Andy HermannYou like world peace and rock & roll, don't you? Then for those of you not making the trek out to Oldchella next weekend, here's a show for a good cause that's well worth putting on your calendar.
In honor of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, one of the leaders of South Africa's anti-Apartheid movement and a tireless advocate for human rights around the world, an all-star group of artists will be performing a tribute concert at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills on Friday, Oct. 7. Among those on the bill will be Steve Vai, Donovan (accompanied by Lili Hayden), Pato Banton, Spencer Davis, Fishbone, members of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and the evening's headliners, Incubus, performing a special acoustic set. The Archbishop's grandson Biso Tutu-Gxashe will host, Kemo the Blaxican of Delinquent Habits fame will emcee and American poet Stephen Kalinich will recite new works.
The concert, which takes place on Tutu's 85th birthday, is the first of a series planned to take place over the next several months in cities across North America as part of “Unity: The Desmond Tutu Project,” a global effort to spread the Archbishop's message of peace, justice and equality. Each “Unity Mini-Big Show,” as they're calling them, will take place in an intimate theater, but be simulcast on terrestrial radio and live-streamed in partnership with Facebook to reach a worldwide audience. The concerts will also be filmed for inclusion in a forthcoming documentary about Tutu, with a star-studded soundtrack executive produced by Quincy Jones.
Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation, whose mission is to educate young people across the globe about Tutu's philosophy of “Ubuntu,” an Nguni Bantu word meaning “what affects one of us, affects us all.”
Tickets for the concert are available via Ticketmaster for prices ranging from $60 to $105. Which is way cheaper than Oldchella and, because it's for a good cause, will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Credit: MSO PR
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