Organized by Nova Rock organizer Ewald Tatar, the stadium presented itself from its blue and yellow side inside and out. The colors of Ukraine set the tone, from the bright yellow FFP2 masks made especially for the occasion and distributed free of charge, to the sale of sunflowers (the national flower of Ukraine), to special merchandise and face painting opportunities. The focus, of course, was the music.
It showed its diverse side: The band Eazy marked the beginning with singer Julia Ivanova and classic hard rock, before the rap duo Bibiza and Eli Preiss served the younger target group with relaxed beats and thoughtful lyrics. Mavi Phoenix then offered several tracks from his new album “Marlon” and asked the thousands of music fans to put their hands up in the air: “For Ukraine, against war! You are here today to send a strong signal.”
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This was also the opinion of singer Josh, who not only served up pop that was suitable for singing, but also saw the benefit concert as having a historical dimension. “We are very happy to be here today. It’s a bit of music history that’s happening there – and it’s for a good cause! Nice that you’re here.” Ina Regen has even creatively processed the events of the past few weeks and given her song “Rot” a new, second verse. She recently had a lot of questions, but one thing was always clear to her: “War is never the answer!”
As expected, the punk band Turbobier, who were greeted with chants, provided plenty of movement in the front rows. Singer Marco Pogo paid tribute to the audience for supporting the good cause. “Even if the occasion is a sad one, I am sure that this day will stay in our memories for a long time.” Even before the performance, he had emphasized how enthusiastic he was about the humanity of the population. “It’s a beautiful sign at a horrible time.” There was also a lot of interaction with rapper Yung Hurn, who his fans celebrated from the first second, before pop singer Mathea then offered a mixture of melancholic tones and danceable sounds.
Of course, “We Stand With Ukraine” also helps: the net proceeds of the event go to the Volkshilfe and “Neighbor in Need”, whereby the ticket price of 19.91 euros also has a symbolic character – 1991 was the year in which the Ukraine became independent. “‘Neighbours in Need’ was founded 30 years ago, but we never thought that there would ever be war in Europe again,” said Pius Strobl, head of ORF Humanitarian Broadcasting and thus responsible for the relief effort. He explained that every donation made to “Neighbors in Need” by Easter will be doubled by the federal government. This also supported “We Stand With Ukraine” with 80,000 euros to cover the production costs incurred in order to increase the income for on-site aid in Ukraine. And finally, A1 set up a donation hotline on 0800 664 2022 for the benefit of “Neighbors in Need”, which can be reached from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Source: Nachrichten
