U2 has played with passion as they parlayed their 1978 Dublin-based, working class, teen-aged start-up ban into the world's most popular rock band over the last three decades. However, U2 doesn't just measure success by music industry metrics — most albums sold, most concert ticket revenue, or most Grammy Awards — but also by the charitable funds raised.
A quartet — singer Paul David Hewson, a/k/a Bono, guitarist The Edge, drummer Larry Mullins, Jr., and bass player Adam Clayton — U2 has given anthem rock a tremendous social, political, and even religious context. The search for love and the youth/angst/revolution stuff is in their lyrics big time, sure, but they also call for peace, critique war, and enable hope for the planet's most devastated and destitute. Partnering with both Clinton and Bush tribes has given them political and policy credibility as they stalk the international stage to secure investments in practical solutions that world leaders are taking seriously.
After having seen a dozen shows on the 2009-2010 concert tour, including all three in Dublin last year, I can attest to the power of their live performances and the energy around their support for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as Amnesty International, peace in Northern Ireland, and other humanitarian causes. The concerts have their commercial sponsors (Blackberry has a high-profile role, but watch for the booths and educational reps from the band's interests in freedom, peace, and health.)
Their current tour features the world's largest stage set with a 360 degree, 160 foot tall video screen tube that telescopes up and down with state-of-the-art images of the band live, film clips, wildly colorful graphics, and words from world-wide friends. There's not a show where the stage isn't used to convey a message in support of the ONE Campaign and other causes.
The AIDS epidemic has been a particular focus for Bono, while "U2 Corp." has grown into one of the world's leading philanthropic performance partners. More recently, Project Red was conceived as a partnership with multi-national corporations to sell modern products — with a portion of the profits dedicated to The Global Fund. Super smart packaging tied HIV-AIDS support to TB and malaria. The hope is to destigmatize AIDS, while reminding us that tuberculosis and malaria are preventable infectious diseases. They are out-of-control in parts of the Third World, and only a mosquito or an airplane ride away from your front door. Bono is the project's leading spokesperson.
The ONE Campaign was formed by a coalition of a dozen not-for-profit humanitarian groups to fight extreme poverty and global diseases — as they kind of go together. It emerged from an earlier effort — DATA — that stood addressed debt-relief, AIDS and trade in Africa.
Bono and his peers are smart enough to promote anti-corruption, transparency, good governance, growth in business, and accountability in charitable investments rather than simple hand-outs. The goal is to implement solutions, and not dependency. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are major donors, and they measure results.
U2's 1991 ballad "One" on the album "Achtung Baby" was first released as a single to benefit AIDS research, and is high up on many lists as one of the greatest songs of all time. Bono uses his celebrity rock star status to gain attention to certain global needs. The man understands influence, but then the Irish were never accused of being shy. He has chatted up kings and queens, presidents and popes, covering all points on the political compass to secure support for some of the world's major messy challenges.
From the "Sunday Bloody Sunday" cry over bullets shot at peaceful protestors to Bono's recent prayers that "The Troubles" are over in the northeast corner of the Emerald Isle, the boys from Dublin have taken their messages global with a focus on third world poverty and disease.
May their songs of shared prosperity, hope and justice ring across our increasingly small world.
source : http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment