Concert for Bangladesh Revisited with George Harrison and Friends

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Mr Harrison, with all of the enormous problems in the world,

how did you happen to choose this one to do something about?

Because I was asked by a friend if I would help, that's all.

CROWD CHEERS:

MUSIC:
"Awaiting On You All" by George Harrison

# You don't need no love in

# You don't need no bed pan

# You don't need a horoscope or a microscope

# To see the mess that you're in

# If you open up your heart You'll know what I mean

# We've been polluted so long

# Here's a way for you to get clean

# By chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free

# The Lord is awaiting on you all to awake and see

# Chanting the names of the Lord and you'll be free

# The Lord is awaiting on you all to awake and see... #

Few musical events in recent years have attracted as much attention as George Harrison's concert

for the relief of the refugee children of the holocaust in East Pakistan.

Scheduled for August 1st here at the Garden,

and although tickets don't go on sale until Thursday,

the lines have already started to form.

- I asked some kids why they're here so early.

- To get a good seat.

I'm really into this East Pakistan thing.

Er...masochist.

Ironically, probably the last time the fans were turned on like this was when

the Beatles themselves played together as a group at Shea Stadium.

From Madison Square Garden, this is Geraldo Rivera reporting for Channel 7 Eyewitness News.

Really, it was Ravi Shankar's idea.

He wanted to do something like this and he was...

talking to me and telling me about his concern for the thing

and asked me if I had any suggestions.

Then, after half an hour, he talked me into being on the show.

# Bangladesh

# Bangladesh

# Such a great disaster

# I don't understand

# But it sure looks like a mess

# I've never known such distress

# Please don't turn away

# I want to hear you say

# Relieve the people of Bangladesh... #

Personally, I prefer to be a part of a band.

But, um...

But for this, you know, it was just something

we had to do in order to get the money. We had to do it quick.

War was going on between

Pakistan and Eastern Pakistan, as it was then known,

which was part of the original whole of Bengal -

that's where I belong to.

And all my distant relatives, along with many other refugees,

they were coming by thousands to Calcutta.

And all the women and children suffering,

and all that made me feel very concerned.

And George immediately said that he would help.

'I had the benefit of fame with The Beatles.

'John, you know, he was... he made me more aware

'of that aspect of using The Beatles' power,

'using recordings and videos and stuff to make more money.'

George, in the concert on August 1st, you will be the number one star.

- How do you feel about that?

- Er...nervous. - LAUGHTER

MUSIC:
"Something"

# Something in the way she moves

# Attracts me like no other lover

# Something in the way she woos me

# I don't want to leave her now

# You know I believe her now

# Somewhere in the way she smiles

# Tells me I need no other lover

# Something in her style that shows me

# Don't want to leave her now

# You know I believe her now

# Asking me will my love grow

# I don't know

# I don't know

# You stick around now it may show

# I don't know

# I don't know... #

'I think the most memorable thing, really,

'was the fact that it came off and that it worked,

'because there was very little time preceding the concert to organise it.

'The concert happened to be on August the 1st,

'because that was the only day Madison Square Garden was available.

'So it was pure coincidence. And all the people that were assembled,

'with very short notice, with very little rehearsals,

'in some cases, there was no rehearsal.'

My first impression when arriving outside Madison Square Garden was

the level of energy outside.

I mean, as I recall it, it was mobbed outside. There were so many people on the streets.

It was intense. A block and a half away, you could feel it buzzing.

The level was just high!

When your tickets went on sale, they sold out within minutes almost.

It seems as if the same kind of mania that was attached to the group now attaches to you.

- How do you feel about that?

- I feel flattered, you know.

I don't understand why it should and it's a great honour, you know.

I was pretty chuffed to be there and it was the place to be that night.

The whole idea of a superstar concert,

which is a pretty bad phrase - superstar concert - but this was the first

of seeing The Beatles or a Beatle. It was a completely rare thing.

I think it was the first time any of The Beatles had been out, you know, since they broke up.

# Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues

# And you know it don't come easy

# You don't have to shout or leap about

# You can even play them easy

# Forget about the past and all your sorrows

# The future won't last

# It will soon be over tomorrow... #

'It was a question of, um... phoning friends that I knew

'and seeing who was available to turn up.

'I spent one month -

'I think the month of June into half of July -

'just telephoning people.

'And there was some people I could really rely on, who was, um...

'you know, Ringo and Keltner - the drummers.'

CROWD CHEERS:

'I was hanging out a lot of the time with Leon Russell, and Leon said he'd come

'and we had Badfinger, just to be acoustic guitar players.'

The beauty of the event came across, um...and, you know, the audience

were so great, because they knew, at that time, they were witnesses.

"Wow! Look at these people together!"

Everybody wanted to help, you know. Everybody wanted to be a part of it.

You just knew it was all gonna come together,

because who's gonna say no to George?

George gave me a call and kind of explained what it was about.

And the charity of it. And I said, "Of course. I'd be happy to be a part of it."

I'd like to continue with a... a song from a member of the band.

An old friend of mine - Billy Preston.

It was exciting. To be able to play with people that you normally don't get a chance to.

So it was really exciting.

MUSIC:
"That's The Way God Planned It"

# Why can't we be humble

# Like the good Lord said?

# He promised to exalt us

# But low is the way

# How man be so greedy

# When there's so much left?

# All things are God given

# And they all have been blessed

# That's the way God planned it

# That's the way God wants it to be

# To be!

# That's the way God planned it

# That's the way God wants it to be

# To be!

# Let not your heart be troubled

# Let morning sobbing cease

# Learn how to help one another

# And live in perfect peace

# If we'd all just be humbler

# Like the good Lord said

# He promised to exalt us! But low is the way... #

We did two shows,

and the first one was... was excellent.

And, um... So by the time the second one came,

we all kind of relaxed a little bit and fell into a flow.

And on my number, man, I just...

'I got happy! I just jumped up and ran across the stage!'

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