and closed with a chanted prayer by the Buddhist monks, who waved and smiled as they strolled between a tent set up as a makeshift monastery and the backstage area, where a slew of celebrities, including Tom Waits , Krist Novoselic, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, mingled with the performers. A surplus of onstage anomalies occurred as the bill mixed generations and genres with impunity.

Tibetan freedom concert 1996

The story of the Tibetan Freedom Concerts traces back to a fortunate encounter in , when Erin Potts, a year-old activist devoted to aiding Tibetan refugees, found herself at a party in Kathmandu, Nepal, alongside Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch. Surprisingly, Potts discovered a shared passion for Tibet, and her impression of Yauch shifted. As Yauch left Nepal, Potts became his eyes on the ground, updating him on Tibetan activism and sending photos from demonstrations. The idea to merge activism with music materialized gradually. Potts ensured that the concerts conveyed the Tibetan cause authentically. She integrated Tibetans into each performance, bringing experts and exiles on stage to educate the audience. Additionally, she developed packages to brief musicians on the cause, building a sense of purpose among performers. This is the good one. Not Recommended Music! View account. Access Denied.

Alternative rockrappunk rock. The idea for a Live Aid -style concert for Tibet was conceived by members of the group during the Lollapalooza Tour. Tools Tools.

Update, Feb. He had recently converted to Buddhism after years of studying the religion and Tibetan culture. Yauch had attended lessons by the Dalai Lama and spent time with the monk Palden Gyatso , who had survived torture and imprisonment in Chinese camps for 33 years. As Yauch embraced Tibetan ideologies, he felt compelled to do something to help the people of the region who had been living under Chinese occupation since To ignore it is to contribute to it. The shows were a huge deal at the time, and two years later resulted in a concert documentary directed by Sarah Pirozek titled Free Tibet.

By Steven Stolder. Tibet was invaded in by the Chinese government, which has since pursued a policy of cultural genocide and human-rights violations, destroying monasteries, resettling Chinese citizens in the region and brutalizing the Tibetans who remained there. In the 46 years since the invasion, an estimated 1 million Tibetans have been killed and hundreds of thousands imprisoned. The concerts, which were alcohol-free, came off without any major disturbances, although incongruities abounded. The monks and nuns in attendance were essentially guests of honor at an event that attracted alternative-rock fans mostly in their teens and early 20s. Each day, the shows were opened and closed with a chanted prayer by the Buddhist monks, who waved and smiled as they strolled between a tent set up as a makeshift monastery and the backstage area, where a slew of celebrities, including Tom Waits , Krist Novoselic, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, mingled with the performers.

Tibetan freedom concert 1996

By the mids, the Beastie Boys had grown from New York City hip-hop scamps into alternative icons. Their concerns were growing in scope, too. But Yauch and Potts always wanted to organize a concert of their own. In , they got their chance. The message was loud and clear, too, with speeches, Tibetan flags, monks chanting, a performance by local Tibetan music and arts troupe Chaksam-pa, and a purpose-built temple called a stupa at the center of the grounds. Another 36, people watched the concert on the internet, the first-ever online broadcast of such scale.

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The Milarepa Fund was initially created to disburse royalties to Tibetan monks sampled on the Beastie Boys album Ill Communication. Hidden category: Articles with MusicBrainz series identifiers. Sign up for our daily newsletter. Music Music News. Update, Feb. We love working with you. CBS San Francisco. Yauch and Potts had three failed attempts at getting them off the ground. Geneva [ edit ] , on Place des Nations , in front of UN headquarters. It Brought Itself Back to Life. Part of the way Potts made sure the message got out was by making Tibetans an integral part of each performance and bringing Tibetan experts and exiles on stage to educate audiences. And as to how, the answer was pretty clear, according to Potts. The World from PRX. Yauch left Nepal the next day, but the two stayed in touch. Getty Images.

Tibetan Freedom Concert is the name given to a series of socio-political music festivals held in North America , Europe and Asia from onwards to support the cause of Tibetan independence.

When describing the appreciation the Tibetans bestowed upon him, the Beastie Boy became emotional. It Brought Itself Back to Life. Each month, America Abroad take an in-depth look at one critical issue in international affairs and U. This is the good one. As Yauch left Nepal, Potts became his eyes on the ground, updating him on Tibetan activism and sending photos from demonstrations. You are no longer onsite at your organization. Several speakers, among them Tibetan holy man Palden Gyatso and Robert Thurman, a professor of Buddhist studies at Columbia, appeared between the performances, calling for action and a boycott of Chinese-made products. The two found a connection when the topic turned to Tibet. By Steven Stolder Steven Stolder. Selfon suffered the worst injuries and was visited in the hospital by a number of performers. A surplus of onstage anomalies occurred as the bill mixed generations and genres with impunity. Enjoyable as some of those daytime acts were, it was the big guns that received the most fervent audience reception.