Tibetan freedom concert 1996

The story of the Tibetan Freedom Concerts traces back to a fortunate encounter inwhen 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 seemyorgasm impression of Yauch shifted. Tibetan freedom concert 1996 Yauch left Nepal, Potts became his eyes on the ground, updating him on Tibetan activism and sending photos from demonstrations.

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.

Tibetan freedom concert 1996

Over , people attended the concert. The greatest manifestation of that were the Tibetan Freedom Concerts. From until , the concerts brought in millions of dollars in donations and received international attention through broadcasts online and on MTV. But that never would have happened if year-old Erin Potts hadn't found herself at the same party as Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch one night in Kathmandu, Nepal, in Potts had moved to Kathmandu after studying Tibetan language and culture in college, and had devoted herself to helping refugees. The two found a connection when the topic turned to Tibet. Yauch met a few Tibetan refugees earlier in his trip and that piqued his interest. Potts told Yauch about her work and later took him around Kathmandu to show him different parts of Tibetan life in exile. Yauch left Nepal the next day, but the two stayed in touch. Potts became his eyes on the ground, sending him photos from demonstrations in Tibet and keeping him informed of news from the activist community. Within a few years, Yauch decided he wanted to do something to help. And as to how, the answer was pretty clear, according to Potts. When you put the two together, what do you get? A benefit concert was pretty obvious as one of the things that we could do.

The concerts were originally organized by the Beastie Boys and the Milarepa Fund. Humans Killed Cataract Canyon. Music Music News.

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.

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. One moment the year-old bluesman Hooker led a cranked-up band through his trademark electric boogie; the next, A Tribe Called Quest were rolling out the funk.

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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Thanks for signing up for the newsletter. Read Edit View history. Each month, America Abroad take an in-depth look at one critical issue in international affairs and U. From until , the concerts brought in millions of dollars in donations and received international attention through broadcasts online and on MTV. Archived from the original on The Telegraph. On the Monday morning after the concerts, Yauch and Erin Potts, the year-old director of Milarepa, were arrested along with eight others for blocking traffic in front of the Chinese consulate in San Francisco. When you put the two together, what do you get? Over , people attended the concert. Over the span of five years, the concerts brought in millions of dollars in donations and received international attention through the broadcasts online and on MTV. By Steven Stolder Steven Stolder. Foo Fighters Live. Retrieved CBS San Francisco. By Steven Stolder.

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. The concerts were originally organized by the Beastie Boys and the Milarepa Fund. The idea for a Live Aid -style concert for Tibet was conceived by members of the group during the Lollapalooza Tour.

Please log in. We'll get back to you as soon as possible. Authority control databases MusicBrainz series. Retrieved 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. Credit: Photo by Flickr user Quasic. She integrated Tibetans into each performance, bringing experts and exiles on stage to educate the audience. Powered by WordPress. Read Edit View history. Potts became his eyes on the ground, sending him photos from demonstrations in Tibet and keeping him informed of news from the activist community. The Milarepa Fund was initially created to disburse royalties to Tibetan monks sampled on the Beastie Boys album Ill Communication.