HARRY CHEERED AT L.A. CHARITY CONCERT
Prince joins Hollywood A-listers calling for global vaccine equity
BRITAIN’S Prince Harry joined pop royalty, including Jennifer Lopez, at a star-studded concert in Los Angeles on Sunday to urge faster and more even global vaccinations, as he voiced support for India during its devastating Covid-19 outbreak.
“Vax Live: The Concert To Reunite The World” featured video messages from the pope and President Joe Biden, and in-person appearances from Hollywood stars such as Ben Affleck and Sean Penn.
The show will air on television and YouTube on Friday at 8pm ET (8am Malaysian time on Saturday).
It was pre-taped in front of thousands of vaccinated spectators, most of them health workers, in the vast, recently completed SoFi stadium here.
“Tonight, we stand in solidarity with the millions of families across India, who are battling a devastating second wave,” said Prince Harry, who was greeted with a standing ovation.
“The virus does not respect borders, and access to the vaccine cannot be determined by geography,” added Harry, making his first in-person appearance at a major public event in California since moving last year to the United States with wife Meghan Markle, who did not appear.
Prince Harry, who took to the large circular stage in the middle of the arena dressed casually in a blue shirt, described online disinformation about vaccines as a “humanitarian crisis” that is “getting worse”.
The concert, organised by international advocacy organisation Global Citizen, aims to battle vaccine disinformation while calling on world leaders and corporations to take action and make donations.
Selena Gomez hosted proceedings, calling for “doses and dollars” to go to the world’s poorest countries as California and parts of the West emerge from lengthy lockdowns thanks to massive inoculation progress.
A glittering J-Lo told fans she had been forced to spend Christmas without her mother for the
first time due to the pandemic — before bringing the Lopez matriarch onto an elaborate meadowthemed stage for a feel-good singalong of Sweet Caroline.
The Foo Fighters were joined by surprise guest Brian Johnson of AC/DC for a rendition of Back in Black.
“We ain’t out of the woods yet...
let’s work as hard as we can to make sure we can do this” every night, said frontman Dave Grohl.
In pre-taped messages, Biden said he was “working with leaders around the world to share more vaccines and boost production”, while Pope Francis said: “I beg you not to forget the most vulnerable.”