Months before the third installment of the Tibetan Freedom Concert, speculation abounded that the 1998 event would be the most successful and influential fundraiser yet for the tiny Asian nation. As expected, the affair demanded the attention of Washington officials with the largest pro-Tibet rally ever, and raised a record-breaking amount for the Milarepa Fund -- $1.3 million. |
The 1998 concert took place in President Bill Clinton's backyard just weeks before his momentous visit to China. On June 15, a rally that attracted between 16,000 and 20,000 people to the Capitol Lawn in Washington, D.C., was staged in order to urge talks between the U.S. and the Chinese governments. On some level, the rally made an impact because last weekend Clinton met with Chinese President Jiang Zemin and discussed the importance of human rights and religious freedom in regard to the Tibetan people.
Now, the organization founded by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch in 1994 to help raise awareness about Tibet, will undertake the all-important task of divvying up the funds raised during the two-day event that featured Radiohead, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Blues Traveler, A Tribe Called Quest and Luscious Jackson, among others. Perry Serpa, a spokesman for the concert, told JAMTV on Thursday that "one-third of the net profits will go to a laundry list of organizations promoting non violence." Among those groups benefiting from the all-star concert include Students For a Free Tibet.
Milarepa will use the remaining two-thirds of the money -- approximately $870,000 -- for other educational endeavors and promotion of non violence and compassion, Serpa said.
To date, the three Tibetan Freedom Concerts have raised nearly $2.5 million. The first concert, staged in San Francisco in 1996, brought in about $800,000. The following year, Milarepa held the two-day event at New York's Randall's Island and featured performances by Oasis' Noel Gallagher, Alanis Morissette, KRS-One, Ben Harper and U2, among others.
At this time there are no plans to hold a fourth concert, however Serpa said the event's organizers will likely launch talks later this month. (Ari Bendersky)
