Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor have announced a special screening on YouTube of the band’s 2008 Kharkiv concert with Paul Rodgers to raise funds for Ukraine relief.
The band played Ukraine with Paul Rodgers during the Rock the Cosmos Tour, with a live album and companion DVD of the show being released the following year.
‘Queen and Paul Rodgers Live in Ukraine’ was made available to watch in the UK on the band’s official YouTube channel from 5pm on March 19. Fans who stream the two hour set are being asked to donate to UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency.
Brian May originally shared a crowd photo from the gig on his Instagram in February, writing: “So many great memories of great times in Ukraine. This picture is of our unforgettable show night in Freedom Square, Kharkiv in 2008.
“It seems unbelievable that the peaceful life of Ukraine could be so senselessly shattered in the 21st century. And it feels unbearable that the world could just watch and let it happen. We are all praying for peace for you, dear friends.”
Announcing the fundraiser, both May and Roger Taylor wrote on their respective Instagram accounts: “In September 2008 Queen + Paul Rodgers answered a call from Ukraine’s Elena Pinchuk’s ANTIAIDS Foundation to reach out to the youth of the country with the message Don’t Let AIDS Ruin Your Life by playing a free Life Must Go On AIDS awareness concert in Kharkiv’s historic Freedom Square to a live audience of more than 350,000 – and a television audience of more than 10 million.”
They continued: “The band recall that event as ‘an unforgettable experience… one of those rare things in life you know you will never forget. A meeting in music, but also a coming together to fight a common enemy…'”
“Today, with millions of Ukrainian refugees in need of urgent humanitarian relief from a different affliction, Queen is returning to its historic moment with a YouTube special screening aimed at drawing donations for UNHCR’s relief efforts.”