Preparations for the 10th Anniversary Concert and Memorial Service

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by sassie

So, because you don't, no one else does either?

Well, there are at the moment quite a few of us here and I have to say only one remembers, vaguely, a Harrison concert for anyone. Although we all remember Harrison, the Beatles, the Travellin Wilburys etc. Your statement can of course be reversed, just because you do, everyone should!

And? Sorry, I am confused as to what that has to do with remembering the concert once it is over.

I didn't realise I would need to make it even clearer! They have moved on, they have forgotten the 'vow' they made, so what makes you think they will remember a concert, which is what you, IMO, suggested in your earlier post?

[corazon]

Originally Posted by sirhon11234

So your basically saying with time Diana will be frogotten. Because I assure you that will never happen.

I totally agree with you, diana never wil l be frogotten, and she son't need a GREAT avct to b remember, the people have diaan in the hearts and that is sufficient, now we have a event to remember her with happiness, althorp is a great tribute to her but is sad, she is there (don't for me), all her things are there etc and is say, but with the concert we can to celebrete her and help another people in her name, the best tribute to her for me.

[sirhon11234]

didn't realise I would need to make it even clearer! They have moved on, they have forgotten the 'vow' they made, so what makes you think they will remember a concert, which is what you, IMO, suggested in your earlier post?

I wonder if the tables were turned and had it been charles or Camilla who had died in that crash would you be singing a different tune.

[ysbel]

Can I interrupt this exchange to ask one basic question? I thought charity events are tax-exempt, regardless of the type. Its supposed to encourage charitable donations, etc. skydragon, you mean that charity events don't have that de facto privilege in Britain?

[Elspeth]

Originally Posted by Skydragon

Actually, I was saying the concert will be forgotten! It would be funny to come back to this thread in 2 years and see if the same people are still talking about the concert.

Fine, so it'll be forgotten. Its purpose is to raise money for charity, not to be an event that's remembered for a hundred years. I don't remember any details about the Live Aid or Farm Aid concerts I've watched, but they did what they were intended to do and raised money for charity.

[sassie]

Originally Posted by Skydragon

Well, there are at the moment quite a few of us here and I have to say only one remembers, vaguely, a Harrison concert for anyone. Although we all remember Harrison, the Beatles, the Travellin Wilburys etc. Your statement can of course be reversed, just because you do, everyone should!

I didn't realise I would need to make it even clearer! They have moved on, they have forgotten the 'vow' they made, so what makes you think they will remember a concert, which is what you, IMO, suggested in your earlier post?

[Madame Royale]

Fine, so it'll be forgotten. Its purpose is to raise money for charity, not to be an event that's remembered for a hundred years. I don't remember any details about the Live Aid or Farm Aid concerts I've watched, but they did what they were intended to do and raised money for charity.

Absolutely, Elspeth. I feel you have touched on something that is being greatly overlooked.

Because its in Diana's memory, I see some as insistent upon creating a negative spin on the process and in doing so, are judging its worth by the place it shall hold in history (also, using it as a measure for the publics attitude towards the memory of Diana. Again, a pointless exercise but each to their own).

This is about raising money for charity first and foremost and if William, Harry and the organising officials are successful in achieving this objective then has it not been successful?

What better way to publically honour their mother than to recognise her participation in world humanitarian efforts and as a result, dedicate this great charity event in her memory.

Personally, I feel it will be remembered but that's just me

[Warren]

Originally Posted by sassie

So, because you don't, no one else does either?

Don't worry sassie, I remember it!

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by sassie

For example, there are many who clearly remember George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh, and that was over 30 years ago.

I remember it clearly - it was the first time I ever heard of a country named Bangla-Desh and I still know how touched I was when George Harrison played his song "Help the people of Bangla-Desh". I liked the way Indian music had been woven into the music and the sirit of it, which was really about peace and help and love. The concert BTW as a DVD still has a sales rank with Amazon and it's a low 3.128 in DVD (at amazon.de)! As an aside: when I made the same area with my latest book, I sold more than 25.000 copies in 6 months, which is quite something when it comes to special interest titles. I guess with the flood of DVDs it's similar. (The whole album was remastered and republished last year, so it's quite an new item).

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by Madame Royale

Absolutely, Elspeth. I feel you have touched on something that is being greatly overlooked.

Because its in Diana's memory, I see some as insistent upon creating a negative spin on the process and in doing so, are judging its worth by the place it shall hold in history (also, using it as a measure for the publics attitude towards the memory of Diana. Again, a pointless exercise but each to their own).

This is about raising money for charity first and foremost and if William, Harry and the organising officials are successful in achieving this objective then has it not been successful?

What better way to publically honour their mother than to recognise her participation in world humanitarian efforts and as a result, dedicate this great charity event in her memory.

Personally, I feel it will be remembered but that's just me

You make a very valuable point here. But is it for charity first and foremost? Okay, the money they (hopefully) make from it will go to charities but the name "Concert for Diana" and the talk about a birthday present that prince William used doesn't sit overly well with me. Diana is dead and you cannot give her a birthday present. I agree that her sons want to commemorate her and to share their feelings with other people, while doing something for the purposes that were dear to Diana's heart. So from the princes' side it's okay, I suppose. But still the wording and the surrounding facts don't resonate positively with me. But then I don't like the Spanish processions either, where they take the skeleton of saints from the crypt and, after carrying them around in a glass coffin, sit them at the top of a celebration table and offer them food. I once saw a film about that and it was pretty necrophilic.

I don't want to celebrate the lífe of a person who is dead and has been for 10 years. I don't want to listen in on a concert that is for somebody who is not longer there. Mourning and memorial services and all that is okay, but to have fun dancing on the graves is not something I enjoy.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by sirhon11234

I wonder if the tables were turned and had it been charles or Camilla who had died in that crash would you be singing a different tune.

No, I would have expected there to have been the funeral, a memorial (at the time), a statue of some sort and then thats it!

Originally Posted by ysbel

I thought charity events are tax-exempt, regardless of the type. Its supposed to encourage charitable donations, etc. skydragon, you mean that charity events don't have that de facto privilege in Britain?

Only some portions of them. If you make a donation to a registered charity, you fill in a form to declare that you are a taxpayer and pay more tax than the amount the charity is likely to claim back. Any charity event has to pay some tax unless they get an exemption from the erstwhile Mr Brown.
The problem arises because it is not the charities themselves that are organising this event and so, any money they receive will be a 'gift' and not earned income through trade, (which is exempt for charities). Live 8 managed to get their VAT bill reduced by £2 million. Tax and VAT, although both taxes, are different things.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by Jo of Palatine

I remember it clearly - it was the first time I ever heard of a country named Bangla-Desh and I still know how touched I was when George Harrison played his song "Help the people of Bangla-Desh". I liked the way Indian music had been woven into the music and the sirit of it, which was really about peace and help and love. The concert BTW as a DVD still has a sales rank with Amazon and it's a low 3.128 in DVD (at amazon.de)! As an aside: when I made the same area with my latest book, I sold more than 25.000 copies in 6 months, which is quite something when it comes to special interest titles. I guess with the flood of DVDs it's similar. (The whole album was remastered and republished last year, so it's quite an new item).

Congratulations on your book sales. We must all have been busy with our own thing, although some this morning vaguely remember a concert, only one chap remembered it was for Bangladesh.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_for_Bangladesh

I expect it was one of those things back in the 70's where you had to be interested in 'popular' music and artists!

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by Skydragon

The point is that of the 100's who were going to be at KP every year, very few turned up this time.

Hm, there are enough people who visit graves in ancient graveyard all around the world - just have a look at Pere Lachaise in Paris on any given day. As Diana's grave is unapproachable for most of the years and is quite a distance from London, I guess people will always use Kensington Palace as their place to mourn somebody who touched them. And why not? I haope that someday when William is king he will give her a grave or at least a plaque of commemoration in Westminster Abbey or another appropriate church (eg St. Paul's), so people have a better place to mourn her than at that fountain. Hopefully a place with wheel-chair access because Diana's fans are bound to get older year after year and I don't see crowds of new ones coming.

But it came as it always come: the fame of dead celebs ceases to work after some years for huge crowds, but I don't think Diana will ever be forgotten. But once she fits into the long stream of former members of the monarchy's premier family, all will be back to normal and what you describe is probably the first step towards a rather "normal" way of commemoration.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by Jo of Palatine

I guess people will always use Kensington Palace as their place to mourn somebody who touched them. And why not?

If people want to go to KP, fine, all I was trying to say, is that people, for whatever reason do forget (except the family and close friends), life takes over.

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by Skydragon

Congratulations on your book sales.

Thank you.

I expect it was one of those things back in the 70's where you had to be interested in 'popular' music and artists!

No, I don't think so. I was eg not interested in Woodstock. But this was a way to interest younger people for a charity which was new and fresh and interesting. Woodstock was just interested in itself and the celebration of its own culture which was different from that of the "grown-ups" but just as serious as theirs. The popculture for teenies was anything but something to be taken serious.

And then there was this concert when artists came to gether to create a warmer, more human spirit and to create awareness for the suffering of other people. Today I don't care that much for charity concerts, because IMHO it's a perfect way for the artists to boost their reputation on appearing not longer as greedy as they probably are - and I don't like hypocrisy. But "Bangladesh" was the first of its kind and thus IMHO warrants to stay in mind. Just my opinion.