0:00:24 > 0:00:29Mr Harrison, with all of the enormous problems in the world,
0:00:29 > 0:00:34how did you happen to choose this one to do something about?
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Because I was asked by a friend if I would help, that's all.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40CROWD CHEERS
0:00:41 > 0:00:44MUSIC: "Awaiting On You All" by George Harrison
0:00:48 > 0:00:51# You don't need no love in
0:00:51 > 0:00:54# You don't need no bed pan
0:00:54 > 0:00:56# You don't need a horoscope or a microscope
0:00:56 > 0:00:58# To see the mess that you're in
0:00:58 > 0:01:04# If you open up your heart You'll know what I mean
0:01:04 > 0:01:06# We've been polluted so long
0:01:06 > 0:01:10# Here's a way for you to get clean
0:01:10 > 0:01:13# By chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free
0:01:15 > 0:01:20# The Lord is awaiting on you all to awake and see
0:01:20 > 0:01:25# Chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free
0:01:25 > 0:01:29# The Lord is awaiting on you all to awake and see... #
0:01:37 > 0:01:42Few musical events in recent years have attracted as much attention as George Harrison's concert
0:01:42 > 0:01:47for the relief of the refugee children of the holocaust in East Pakistan.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Scheduled for August 1st here at the Garden,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52and although tickets don't go on sale until Thursday,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54the lines have already started to form.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58- I asked some kids why they're here so early.- To get a good seat.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00I'm really into this East Pakistan thing.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Er...masochist.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07Ironically, probably the last time the fans were turned on like this was when
0:02:07 > 0:02:11the Beatles themselves played together as a group at Shea Stadium.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16From Madison Square Garden, this is Geraldo Rivera reporting for Channel 7 Eyewitness News.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Really, it was Ravi Shankar's idea.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28He wanted to do something like this and he was...
0:02:28 > 0:02:31talking to me and telling me about his concern for the thing
0:02:31 > 0:02:33and asked me if I had any suggestions.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38Then, after half an hour, he talked me into being on the show.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40# Bangladesh
0:02:41 > 0:02:43# Bangladesh
0:02:45 > 0:02:47# Such a great disaster
0:02:47 > 0:02:49# I don't understand
0:02:49 > 0:02:52# But it sure looks like a mess
0:02:54 > 0:02:57# I've never known such distress
0:02:59 > 0:03:01# Please don't turn away
0:03:01 > 0:03:03# I want to hear you say
0:03:03 > 0:03:07# Relieve the people of Bangladesh... #
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Personally, I prefer to be a part of a band.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12But, um...
0:03:12 > 0:03:16But for this, you know, it was just something
0:03:16 > 0:03:20we had to do in order to get the money. We had to do it quick.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24War was going on between
0:03:24 > 0:03:29Pakistan and Eastern Pakistan, as it was then known,
0:03:29 > 0:03:34which was part of the original whole of Bengal -
0:03:34 > 0:03:37that's where I belong to.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43And all my distant relatives, along with many other refugees,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46they were coming by thousands to Calcutta.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49And all the women and children suffering,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and all that made me feel very concerned.
0:03:52 > 0:03:58And George immediately said that he would help.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04'I had the benefit of fame with The Beatles.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07'John, you know, he was... he made me more aware
0:04:07 > 0:04:11'of that aspect of using The Beatles' power,
0:04:11 > 0:04:16'using recordings and videos and stuff to make more money.'
0:04:16 > 0:04:20George, in the concert on August 1st, you will be the number one star.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25- How do you feel about that?- Er...nervous. - LAUGHTER
0:04:25 > 0:04:27MUSIC: "Something"
0:04:29 > 0:04:33# Something in the way she moves
0:04:37 > 0:04:40# Attracts me like no other lover
0:04:43 > 0:04:48# Something in the way she woos me
0:04:50 > 0:04:54# I don't want to leave her now
0:04:54 > 0:04:57# You know I believe her now
0:05:01 > 0:05:06# Somewhere in the way she smiles
0:05:10 > 0:05:13# Tells me I need no other lover
0:05:16 > 0:05:21# Something in her style that shows me
0:05:23 > 0:05:26# Don't want to leave her now
0:05:27 > 0:05:29# You know I believe her now
0:05:39 > 0:05:43# Asking me will my love grow
0:05:45 > 0:05:47# I don't know
0:05:47 > 0:05:50# I don't know
0:05:53 > 0:05:57# You stick around now it may show
0:05:59 > 0:06:01# I don't know
0:06:01 > 0:06:04# I don't know... #
0:06:07 > 0:06:10'I think the most memorable thing, really,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13'was the fact that it came off and that it worked,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17'because there was very little time preceding the concert to organise it.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20'The concert happened to be on August the 1st,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23'because that was the only day Madison Square Garden was available.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28'So it was pure coincidence. And all the people that were assembled,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31'with very short notice, with very little rehearsals,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33'in some cases, there was no rehearsal.'
0:06:33 > 0:06:38My first impression when arriving outside Madison Square Garden was
0:06:38 > 0:06:40the level of energy outside.
0:06:40 > 0:06:46I mean, as I recall it, it was mobbed outside. There were so many people on the streets.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50It was intense. A block and a half away, you could feel it buzzing.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52The level was just high!
0:06:52 > 0:06:56When your tickets went on sale, they sold out within minutes almost.
0:06:56 > 0:07:02It seems as if the same kind of mania that was attached to the group now attaches to you.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05- How do you feel about that? - I feel flattered, you know.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10I don't understand why it should and it's a great honour, you know.
0:07:10 > 0:07:16I was pretty chuffed to be there and it was the place to be that night.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20The whole idea of a superstar concert,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25which is a pretty bad phrase - superstar concert - but this was the first
0:07:25 > 0:07:29of seeing The Beatles or a Beatle. It was a completely rare thing.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34I think it was the first time any of The Beatles had been out, you know, since they broke up.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39# Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues
0:07:39 > 0:07:42# And you know it don't come easy
0:07:43 > 0:07:46# You don't have to shout or leap about
0:07:46 > 0:07:49# You can even play them easy
0:07:50 > 0:07:55# Forget about the past and all your sorrows
0:07:57 > 0:08:00# The future won't last
0:08:00 > 0:08:04# It will soon be over tomorrow... #
0:08:04 > 0:08:09'It was a question of, um... phoning friends that I knew
0:08:09 > 0:08:13'and seeing who was available to turn up.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15'I spent one month -
0:08:15 > 0:08:22'I think the month of June into half of July -
0:08:22 > 0:08:24'just telephoning people.
0:08:24 > 0:08:30'And there was some people I could really rely on, who was, um...
0:08:30 > 0:08:33'you know, Ringo and Keltner - the drummers.'
0:08:33 > 0:08:35CROWD CHEERS
0:08:35 > 0:08:40'I was hanging out a lot of the time with Leon Russell, and Leon said he'd come
0:08:40 > 0:08:45'and we had Badfinger, just to be acoustic guitar players.'
0:08:45 > 0:08:51The beauty of the event came across, um...and, you know, the audience
0:08:51 > 0:08:55were so great, because they knew, at that time, they were witnesses.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58"Wow! Look at these people together!"
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Everybody wanted to help, you know. Everybody wanted to be a part of it.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05You just knew it was all gonna come together,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07because who's gonna say no to George?
0:09:07 > 0:09:12George gave me a call and kind of explained what it was about.
0:09:12 > 0:09:18And the charity of it. And I said, "Of course. I'd be happy to be a part of it."
0:09:18 > 0:09:22I'd like to continue with a... a song from a member of the band.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25An old friend of mine - Billy Preston.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30It was exciting. To be able to play with people that you normally don't get a chance to.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33So it was really exciting.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36MUSIC: "That's The Way God Planned It"
0:09:39 > 0:09:42# Why can't we be humble
0:09:42 > 0:09:45# Like the good Lord said?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48# He promised to exalt us
0:09:48 > 0:09:51# But low is the way
0:09:51 > 0:09:53# How man be so greedy
0:09:55 > 0:09:58# When there's so much left?
0:09:58 > 0:10:00# All things are God given
0:10:00 > 0:10:02# And they all have been blessed
0:10:02 > 0:10:06# That's the way God planned it
0:10:06 > 0:10:10# That's the way God wants it to be
0:10:10 > 0:10:12# To be!
0:10:16 > 0:10:19# That's the way God planned it
0:10:19 > 0:10:23# That's the way God wants it to be
0:10:23 > 0:10:25# To be!
0:10:29 > 0:10:33# Let not your heart be troubled
0:10:34 > 0:10:36# Let morning sobbing cease
0:10:36 > 0:10:39# Learn how to help one another
0:10:39 > 0:10:41# And live in perfect peace
0:10:41 > 0:10:45# If we'd all just be humbler
0:10:45 > 0:10:48# Like the good Lord said
0:10:49 > 0:10:53# He promised to exalt us! But low is the way... #
0:10:53 > 0:10:55We did two shows,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and the first one was... was excellent.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01And, um... So by the time the second one came,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05we all kind of relaxed a little bit and fell into a flow.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08And on my number, man, I just...
0:11:08 > 0:11:13'I got happy! I just jumped up and ran across the stage!'
0:11:13 > 0:11:16HE LAUGHS 'And Phil Spector was in the trunk.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20'He said, "Where did he go?! Where did he go?!"
0:11:20 > 0:11:24'The band was jamming and it was pumping, the people were with us!
0:11:24 > 0:11:26'You know, I just had to rejoice.'
0:11:26 > 0:11:30# That's the way... Come on! ..God planned it!
0:11:30 > 0:11:33# That's the way God wants it to be
0:11:39 > 0:11:41BACKING SINGERS: # That's the way!
0:11:56 > 0:11:59MUSIC REACHES A CRESCENDO, THEN STOPS
0:12:01 > 0:12:03A couple of numbers from Leon.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09The thing I remember about it was I thought I would be real nervous.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11I got up there and it was so relaxing,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15cos all these huge stars were all there.
0:12:15 > 0:12:21And I was just sort of there. All the pressure wasn't on me.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25But I didn't do anything but show up and sing.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30# I was born in a cross-fire hurricane
0:12:31 > 0:12:36# And I howled at my mama in the driving rain!
0:12:38 > 0:12:42# But it's all right now
0:12:42 > 0:12:44# In fact, it's a gas!
0:12:44 > 0:12:48# But it's all right, yeah
0:12:48 > 0:12:52# I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash It's a gas, gas, gas!
0:12:57 > 0:13:00# Whoa-oh!
0:13:11 > 0:13:13# Whoa-oh!
0:13:15 > 0:13:16# Whoa-oh!
0:13:18 > 0:13:21# Whoa-oh!
0:13:21 > 0:13:24# Whoa-oh!
0:13:24 > 0:13:29# Yeah, but it's all right now
0:13:29 > 0:13:31# In fact, it's a gas!
0:13:31 > 0:13:35# It's all right, yeah!
0:13:35 > 0:13:39# I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash It's a gas, gas, gas, yeah... #
0:13:39 > 0:13:44It was just one high-level experience from beginning to end.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51The thing that I remember in rehearsal was...
0:13:51 > 0:13:56it was just a question of trying to pick up stuff that everyone knew.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02# But it's all right now
0:14:02 > 0:14:05# In fact, it's a gas!
0:14:05 > 0:14:08# But it's all right, yeah
0:14:08 > 0:14:12# I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash It's a gas, gas, gas!
0:14:17 > 0:14:19# Whoa-oh! #
0:14:44 > 0:14:47A lot of the very last-minute logistics
0:14:47 > 0:14:51happened in the last two weeks before the concert.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56We had booked rehearsal halls at Carnegie Hall.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Above Carnegie Hall, we had a big rehearsal hall booked.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02I was basically the concert producer.
0:15:02 > 0:15:08I was the production manager of staging it.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14And so most of the musicians didn't gather until
0:15:14 > 0:15:17literally seven days before the concert.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24GEORGE GIVES ORDERS TO CREW, THE BAND TUNE UP
0:15:36 > 0:15:40The most obvious missing person was Eric Clapton.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44MUSIC: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
0:15:47 > 0:15:53'We had him booked on every flight out of London to New York for about seven days.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55'We were told, "He's on this flight!"
0:15:55 > 0:15:57'We'd go to the airport and he wasn't there.'
0:15:57 > 0:16:02By the third day, George was getting a little anxious that he wouldn't have a guitar player.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06And by the fourth day, word must've been getting out.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11Cos all of a sudden, a lot of guitar players started showing up in the lobby
0:16:11 > 0:16:15at the Park Lane Hotel in New York, where we were staying.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19And George figured, "I gotta get somebody."
0:16:19 > 0:16:23So he hired Jesse Ed Davis, who had been in Taj Mahal's band.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27'With Jesse E Davis being an optimist -
0:16:27 > 0:16:30'he's carrying his guitar and amplifier, hanging around.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32'So we said, "Right!"
0:16:32 > 0:16:36'And Klaus Voormann, who was playing the bass in the concert.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39'He volunteered just to run through all the tunes,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43'so we'd at least have another guitar player.'
0:16:43 > 0:16:46'We'd sent a telex to Apple in London -
0:16:46 > 0:16:49'in those days, you still were using a telex -
0:16:49 > 0:16:51to tell Eric he wasn't needed.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55And of course, Terry went out to tell him and he said, "I'm coming!"
0:16:55 > 0:16:58'And he played great - no rehearsal at all.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00'I mean, Eric is just a gem.'
0:18:15 > 0:18:19MUSIC SLOWLY STOPS, CROWD CHEERS
0:18:19 > 0:18:25I made it really hard for myself. That guitar is not the right guitar
0:18:25 > 0:18:28to play that kind of song on. I should've used the fender
0:18:28 > 0:18:32or a solid Gibson or something, not a semi-acoustic.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35I made it really difficult for myself.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40But that was because I was in another world. Not really there.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46And I had been in a period of retirement, shall we say,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48for quite a long time - maybe about 2½ years.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52And I think I went to a rehearsal the day before the gig
0:18:52 > 0:18:55and couldn't make it, I was in such bad shape.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58And I showed up, I think, for the sound check.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00# Yeah, the woman I love
0:19:00 > 0:19:04# Left with my best friend
0:19:04 > 0:19:06# But some joker got lucky
0:19:06 > 0:19:09# And stole her right back again.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15# I said you'd better come on in my kitchen
0:19:15 > 0:19:19# Cos it's gonna be raining outdoors... #
0:19:19 > 0:19:23For me to get on a plane to go to New York
0:19:23 > 0:19:28was a very difficult thing for me, especially with my circumstances...
0:19:28 > 0:19:32I saw myself as a bit of a squire amongst knights, you know.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35But I really made the extra effort,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39mainly because of all these people who showed up
0:19:39 > 0:19:45and we're gonna do this thing and it was outside of the normal line of duty, really.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48And I think, you know, the fact that George took a risk
0:19:48 > 0:19:52just assembling the whole thing and making it make sense.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55All for this cause - it was a bit move, yeah.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00To my mind, it took a lot of humility for George,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03at this stage in his life, you know, when, er...
0:20:03 > 0:20:08The Beatles had split up, he'd had a huge hit album with All Things Must Pass.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12He'd never fronted a big show like that before.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14This was the first time ever for him.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18'So it took a lot of humility on his part,
0:20:18 > 0:20:23'to be able to call around and get people to do him favours.
0:20:23 > 0:20:29'With the obvious risk, you know, of, er...being turned down.'
0:20:31 > 0:20:33# If not for you
0:20:35 > 0:20:37# Winter would hold no spring
0:20:39 > 0:20:41# Couldn't hear the robin sing
0:20:42 > 0:20:45# I just wouldn't have a clue
0:20:46 > 0:20:48# If not for you... #
0:20:48 > 0:20:50'My relationship with Bob was...
0:20:50 > 0:20:56'You know, I just always tried to be straight with him and, you know, he responded.'
0:20:56 > 0:21:02Bob would come in and rehearse with the band what songs he was gonna do,
0:21:02 > 0:21:08'and so, it was really a matter of working it out at the last minute.'
0:21:10 > 0:21:13# If not for you my sky would fall!
0:21:14 > 0:21:15# Rain would gather too
0:21:17 > 0:21:20# Without your love I'd be nowhere at all
0:21:20 > 0:21:23# I'd be lost if not for you
0:21:29 > 0:21:31# If not for you
0:21:33 > 0:21:35# Winter would hold no spring... #
0:21:35 > 0:21:40'Right up until the moment he stepped on the stage, it was not sure he was coming.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43'Cos the night before we went to Madison Square Garden,
0:21:43 > 0:21:47'he saw all these cameras and microphones and this huge place,
0:21:47 > 0:21:51'and he was saying, "Hey, man, this isn't my scene. I can't make this."
0:21:51 > 0:21:56'By that time, I'd had so much on my plate, trying to get it organised.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58'And I was saying, "It's not my scene either.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03' "I don't do this every day. In fact, this is the first time I've done anything on my own.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06' "You at least have been a solo artist for years."
0:22:06 > 0:22:09'So, on stage, I had a little list on my guitar
0:22:09 > 0:22:12'and I had the point where... where it said
0:22:12 > 0:22:17'after Here Comes The Sun, I've got "Bob" with a question mark.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21'And it got to that point, and I looked around,
0:22:21 > 0:22:25'to see if there was any indication that Bob was gonna come on or out.'
0:22:25 > 0:22:29The stage was dark and I looked around,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33and here's this guy in a jean jacket walking toward me, and I knew it was him.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38'He was there and was so nervous - his harmonica on, his guitar in his hand.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42'He was walking on stage, it was like, "Now or never!" And so, I just say...'
0:22:42 > 0:22:46I'd like to bring on a friend of us all - Mr Bob Dylan.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48HUGE CHEER FROM THE CROWD
0:22:59 > 0:23:01HE TUNES UP
0:23:20 > 0:23:23MUSIC: "Just Like A Woman"
0:23:31 > 0:23:34# Nobody
0:23:34 > 0:23:37# Feels any pain
0:23:38 > 0:23:40# Tonight
0:23:40 > 0:23:43# As I stand inside the rain
0:23:46 > 0:23:49# Everybody knows
0:23:49 > 0:23:52# That baby's got new clothes
0:23:52 > 0:23:54# But lately
0:23:54 > 0:23:58# I see her ribbons and her bows
0:23:58 > 0:24:03# Have fallen from her curls
0:24:04 > 0:24:07# She takes
0:24:07 > 0:24:10ALL: # Just like a woman
0:24:11 > 0:24:14# And she waits
0:24:14 > 0:24:17# Just like a woman
0:24:18 > 0:24:21# Then she breaks
0:24:21 > 0:24:24# Just like a woman
0:24:25 > 0:24:30# But she breaks just like a little girl
0:24:42 > 0:24:44# Queen Mary
0:24:44 > 0:24:47# She's my friend
0:24:49 > 0:24:51# Yes, I believe
0:24:51 > 0:24:54# I'll go see her again
0:24:56 > 0:24:59# Nobody has to guess
0:24:59 > 0:25:02# That baby can't be blessed
0:25:02 > 0:25:06# Now she sees finally
0:25:06 > 0:25:09# That she's like all the rest
0:25:09 > 0:25:11# With her fog
0:25:11 > 0:25:15# Amphetamine and her pearls
0:25:15 > 0:25:18# She takes
0:25:18 > 0:25:22# Just like a woman
0:25:22 > 0:25:25# And she breaks
0:25:25 > 0:25:28# Just like a woman
0:25:29 > 0:25:31# And she wakes
0:25:31 > 0:25:34# Just like a woman
0:25:36 > 0:25:42# But she breaks just like a little girl... #
0:25:46 > 0:25:49I was on tambourine and Bob did his couple of numbers.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54And...you know, we just sort of... It was a jammy sort of way,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57but we just sort of played, it was 4/4.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59HE HUMS THE TUNE
0:25:59 > 0:26:05Then we all went to the hotel, came back for the second show, and we came to Bob's set.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09And so we all get down, ready to do it.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13It was very weird, so I looked over at Leon...
0:26:13 > 0:26:19"Oh, it's... It's a waltz this time, boys! Let's go!"
0:26:19 > 0:26:22MUSIC: "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"
0:26:22 > 0:26:27# Oh, where have you been my blue-eyed son?
0:26:27 > 0:26:30# Oh, where have you been my darling young one?
0:26:33 > 0:26:37# I've stumbled on the side of 12 misty mountains
0:26:39 > 0:26:43# I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways
0:26:44 > 0:26:48# I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests
0:26:50 > 0:26:54# I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans
0:26:56 > 0:26:59# I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard
0:26:59 > 0:27:01# It's a hard
0:27:01 > 0:27:03# And it's a hard
0:27:03 > 0:27:05# It's a hard
0:27:05 > 0:27:07# And it's a hard
0:27:07 > 0:27:10# It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall
0:27:12 > 0:27:16# Oh, what did you see my blue-eyed son?
0:27:17 > 0:27:21# And what did you see my darling young one?
0:27:23 > 0:27:27# I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
0:27:27 > 0:27:32# I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it
0:27:32 > 0:27:36# I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin'
0:27:36 > 0:27:41# I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin'
0:27:41 > 0:27:46# I saw a white ladder all covered with water
0:27:46 > 0:27:50# I saw 10,000 talkers whose tongues were all broken
0:27:50 > 0:27:52# It's a hard
0:27:52 > 0:27:54# It's a hard
0:27:54 > 0:27:55# It's a hard
0:27:55 > 0:27:57# It's a hard
0:27:57 > 0:28:01# It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall... #
0:28:01 > 0:28:04The Concert For Bangladesh came along at a moment
0:28:04 > 0:28:08at which the rock'n'roll scene had been dispirited.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13A number of things that happened that made you think maybe the life was going out of it.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18Or it was kind of drifting. I mean, there were the prominent deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21which suggested the drug scene was too heavy.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26Altamont had happened only 18 months earlier, I think.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Er...Bob had not put out a record in a long time.
0:28:30 > 0:28:36So the kind of leading voices of rock'n'roll were still or quiet - it was a moment of drift.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41And then to see something come along like this, which had such a purpose, a spirit,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45and The Beatles had broken up and that was really depressing.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48The collapse of the sixties philosophy
0:28:48 > 0:28:52sort of seemed to be starting around that time.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57It had a lot to do with... What I was going through was very indicative of that.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00But it was only... From where I looked at it,
0:29:00 > 0:29:04it was only towards the end of the sixties that hard drugs
0:29:04 > 0:29:08got really involved in the music industry and the entertainment world.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12So it seemed like that was killing the dream.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15All sorts of things had been written about
0:29:15 > 0:29:19what the music stands for at its best and its highest,
0:29:19 > 0:29:23what the generation should stand for, you know - peace and love and all these things.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27And here it was, in actual real truth and fact.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31And, er...it couldn't have made you feel better
0:29:31 > 0:29:35or more proud of...of music.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Friends...
0:29:37 > 0:29:41We are trying to set the music to this special event,
0:29:41 > 0:29:46this historical programme, which is just not a programme as usual,
0:29:46 > 0:29:49but which has a message.
0:29:49 > 0:29:55We are not trying to make any politics, we are artists,
0:29:55 > 0:30:01but through our music, we would like you to feel the agony
0:30:01 > 0:30:03and also the pain
0:30:03 > 0:30:09and lot of sad happenings in Bangladesh
0:30:09 > 0:30:13and also the refugees who have come to India.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Thank you very much.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19The Indian instruments are very sensitive.
0:30:19 > 0:30:25And with the strong lights, it does effect them.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29'Sometimes, the strings were a little out of tune,
0:30:29 > 0:30:35'so it took about a minute and a half or so to properly tune them.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39'And after we finished tuning, we were silent,
0:30:39 > 0:30:42- 'and there was tremendous clapping.' - CROWD CHEERS
0:30:46 > 0:30:48Thank you. Since you appreciate the tuning so much,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52I hope you enjoy the playing more. Thank you.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Many of them, who were new to our music,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00I suppose they thought that was an item.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03STRINGS AND PERCUSSION PLAY
0:32:38 > 0:32:41MUSIC STOPS, CROWD CHEERS
0:32:41 > 0:32:44'It was such a unique thing.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47'Everybody was so moved.
0:32:47 > 0:32:52'But it had a special meaning apart from this performance.'
0:32:52 > 0:32:58Overnight, everybody knew the name of Bangladesh all over the world,
0:32:58 > 0:33:02because it came out in all the newspapers everywhere,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05so it had a tremendous value, didn't it?
0:33:05 > 0:33:09I think the awareness is maybe even more important than the money,
0:33:09 > 0:33:13because again, even if we make 5 million,
0:33:13 > 0:33:17it's still small compared to the size of the problem,
0:33:17 > 0:33:22so it's more important to bring the awareness to a mass of people.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30HE PLAYS THE GUITAR INTO TO: "Here Comes The Sun"
0:33:30 > 0:33:33CROWD CHEERS AND APPLAUDS
0:33:41 > 0:33:44# Here comes the sun Doo-de Doo-doo
0:33:44 > 0:33:46# Here comes the sun
0:33:46 > 0:33:49# And I say it's all right
0:33:53 > 0:33:55# Little darlin'
0:33:55 > 0:33:59# It's been a long cold lonely winter
0:34:00 > 0:34:02# Little darlin'
0:34:02 > 0:34:06# It seems like years since it's been here
0:34:07 > 0:34:09# Here comes the sun
0:34:10 > 0:34:12# Here comes the sun
0:34:12 > 0:34:15# And I say it's all right
0:34:22 > 0:34:24# Little darlin'
0:34:24 > 0:34:28# The smiles returning to their faces... #
0:34:30 > 0:34:32'Well, they got the money from the concert.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35'From the two shows, it was 250,000.
0:34:36 > 0:34:41'I mean, just on the gate for Madison Square Garden, it beat Ravi's 20,000.'
0:34:44 > 0:34:50What the Concert For Bangladesh did was to provide an additional infusion
0:34:50 > 0:34:54of resources, so that UNICEF would be using those resources
0:34:54 > 0:34:58to buy the food supplements and other equipment that was needed.
0:34:58 > 0:35:05It also helped with some of the real pioneering work in treating cholera...
0:35:05 > 0:35:07and oral rehydration solution -
0:35:07 > 0:35:13sugar and salt with a little bit of potassium put into water.
0:35:13 > 0:35:18You give that to child, and it dramatically increases their absorptive capacity.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22# Sun, sun, sun Here it comes... #
0:35:22 > 0:35:25It was a great thing that can be done.
0:35:25 > 0:35:30And it was the first of its kind which set an example.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32# Little darlin'
0:35:32 > 0:35:36# I see the ice is slowly meltin'
0:35:37 > 0:35:43# Little darlin', it seems like years since it's been clear
0:35:45 > 0:35:48# Here come the sun Doo-de, doo-doo
0:35:48 > 0:35:50# Here comes the sun
0:35:52 > 0:35:53# It's all right
0:35:57 > 0:36:00# Here come the sun Doo-de, doo-doo
0:36:00 > 0:36:02# Here comes the sun
0:36:04 > 0:36:05# It's all right
0:36:09 > 0:36:10# It's all right. #
0:36:16 > 0:36:19MUSIC STOPS, CROWD CHEERS
0:36:19 > 0:36:23Bangladesh was important, and it was the first...
0:36:25 > 0:36:33..huge show for charity with a mass ensemble.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38And it showed that musicians can make a difference if they work together.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42And before that, it had always been everybody on their own.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Everybody would come out, do their set, then go off,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49but to see guys working together really made a statement.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52MUSIC: "My Sweet Lord"
0:36:52 > 0:36:55CROWD CHEERS
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Hare Krishna.
0:37:18 > 0:37:19# My sweet Lord
0:37:21 > 0:37:24# Hm, my Lord... #
0:37:24 > 0:37:30Since then, there have been hundreds of special programmes
0:37:30 > 0:37:37raising funds for different calamities happening in different places of the world.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41All the musicians, they got an inspiration -
0:37:41 > 0:37:45an idea from the Bangladesh concert.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48It was an immense success artistically,
0:37:48 > 0:37:50and I'll use the word spiritually,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53because he decided
0:37:53 > 0:37:58he would use this great ability he had for another reason.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01# Really want to go with you
0:38:01 > 0:38:05# Really want to show, you Lord
0:38:05 > 0:38:09- # That it won't take long, my Lord - (Hallelujah!)
0:38:09 > 0:38:13- # My sweet Lord- (Hallelujah!)
0:38:13 > 0:38:17- # Hm, my Lord- (Hallelujah!)
0:38:17 > 0:38:21- # My sweet Lord- (Hallelujah!)
0:38:21 > 0:38:23# I really want to see you... #
0:38:23 > 0:38:26'The musicians were great.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31'I mean, they completely put down their own egos to play together
0:38:31 > 0:38:34'and to do something, because the whole vibe of that concert
0:38:34 > 0:38:38'was that it was something bigger than the lot of us.'
0:38:38 > 0:38:42Individuals look at problems in the world
0:38:42 > 0:38:47and find them to be of such a scale and so far away, um...
0:38:47 > 0:38:54as to really... It ends up making them feel there's nothing they can do about it.
0:38:54 > 0:39:00And I think every generation has to be reminded that that simply is not the case.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03'There was a lot of kids and just general public,
0:39:03 > 0:39:08'who - having had the inspiration to go and do something -
0:39:08 > 0:39:11'all started collecting money and donating things.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13'There was a lot of people who gave a lot of money
0:39:13 > 0:39:19'and collected on the streets and were banging on UNICEF doors, saying, "What can we do to help?"
0:39:19 > 0:39:25When you have the kind of assemblage of popular people,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28like George and the others that were with him,
0:39:28 > 0:39:33and that concert goes around the world, and the album is selling and selling.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37That also moves other leaders to say, "What are we doing?
0:39:37 > 0:39:41"Are we on the right side on this Bangladesh issue?"
0:39:41 > 0:39:45That sense of one world, a better world,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48providing the basis for a better world through music.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52All of that may sound wild and woolly today, but it wasn't.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56If you were living in the mid-sixties and you understood the way the world was going,
0:39:56 > 0:39:59everything seemed better, it all felt better.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02We would actually have a better world.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05We would deal with Africa, we would deal with poverty.
0:40:05 > 0:40:10George never gave up hoping, never, ever, ever - even the very last time I saw him -
0:40:10 > 0:40:13never gave up hoping that the dreams of the sixties could be realised.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16'For people who had that talent,'
0:40:16 > 0:40:18to be able to use it to reach out,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22to the public and to their fans, and to raise awareness.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24It was a groundbreaking event.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28And since then, of course, it's become very common.
0:40:28 > 0:40:33But in those days, it was quite unique and quite daring.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36And, um...they were pioneers.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45MUSIC STOPS, CROWD CHEERS
0:40:45 > 0:40:49These things will always be remembered as...
0:40:49 > 0:40:52times that we could be proud of, being musicians.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56We actually weren't just thinking of ourselves for five minutes.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58We were doing something for a bigger issue.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00- CROWD CHEERS - Thank you very much.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02And we need that, you know.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05CROWD: More! More!
0:41:05 > 0:41:08'When you look at the words of the song...'
0:41:08 > 0:41:12"My friend came to me with sadness in his eyes,
0:41:12 > 0:41:16"and said, 'Help me before my country dies.' "
0:41:16 > 0:41:19'It also portrays the man behind the music.'
0:41:19 > 0:41:23# My friend came to me
0:41:23 > 0:41:26# With sadness in his eyes
0:41:27 > 0:41:30# He told me that he wanted help
0:41:30 > 0:41:33# Before his country dies
0:41:36 > 0:41:39# Although I couldn't feel the pain
0:41:39 > 0:41:42# I knew I had to try
0:41:43 > 0:41:46# Now I'm asking all of you
0:41:46 > 0:41:50# To help us save some lives
0:41:56 > 0:41:59# Bangladesh
0:41:59 > 0:42:02# Bangladesh
0:42:03 > 0:42:05# Where so many people
0:42:05 > 0:42:10# Are dying fast and it sure looks like a mess
0:42:12 > 0:42:16# I've never seen such distress
0:42:17 > 0:42:22# Now won't you lend your hand and try to understand?
0:42:22 > 0:42:26# We've got to relieve Bangladesh
0:42:28 > 0:42:30# Bangladesh
0:42:30 > 0:42:32# Bangladesh
0:42:34 > 0:42:36# Such a great disaster
0:42:36 > 0:42:41# I don't understand But it sure looks like a mess
0:42:43 > 0:42:46# I've never known such distress
0:42:48 > 0:42:52# Please don't turn away I want to hear you say
0:42:52 > 0:42:56# Relieve the people of Bangladesh
0:43:20 > 0:43:25# We got to relieve Bangladesh
0:43:26 > 0:43:28# Bangladesh
0:43:28 > 0:43:31# Bangladesh
0:43:32 > 0:43:37# Now it may seem so far from where we all are
0:43:37 > 0:43:39# It's something we can't neglect
0:43:41 > 0:43:44# It's something I can't neglect
0:43:46 > 0:43:51# Now won't you give some bread to get the starving fed?
0:43:51 > 0:43:55# We've got to relieve Bangladesh
0:44:00 > 0:44:04# Relieve the people of Bangladesh
0:44:09 > 0:44:14# We've got to relieve Bangladesh
0:44:37 > 0:44:42# Relieve the people of Bangladesh. #
0:44:50 > 0:44:52CROWD CHEERS
0:45:04 > 0:45:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media 2005
0:45:06 > 0:45:09E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk