The Global Citizen fundraising concert advocating the importance of vaccine equity has pulled in $302m, exceeding the goal for the organisation’s campaign.
Global Citizen announced, on Saturday, that the funds raised helped procure more than 26 million doses at the “Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World”. The organisation said money was garnered through several philanthropic and corporate commitments.
US President Joe Biden, the UK’s Prince Harry, and singer Jennifer Lopez were among the big names who took part in the event, which was recorded 2 May and aired on Saturday. ABC, ABC News Live, CBS, YouTube, and iHeartMedia radio stations will broadcast the concert staged at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Selena Gomez hosted the show, which was attended by several thousand fully-vaccinated concertgoers who cheered on performances by Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin, H.E.R. and Lopez, who enjoyed a duet with her mum.
Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen, Jimmy Kimmel, Sean Penn, and David Letterman served as special guest speakers.
Vax Live was one of the largest concert gatherings in Southern California since the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit the world more than a year ago.
Organisers called the event the country’s first large-scale music event for a COVID 19-compliant audience. Media and production staff needed to show a negative COVID-19 tests before entering the stadium.
