The Concert to Reunite the World witnessed some of the most notable personalities making an appearance to assuage the effects of the ongoing pandemic. Britain’s Prince Harry joined pop royalty, including singer-actress Jennifer Lopez, at a star-studded concert in Los Angeles to urge faster and more even global vaccinations, as he voiced support for India during its devastating Covid-19 outbreak.
Details about the Event
The Concert to Reunite the World featured several video messages, including ones from the Pope and United States President Joe Biden. It also included in-person appearances from Hollywood stars such as actors Ben Affleck and Sean Penn. The show will air on television and YouTube this coming Saturday, after being pre-taped in front of thousands of fully vaccinated spectators at a vast California stadium.
“Tonight, we stand in solidarity with the millions of families across India, who are battling a devastating second wave,” said Prince Harry, who was greeted with a standing ovation. “The virus does not respect borders, and access to the vaccine cannot be determined by geography,” added Harry, making his first in-person appearance at a major public event in California since moving last year to the United States with his wife Meghan Markle, who did not appear.
Organization of this Large Scale Event
The concert was organized by Global Citizen, an international advocacy organisation that aims to battle vaccine disinformation while calling on world leaders and corporations to take action and make donations. Thousands of spectators gathered inside Los Angeles’ giant, recently completed SoFi stadium for the first time. Most attendees were front-line medical workers, many dressed in nurse and doctor uniforms.
Organizers said the event had surpassed its fund-raising goal needed to purchase 10 million vaccine doses for low-and middle-income countries, drawing more than US$53 million (S$71 million) in donations from corporations and philanthropists.
Performances and Messages
Singer-actress Selena Gomez hosted proceedings, calling for “doses and dollars” to go to the world’s poorest countries even as California and parts of the West emerge from lengthy lockdowns, thanks to massive inoculation progress. A glittering JLo told fans she had been forced to spend Christmas without her mother, Ms Guadalupe Rodriguez, for the first time due to the pandemic – before bringing the Lopez matriarch onto an elaborate meadow-themed stage for a feel-good sing-along of Sweet Caroline.
In pre-taped messages, President Biden said he was “working with leaders around the world to share more vaccines and boost production”, while Pope Francis said: “I beg you not to forget the most vulnerable. “Other video messages came from Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.