Musicians, music and musical philanthropy in recent history.

We can be young or old, right or left, musical or anarchist of sounds, classic or rock, cold or participatory, optimistic or pessimistic but, if we hear the word Woodstock I think there are few people who ask: what is it?

Because the commitment of the musicians to social causes began right from that concert, in August 1969 , in the American town of Bethel where about 400.00 young people gathered for three days, some say up to 1 million, recalled by 32 musicians who would perform in rotation.

They were the idols of the new generations: Joan Beaz, Santana, The Who, Neil Young, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix just to name a few who, through an oceanic concert, wanted to protest against racial segregation, the war in Vietnam and against the capitalist system American.

Woodstock was certainly a historic watershed, but also a social one where nothing, from the point of view of musical communication, was as before and where people divided among those who were for or against the Woodstock system.

Those who saw in this mobilization the means to break the rigid moral patterns of the time, using a new means of musical communication, making Hippy culture openly triumph, despite some excesses, and on the other side those who saw in these noisy gatherings of young people a moral decay of society.

But by now the seed had been thrown into fertile soil, so on 13 July 1985 another world event was organized, the Live Aid , with the creation of two stages, one in Philadelphia and the other in London, connected live worldwide through television. It was an opportunity to raise funds for Ethiopia which was hit by a terrible famine. The quality of the artists who performed was of the highest level: Queen, with Freddie Mercury hypnotizing the audience , U2, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Tina Turner, Madonna, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and many others.

The concert was seen on television by over one and a half billion people , raising 70 million dollars, demonstrating that music had in effect become a media phenomenon that could move consciences and have a social weight to consider.

Also in this case there were controversies, between those who appreciated the new disruptive force of an expression that came from the people, and those who saw in these events a narcissistic showcase of the artists. Controversy after a portion of the funds destined for Ethiopia was stolen by Mengistu Haile Mariam.

The Live Aid model repeated itself in other concerts between 1996 and 2001 for the cause of Tibet’s independence.

Social problems over the years and beneficial concerts multiplied, remember the concert in 2001 ” a Tribute to Heros ” which wanted to remember the fallen of the Twin Towers in New York , where the singers performed on a bare stage, adorned only with candles in memory of the victims.

We can also remember the concert organized by George Clooney “Hope for Haiti” following the devastating earthquake that hit the island and broadcast by MTV.

Not only did the Rock flow in the veins of the singers who over the years have turned into musical philanthropists, but also top-level characters such as Pavarotti, who organized various “Pavarotti and Friends” , ventured .

Over the years Pavarotti brought together many famous people for various initiatives: support for Bosnian children, the fight against thalassemia, Afghan populations and many others.

Today, where the problem of climate change is very topical, musicians want to testify to their concern and support for the environmental cause. For example, Coldplay decided to stop all live concerts until a solution could be found to play with impact 0.

Other singers such as Michael Stipe, ex REM , has released a new song ” Drive To The Ocean ” online, the proceeds of which will go to the association ” Pathway To Paris “, an association that brings together several artists who are fighting to spread the agreement on the reduction of CO2 emissions decided in Paris.

It is not possible to mention all the environmental initiatives that musicians are supporting today, and it is for this impossibility given by the numbers that makes us understand the musical movement is always at the forefront alongside the causes that people care about.

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Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.