On July 13, nearly 100,000 people participated in the event. The term "record-breaking" was the only term William White could think of.
Although the concerts in London and Philadelphia opened simultaneously, there was a sense of competition between the two. However, since the concert's theme was charity, it didn't really suit a sharp rivalry.
When it came to this group of big shots in America, their caliber was honestly disappointing. They initially didn't seem to care much about this opportunity to gain global recognition.
Once William White announced his participation and NBC started organizing promotional efforts, a bunch of fools finally realized this thing was going to be big.
The aerospace center was the first to react. They announced they would broadcast the event live from space.
ABC found out they had missed a golden opportunity. That scoundrel William White donated all advertisement revenues, and NBC was essentially providing satellite coverage for free.
Bob Geldof, who organized the event, was shocked. They initially thought they could sell the broadcasting rights for a million dollars. Now it seems that even five million is not enough.
The folks in Philadelphia and New York were furious. Such a monumental event was going to slip right by them.
...
On July 13, the Kennedy Sports Center was packed. You have to understand, this was a venue for 100,000 people. Even with the stage taking up some space, it still held at least 90,000.
"How's it going? You nervous?" Seeing the emotional Madonna, William White couldn't help but chuckle.
"Thank you?" she replied.
"What?" he asked.
"Thank you for everything."
William didn't take it to heart; he just smiled. At this moment, Madonna was at the peak of her fame, but she certainly wouldn't have the best time slots.
It wasn't that the organizers discriminated against women. Just think about it; even Michael Jackson's placement wasn't that great. After all, the main aspect of this event was charity, but didn't it also come with a prefix? Rock!
You might wonder why William White, who sang nothing rock-related, got to be the closing act.
The reason was simple: in those days, rock was all about bands. Solo acts like Michael Jackson weren't very popular.
Saying they weren't liked is somewhat one-sided; to be precise, there was envy and jealousy. Even if everyone earned the same appearance fee, he pocketed all his money alone while they had to split theirs among a group.
When MJ was being criticized, hardly anyone in the music scene had his back. After he passed away, the scene was simply monumental. "Where were you people before?"
As for William White, nobody envied that guy either; he was out of everyone's reach. Besides, he wasn't intending to be part of that world. If he was closing out, great, it saved them a fight.
Truth be told, his new song really did fit the occasion; even if it wasn't rock, what did it matter?
But that lucky lady, if she hadn't been flying solo, she would've either done a duet or formed an impromptu band; that would've been a sure way to shine.
However, since Zeppelin was playing backup, what could anyone else say? Honestly, the money they donated collectively didn't even add up to what he did alone.
Unlike the casualness here in America, the Brits really pulled it together. Charles and Diana showed up, and not one notable figure was absent.
William felt the folks in Philadelphia were more British than the British themselves. You organize a concert, they would certainly dress to the nines.
Rock?
It seemed somewhat anti-establishment.
William really didn't get it; the British gents didn't mind, so why should these pretentious folks put on a front? Rock was sweeping the globe; how could they just ignore it?
Fortunately, there was William White, so it didn't feel too awkward for Americans. Though everyone knew this guy was likely after ratings.
But that was something no one could say aloud. Over 700 million viewers tuning in for a single show -- you'd better believe that was worthy of a Guinness World Record.
With so many viewers, ad revenue would be fantastic, but hadn't he donated all of it? Including the subsequent audio-visual projects, it seemed that wouldn't come for profit either.
If you criticized someone like him now, your IQ would really be in question.
Bob Geldof was excited; based on what he had, this event could easily raise over 100 million pounds. With that food supply, it could indeed save a lot of lives. Most importantly, the international community learned about Africa's dire situation; some countries were bound to step in and help.
One cannot deny that artists often have unrealistic ideals; only they themselves could truly save their fellow men.
It was a joke -- over 200 million people were affected; that was way more than America's population. If they wanted to send aid to all of them, how much food would they need?
Even if they had that food, how would they transport it?
Most critically, that area was currently war-torn. If they had nothing to eat, it might not be a big deal. But once these folks were fed, their propensity for violence would only grow.
In fact, post-event, there had been no comparable initiatives since then.
As for how many were actually saved?
Well, that's tough to elaborate on.
A bunch of idealistic masters did all they could. It was just a real shame that their influence was far too limited.
The world was quite absurd; a bunch of so-called insightful individuals were indifferent. Instead, it was like a group of street toughs trying to save all humanity.
Alright, even if they weren't successful, that kind of spirit deserves recognition. A century from now, it's uncertain whether other concerts will fade away, but rock will surely endure.
When the final song began, the entire Kennedy Sports Center erupted with excitement. It really couldn't be helped; while it wasn't rock, the lyrics were incredibly inspiring and fit perfectly with that day's theme.
As the music played a second time, the stars who had appeared earlier came back on stage. It was evident they were gearing up for a massive sing-along.
...
After nearly twenty hours, the concert concluded. According to post-event statistics, they raised more than 100 million dollars. Adding in ticket sales and ad revenue, this major concert amassed donations exceeding 300 million dollars.
A group of politicians who missed their chance were utterly regretting it. Philadelphia had hit the jackpot. Before this, who the heck knew where this city named Philadelphia was?
Alright, the Americans knew, especially since this was where the Magna Carta was born.
Barry Diller was thrilled; while the show was over, there wasn't much profit for them. Yet this thing wouldn't cool off quickly; a lot more articles were to come.
As for Bob Geldof, he felt extraordinarily fortunate. Though he was a rock singer, this guy really had flopped, with his best song only hitting the top fifty.
Now he felt that engaging in charity work was an excellent path; perhaps being a singer was just a beautiful misunderstanding.
*****
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