Tibetan freedom concert 1996

By Steven Stolder.

The story of the Tibetan Freedom Concerts traces back to a fortunate encounter in , when 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 her impression of Yauch shifted. As Yauch left Nepal, Potts became his eyes on the ground, updating him on Tibetan activism and sending photos from demonstrations. The idea to merge activism with music materialized gradually. Potts ensured that the concerts conveyed the Tibetan cause authentically.

Tibetan freedom concert 1996

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. The concerts helped spur the growth of Students for a Free Tibet worldwide. The Milarepa Fund was initially created to disburse royalties to Tibetan monks sampled on the Beastie Boys album Ill Communication. Tibetan Freedom Concert , a compilation album covering events of that concert, was released on November 4, Many bands, including Kraftwerk and Beck , were cancelled after lightning strikes at the beginning of Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters' set on the first day of music. As the final event of the 14th Dalai Lama's latest visit to Austria, the "Free Tibet" movement had organized a stage demonstration in his presence, with another free concert. Performers were, amongst others, Harri Stojka and Loten Namling as well as several youngsters, including rappers. Initiated by Tibetan artist's Loten Namlings march Journey for Freedom , from Swiss capital Bern to Geneva , in order to attract public attention to the Tibetans situation in today's China, the concert was supported and performed by him and some 15 more musicians, especially by Swiss musician Franz Treichler and his band The Young Gods.

As Yauch left Nepal, Potts became his eyes on the ground, updating him on Tibetan activism and sending photos from demonstrations. Within a few years, Yauch decided he wanted to do something to help.

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. The movie is a mashup of live sets, crowd footage and interviews, plus historical context about the occupation of Tibet.

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. About midway through the second day, the bushy-haired hip-hop folkie sent bursts of harmonica over the crowd as he goofed through an acoustic set, tinkering every now and then with his beatbox. Is it deep enough for all of the people way in the back?

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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You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes , like us on Facebook , talk to us on Twitter , and join to our weekly newsletter for updates. MTV News. I have read and agree to your Privacy Policy. A lumbering first-night appearance by Smashing Pumpkins was followed by the Beasties, who raged through a robust sampling of hip-hop and punk. Thanks for signing up for the newsletter. 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 became his eyes on the ground, sending him photos from demonstrations in Tibet and keeping him informed of news from the activist community. Angie Martoccio. And as to how, the answer was pretty clear, according to Potts. Save Article Save Article. Photo by Flickr user Quasic. Several speakers, among them Tibetan holy man Palden Gyatso and Robert Thurman, a professor of Buddhist studies at Columbia, appeared between the performances, calling for action and a boycott of Chinese-made products.

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.

View account. Invalid password. The World from PRX. We have a promoter who could help us make it not just a concert, but my emphasis was that this is a message concert. Retrieved 20 February Save Article Save Article. The Milarepa Fund was initially created to disburse royalties to Tibetan monks sampled on the Beastie Boys album Ill Communication. Over , people attended the concert. Sub Culture. A benefit concert was pretty obvious as one of the things that we could do. Washington Post. This is the good one. The 50 Worst Decisions in Movie History.