Concert for Ukraine: 5 biggest talking points as more than £12m raised for charity
Musicians including Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello and Nile Rodgers helped raise millions for Ukrainian victims of Putin’s war
Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello and Nile Rodgers were among the artists who performed at Concert for Ukraine tonight (Tuesday 29 March).
The two-hour fundraising effort, held at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena, was set up with the aim of raising funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) humanitarian appeal.
Special guest appearances included Ukraine’s 2016 Eurovision champion Jamala, who gave a spine-tingling performance of her song “1984”, and a tribute to members of the press reporting on the conflict from broadcasting legend Trevor McDonald. There was also a message from Billie Eilish and her brother/songwriting partner Finneas O’Connell, who shared their support for those taking part in the event and urged viewers to donate.
Here are the biggest talking points from the concert.
Stellar lineup helps raise more than £12m for DEC’s humanitarian appeal
The full lineup at Concert for Ukraine consisted of Snow Patrol, Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Emeli Sande, Gregory Porter, Anne Marie, Paloma Faith, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Becky Hill, The Kingdom Choir, Manic Street Preachers, and Tom Odell.
Together with some special guests, these artists helped raise £12.2m (at the time of writing), which will go towards the DEC’s humanitarian appeal for Ukrainian refugees.
Trevor McDonald delivers a special tribute to members of the press
Early on in the concert, broadcasting legend Sir Trevor McDonald read a statement thanking the journalists, producers and camera crews risking their lives to report on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“We’re here tonight because of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine,” he began. “The reason we know so much about it is because of the daily reports we read in the press, see online and watch on our TV screens.
“Never in my lifetime did I ever think I’d see such scenes of destruction and despair. We see them right now because there are [people] all risking their lives to bring us uncensored accounts of what they see and hear.”
He continued: “This is never easy. It requires bravery. It requires fortitude. And sadly same of our colleagues have been injured, and some more sadly have lost their lives.”
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McDonald concluded by paying tribute to “everyone working in Ukraine” to provide news and updates, “even in the most challenging of circumstances”.
Ed Sheeran and Camila Cabello debut live performance of new single “Bam Bam”
“We’re all praying tonight for the peace and safety of the people of Ukraine,” Camila Cabello said, after a poignant rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You”.
“Thank you so much for being part of this super important fundraiser and please donate anything you can.”
She then introduced Ed Sheeran for the first ever live performance of their 2022 duet, “Bam Bam”.
Rob Rinder delivers a special report
Robert Rinder, who last week travelled to the Ukraine border to help the grandparents of his Strictly Come Dancing partner Ukrainian star Oksana Platero, spoke with aid workers and refugees in the midst of the crisis.
“If you want to know where your money is going, just look behind me,” he said, gesturing at a hall filled with makeshift beds.
“Frightened kids. Blankets. Sleeping bags. This could be you. This is all of us.”
Manic Street Preachers perform protest song “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next”
Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers delivered a searing rendition of their 1998 single “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next”. The track was inspired by the Spanish Civil War and the Welsh volunteers who travelled to fight with the Spanish Republic.
The lyrics include the verse: “Bullets for your brain today But we’ll forget it all again Monuments put from pen to paper Turns me into a gutless wonder.”
The performance followed a special message from US pop star Billie Eilish and her brother/collaborator Finneas. Eilish apologised for not being able to be at the concert in person, but urged people to donate to the appeal and sent her support to the victims of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered.
To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
The liveblog has now closed
Broadcaster Trevor McDonald pays tribute to journalists in Ukraine
For those who missed it, here’s Sir Trevor McDonald with his statement thanking journalists and other members of the press risking their lives to bring you the news on the latest updates on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Follow the latest updates on the Russia-Ukraine crisis
My brilliant colleagues on The Independent’s newsdesk have been providing extensive, exhaustive coverage of the Ukraine-Russia conflict since it began.
This includes our daily liveblog, which you can find below:
Mel Giedroyc opens up about personal connection to refugee crisis
In an incredibly moving segment of the concert,Mel Giedroyc travelled to the Polish border to meet with Ukrainian refugees and aid workers.
“There’s a lot to take in here,” she said. “What’s weird is it took me about six hours to get here... it’s like a different planet. And I feel weird because I’m going back to my cosy home and my family. And so many people we’ve met today, they don’t know when we’re going home.”
Growing tearful, she added: “It’s brutal, that’s what it is. It’s brutal.”
A reminder of how to donate here:
How to donate to the Concert for Ukraine fundraiser
What we just witnessed was an extraordinarily powerful performance from Jamala, the Ukrainian winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.
Six years ago, she conquered Europe with her song “1944”, about Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s deportation of hundreds of thousands of people from her Black Sea homeland of Crimea, in World War Two.
“When strangers are coming, they come to your house. They kill you all and say ‘We’re not guilty’,” she sings.
Now Jamala is a refugee herself, after fleeing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, which drove her and her children to seek shelter outside Ukraine.
“On February 24 my husband woke me up and told me that the war had started and that Russia had attacked us. At that moment, I was shocked. It felt like a nightmare,” she told Reuters in an interview in Istanbul.
The 38-year-old, whose real name is Susana Jamaladinova, sheltered in a Kyiv bomb shelter before escaping to Turkey with her two children – leaving her husband to fight the approaching Russian army.
Clutching the Ukraine flag, Jamala received deafening cheers as she belted out some huge notes at the song’s climax.
Learn more about Jamala below:
Life echoes art for Ukraine’s Eurovision winner Jamala
Manic Street Preachers perform If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
As if they were going to perform any other song. Yes, Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers came next on the lineup with a searing rendition of their 1998 single “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next”. The track was inspired by the Spanish Civil War and the Welsh volunteers who travelled to fight with the Spanish Republic.
The lyrics include the verse:
Bullets for your brain today But we’ll forget it all again Monuments put from pen to paper Turns me into a gutless wonder
The performance followed a special message from US pop star Billie Eilish and her brother/collaborator Finneas. Eilish apologised for not being able to be at the concert in person, but urged people to donate to the appeal and sent her support to the victims of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
A reminder that you can find out how to donate to the DEC’s humanitarian appeal:
How to donate to the Concert for Ukraine fundraiser
Anne-Marie performs ‘Beautiful’ at Ukraine charity concert
Now a special report from Robert Rinder, who last week travelled to the Ukraine border to help the grandparents of his Strictly Come Dancing partner Ukrainian star Oksana Platero.
The TV personality spoke with aid workers and refugees in the midst of the crisis, who shared their harrowing stories of the men, women and children fleeing their war-torn homes.
“If you want to know where your money is going, just look behind me,” he said, gesturing at a hall filled with makeshift beds.
“Frightened kids. Blankets. Sleeping bags. This could be you. This is all of us.”
Ed Sheeran performs ‘Perfect’ and 'Bad Habits’
Ed Sheeran, the biggest name performing tonight, played two original songs at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham.
He began with a rendition of “Perfect”, from his record-breaking 2017 album Divide, before breaking out his loop pedal station.
“Wrong guitar,” he announced, pausing the show before starting again. “Live television, eh?” he quipped, before diving into his performance of “Bad Habits”, the hit single from his most recent record, = (Equals).
“Thank you so much for coming for such an important cause,” he told the crowd, revealing he would return to perform with US singer Camila Cabello.
“We’re all praying tonight for the peace and safety of the people of Ukraine,” Camila Cabello said, after a poignant rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You”.
“Thank you so much for being part of this super important fundraiser and please donate anything you can.”
She then introduced Ed Sheeran for the first ever live performance of their 2022 duet, “Bam Bam”.
A dramatic reading of refugees’ accounts from the ongoing crisis by Eddie Marsan and Tamsin Greig just now, accompanied by Nicola Benedetti on violin.
Remember you can donate if you’re watching from home, more info:
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