‘Last Night Will Stand Out’: Concert For Ukraine Raises $17.5 Million

Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Paloma Faith, Gregory Porter, Emeli Sandé, Nile Rodgers and Chic were among those performing at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England, March 29, to raise money for the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). All proceeds from the televised fundraiser will be used to prove food, water, shelter and medical assistance to refugees in Ukraine and neighboring countries.

The event had raised £13.4 million ($17.5 million) at press time, according to the DEC, which includes ticket sales income, broadcaster ITV’s advertizing revenue (£3 million), as well as donations made by 3.6 million viewers at home as well as 8,000 concert goers adding donations on top of their ticket purchase.

The lineup on the evening also featured Ukrainian singer and winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, Jamala. The entire concert was broadcast live on ITV and STV, and is available to stream on demand at ITV Hub. It was also broadcast live on Ukrainian TV and will air around the world to raise funds. Aside from music, the evening included moving readings of refugees’ testimonies by Tamsin Greig and Eddie Marsan, films from Ukraine’s border with Mel Giedroyc and Robert Rinder and a video diary from an aid worker inside Ukraine.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, it is estimated that at least 4 million people have fled to neighboring countries, and a further 6.5 million have been forced to flee their homes inside the country. The £13.4 million raised by the concert for Ukraine add to a total of £260 million raised by the DEC, which says the donations will help meet people’s immediate needs and also help people affected by the conflict in the months and years ahead. For example, one of the charities united under the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, will use the funds to buy £1 million-worth of trauma kits for civilian first aid inside Ukraine.

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The Concert for Ukraine was produced by Livewire Pictures, who had help from Live Nation booking the lineup. The event was broadcast by ITV and STV. Media and entertainment group Global was on board as partner as well, for instance, Global radio presenters, Capital Breakfast host Roman Kemp, Capital FM’s Marvin Humes and Heart’s Emma Bunton hosted the show. Phil Bowdery, Live Nation’s Executive President Touring International Music, told Pollstar, “It was a joint effort from all concerned that was driven by [Livewire Pictures MD] Guy Freeman, without whom it would not have happened. Everyone involved just gave everything they could, from the venue, ITV, Global, [headline sponsor] M&S, [production director] Chris Vaughan, and all of the production suppliers to name a small few.”

Resorts World Arena was a natural choice for the concert. The team around Guy Dunstan, Managing Director, Ticketing and Arenas at NEC Group, has a track record of delivering major live TV events. Birmingham is located in the center of England, facilities, infrastructure and production companies to turn around an event of this nature on short notice are available.

Dunstan recalled taking the call from Livewire Pictures MD Guy Freeman, inquiring about a major concert event in aid of Ukraine with some of the world’s biggest artists on the bill. That was around three weeks ago. It showed “the strength of the team that I’ve got that they were able to turn this around in less than three weeks and deliver an absolutely amazing event last night. It was a brilliant job,” Dunstan told Pollstar.

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Given the nature of this appeal, Dunstan and his team wanted to support it wholeheartedly. They didn’t charge a fee for using Resorts World Arena, the NEC’s service partners and suppliers all agreed to provide their services at no cost as well. The production required quick turnaround times between sets. To make space available behind the stage, the audience capacity of Resorts World Arena wasn’t the usual 15,000, but according to Dunstan, it didn’t show on TV.

The entertainment never downplayed the humanitarian catastrophe that is war. “We’ve got a major crisis going on, which is pulling on all of our heartstrings, it’s awful to see on the news every night, and you feel so helpless watching what’s going on in Ukraine, and hear about the impact on people, who have been displaced. So yeah, that balance of people been really, really affected by what they’ve seen. But equally, people were just really delighted to be supporting the event last night, so it created an amazing atmosphere in the venue.”

What was left the day after was “a real sense of pride that the team has been able to hopefully make a difference to the [lives of] people, who are going to benefit from the appeal. We’re in the business of putting events on one day after another. We’re used to finishing one, and then, the next day, there’s another one, and another one, and another one. But last night will have a special place. When people look back on their careers, last night will stand out.”

And Phil Bowdery concluded, “As seen before at the many benefit shows that have happened over the past years, when called upon our industry will move mountains to come together and help those in need and do it in the most spectacular way.”