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The Big Climate Thing: Khruangbin, HAIM, Sheryl Crow, Flaming Lips, Gary Clark Jr. And More Shine A Light On Climate Change
Khruangbin, HAIM, The Roots, Sheryl Crow, The Flaming Lips and Gary Clark Jr. are among the headliners for The Big Climate Thing: Concert for People and the Planet, a massive festival dedicated to climate change set to take place at Forest Hills Stadium in New York City Sept. 16-18. Courtney Barnett, Princess Nokia, Antibalas, Guster, Seratones, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Valerie June and more are already on board, with additional artists to be added in the coming weeks.
Produced by Climate Control Projects, The Big Climate Thing features an eclectic, multi-generational lineup of artists and programming, immersive on-site activations, and curated content. Its goal is to raise “awareness, accountability and action” around the global climate crisis and inspire real-time solutions by connecting concertgoers through “the transformative power of music,” according to a statement.
Tickets for The Big Climate Thing go on sale to the general public Thursday, June 30 at 10 a.m. EDT. American Express cardholders can take advantage of a presale beginning Tuesday, June 28 at 10 a.m. EDT through Wednesday, June 29 at 10 p.m. EDT. Three-day passes will start at $268; plus applicable taxes and fees. Single day passes, priced at $119, will go on sale at a later date. Additional ticket and information can be found at The Big Climate Thing website.
Climate Control Projects, founded by a group of music industry vets and activists, was founded in 2020 to work within popular culture to create awareness, accountability, and action around the issue of climate change. In addition to The Big Climate Thing festival, CCP produces content and events that engage mainstream audiences and connect them on a personal level to the climate crisis, and includes among its projects The Big Climate Lab and the upcoming launch of the BigUp mobile app.
Climate Control Projects CEO Kurt Langer says, “The message to our audience is that one doesn’t need to be a scientist or elected official to take action. Our lives are at stake and if we wait for others to solve this, we’re doomed. The good news is that while climate change seems complex, the solutions are quite simple and achievable. We need to reimagine what the world could be, and then align our lifestyles with that vision. Systemic change starts with an individual commitment to embodying our values. From there, we just need to lean into our creativity and love for one another and build community around that ethos. The Big Climate Thing is our way of building that type of community with the artists who are performing and with the audiences who are ready to answer the call. It doesn’t even feel like activism, and yet it’s the most impactful thing we can do.”
Langer was recently a presenter and programmer of the Music Climate Session at Overheated, a 2-day climate symposium launched by Billie Eilish and hosted at London’s O2 Arena during the artist’s multi-date run at the venue. Overheated was presented by Eilish, Support+Feed and REVERB and co-curated by Climate Control Projects.
The BigUp app will provide a virtual counterpart to The Big Climate Thing, creating a place “where artists and audiences, creators and consumers can converge in a non-judgemental community to take action on climate change. Included in a user’s feed will be hints, nudges, challenges, inspirational content and measurable goals that connect personal interests to simple actions that can have sustained impact.”
Climate Control Projects has named EarthPercent as the official charity partner of The Big Climate Thing. EarthPercent is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organization, originally founded in the UK by Brian Eno, that provides a simple way for artists and the music industry to support those at the forefront of climate action while also reducing music’s impact on the planet. The two organizations are working in partnership to create holistic, comprehensive and impactful opportunities for those in music to take bold action toward ending the climate crisis.
In addition, Climate Control Projects has undertaken the mission to establish The Big Climate Lab, a first-of-its-kind innovation studio focused on leveraging extensive research and development to catalyze sector change within the music industry. The Big Climate Lab will collaborate with veterans from the touring and festival industry, research scientists, and sustainability experts from other disciplines to determine a set of transformative goals for the decarbonization of live music.
As the music industry steps up efforts to combat climate change, the central call to action for all music fans is to get off the sidelines and into the game. In partnership with The YEARS Project’s “Inside the Movement” platform, fans can sign up for action notifications at thebigclimatething.com