FireAid Benefit Concert: Why does music unite us in times of tragedy?
It’s made for grim viewing. Over the past few weeks, people all over the world have seen the devastation caused by wildfires in California through social media, as houses, businesses, and wildlife have been torched in the wake of the unrelenting flames. No figure has been assigned to the damage caused yet, but it will be high, as the work needed to rebuild the lives that people had established for themselves will be monumental.
As always seems to be the case, though, this devastation has set the stage for kindness. California, often known as a home to the stars, has had those who call it home come forward in a bid to reduce the damage caused by the fire as much as possible. This could be by making donations or doing something more creative.
For instance, Metallica donated $500,000 to help the relief efforts across the city. “In the past week, the community has suffered at least 24 lives lost, nearly 100,000 people under evacuation orders, 40,000 acres burned, and more than 12,000 structures—commercial and residential—destroyed,” they wrote in a statement. “However, numbers cannot articulate the magnitude of anguish as the disaster upends families and dismantles livelihoods.”
Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and others have all made donations. Meanwhile, Dave Grohl has been getting his hands dirty cooking meals for victims of the wildfire. On January 14th, the homeless charity Feed The Streets posted a photo of Grohl doing his bit, helping prepare food for those who need it. “The city is burning. We must do our part to look after our neighbours,” the charity wrote. “We salute the volunteers, sending good energy to those displaced, and honour the [firefighters].”
A musical benefit concert called FireAid is also being put together to raise money for the people of Los Angeles who have lost their homes and possessions in the devastation. A number of artists, including Lady Gaga, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Billie Eilish, and Green Day, have confirmed that they will be performing at the benefit.
It’s worth exploring the significance of such benefit concerts. On the one hand, they raise money, and while well wishes, thoughts, and prayers come from a good place during times like this, they don’t do a whole lot. What people need during moments like this is money, as that will help to rebuild what has been destroyed and get people who are struggling as a result of the fires back on their feet.
On the other hand, shows like this can have a deeper, much more profound impact during such difficult times, and this is the uniting effect that music has as a whole. Music is what we turn to in times of crisis and that can bring people together across countries and cultures, even when all looks lost.
Trumpeter Muhammad Abdullah once said he believed if anyone was ever sent to Earth from a superior being, it would have to be a musician, given that sound is the world’s universal language. “It makes sense to me that if the Creator sent anyone here, it would be a person who had mastered music, the planet’s universal language,” he said. “Sound is the beginning of all creation, the Nomma, the Om, and the Nam that direct our lives.”
Our world is divided, both politically and practically. No matter where you go, people are separated by borders, opinions, language and culture; however, we are connected through sound. This has always been the case, as in the 1960s, when music couldn’t travel as well in the face of technological limitations, The Beatles brought the sound of India overseas.
“George Harrison, on his own, opened up India to England,” said XTC guitarist Andy Partridge when talking about their influence. “The man brings back a sitar and flirts with sitar lessons, and all of a sudden, India means things to people […] Single-handily, George Harrison brought India to English consciousness. In a non-colonial and non-judgemental kind of way.”
This happens more frequently today, as technology allows us to be transported to another country at the press of a button. By just putting in some earphones and playing music, those physical divides are broken down into spiritual ones, as music connects us with people around the world, both near and far.
While music can break down physical barriers in this sense, it can also break down emotional ones. Feelings that people keep locked up and brave faces that they force themselves to put on shatter in a collective appreciation of sound. Emotions are brought to the surface and acknowledged, feelings we experience internally are shared amongst people and it acts as a cushion that they can fall on.
Nothing highlights the connective power of music more than live concerts do. When you see a crowd of strangers sharing the same experience, a beautiful link exists, whether it is acknowledged or not, that lets us know we’re not alone. We never need to be reminded of this more than in times of crisis, which is why the FireAid benefit is so necessary.
There are practical benefits, sure, as money will be raised, which is what people need the most, but there is more to it than that. These shows highlight the universal power of music and the comforting nature that comes with it. Music is one of the most necessary things in times of crisis, a reminder we are not alone, not confined to the restrictions of the real world.
