Imagine Dragons, The Flaming Lips, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Tegan and Sara, The Fray, Cold War Kids, Colbie Caillat and Cake to Perform, with Madonna and Members of Pussy Riot
Contact: Elaine Monaghan, [email protected], 202.776.7700 (office), 202.805.3463 (cell)
(NEW YORK) – Amnesty International is thrilled to announce the support of Blondie, Peter Gabriel, Bob Geldof, Yoko Ono, Susan Sarandon and Sting for its February 5 Bringing Human Rights Home Concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Blondie will perform, Geldof will perform and present, Sarandon will host, Yoko Ono will participate on stage and pre-taped video messages from Gabriel and Sting will be shown as they all pass the torch of human rights activism to a new generation of artist-activists.
Together, these six artists, who for decades have lent their fame and talent to the cause of human rights, will join forces with a new generation represented by Imagine Dragons – fresh off their stunning Grammy performance – The Flaming Lips, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Tegan and Sara, The Fray, Cold War Kids, Colbie Caillat and Cake. Madonna will introduce Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, recently freed from prison in Russia for their participation in the Pussy Riot art collective, before they address the audience and thank the thousands of Amnesty supporters who helped free them through their online and in-person activism.
"More than 30 years ago, we loosened apartheid's grip by taking to the stage for the first round of Amnesty International human rights concerts," said Sting, who like Gabriel, first appeared on Amnesty's behalf in the 1980s. "There's still a lot of work to be done and Amnesty International is the right place to start."
Yoko Ono said: "Anyone who cares about non-violence should be at Barclays Center in Brooklyn with me February 5. Witness the creation of a movement and prepare for some surprises!"
Sarandon, who will co-host the event, said: "For half a century, Amnesty International has been proving one person can help change a life by the simple act of writing a letter.
"Nowadays, with so much technology at our fingertips, we can break down prison walls with the click of a mouse if we work together. The Bringing Human Rights Home Concert will mark the beginning of a new movement and if you believe your rights are worth defending, I encourage you to be there," she added.
Like fellow British musician Sting and Irishman Geldof, Peter Gabriel represents a powerful generation of artists who wear their participation in human rights advocacy as a badge of honor – and who have helped bring about real change.
"Amnesty's new Bringing Human Rights Home Concert will unleash the voices of a new generation of human rights activists. Buy a ticket, come to Barclays and be entertained. You'll be lending your voice to an unstoppable force for good," said Gabriel.
Debbie Harry of Blondie said, "The fight for all human rights is ongoing and I'm honored to join Amnesty in this benefit concert as we use music as a tool for powerful change."
Added Geldof, "I am excited to join this fantastic group of artists in Brooklyn next week in the name of human rights and collective action."
Between 1986 and 1998, Amnesty International held 28 concerts around the world with over 1.25 million attendees. The most high-profile component of the concert series was the six-week, five-continent, 20-concert "Human Rights Now!" world tour in 1988 – headlined by Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Tracy Chapman and Youssou N'Dour. Those concerts directly helped triple the movement's worldwide membership and mobilize a generation of human rights activists.
More information on the upcoming concert can be found at https://www.amnestyusa.org/Feb5concert. Follow #AmnestyConcert for live updates.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million members in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.