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The Tsunami Relief Cardiff charity concert was almost cancelled before Eric Clapton saved the day by signing up just minutes before the scheduled event. The concert was organised in aid of those affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Three friends came together to stage the concert, which quickly gained momentum and garnered the moniker “Live Aid II” from the newspapers. The concert needed a high-profile headline act, but it seemed none were willing to commit. Just when everything seemed lost, one of the most famous guitarists in the world agreed to headline.
“We got a call from the manager of Eric Clapton,” said Paul Sergeant, the boss of the stadium. “And he said, ‘Eric will do it’.” With Clapton confirmed, other acts quickly followed, including Craig David, Snow Patrol, Lulu, and Manic Street Preachers. On 22 January, 2005, 18 acts played for more than seven hours in front of 70,000 music fans.
Four weeks before the concert, Paul was watching TV, drinking a glass of wine when he saw the newsflash about the tsunami. It was one of the worst natural disasters of modern times, with 225,000 people in 14 countries losing their lives, and two million people left homeless. The next day, Paul, along with two friends, promoter Pablo Janczur and ex-Wales international Rupert Moon, sketched out a plan on the back of a napkin. They decided to stage a charity concert, which they initially thought was “crazy.”
Despite having the Millennium Stadium at their disposal, the gig needed to happen quickly, before emotions surrounding the disaster subsided and rugby’s Six Nations tournament began. They set a date, over three weeks away, and began frantically trying to make things happen. Katherine Jenkins, Feeder, and Goldie Lookin’ Chain (GLC) were the first acts to join the concert.
However, to raise sufficient funds and secure prime-time coverage, Tsunami Relief Cardiff needed a high-profile headline act, which was more easily said than done. But after several attempts, just when everything seemed lost, Eric Clapton agreed to help. Despite the challenges, the proceeds from the concert were allocated to disaster relief funds for the affected regions
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