George Harrison Said the Concert for Bangladesh was a ‘Stroke of Luck’ Because There Was No Rehearsal

George Harrison said the Concert for Bangladesh was a “stroke of luck” because there was no rehearsal. Thankfully, everything went to plan during the benefit concert.

George Harrison performing at the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971. — George Harrison | Bettmann/Getty Images

George Harrison organized the Concert for Bangladesh in a few weeks

In late 1971, Shankar told George about the humanitarian crisis in East Pakistan.

A devastating cyclone killed 500,000 people. After months of inaction from the West Pakistani government, people wanted a change. Eastern nationals declared themselves the independent country of Bangladesh. It started a bloody war. The Western Pakistani troops committed genocidal acts on the Bengali people.

In 1997, Shankar told John Fugelsang at VH1 (per George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters) that he’d started planning a benefit concert himself. He expected to raise about 20 to 30 thousand dollars. George believed he could do better.

“The more I read about it and understood what was going on, I thought, ‘Well, we’ve just got to do something,’ and it had to be very quickly,” George told Fugelsang. “And what we did, really, was only to point it out. That’s what I felt.”

George said the Concert for Bangladesh was a ‘stroke of luck’ because there was no rehearsal

George consulted an Indian astrologer to find the perfect date for the benefit concert. He set it for August 1, 1971, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Quickly, George called his friends, including Bob Dylan (who was a no-show right up until the last minute), Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, and many more. Soon he had enough talent to fill two shows.

During an interview with Musician, George revealed that the Concert for Bangladesh happened so fast that there was no time for a rehearsal.

“That whole show was a stroke of luck. I’d rehearsed some with Ringo, the horn players and the guys from Badfinger, but it was all happening so fast it’s amazing we managed to get anything on tape,” George said.

The musicians who performed at the benefit concert had hilarious nicknames for George

George organized the Concert for Bangladesh in a few weeks with some of the best rock stars set to perform.

It was George’s first live show since The Beatles broke up, an “uncomfortable position for someone
striving to chip away at ego,” Joshua M. Greene wrote in Here Comes The Sun: The Spiritual And Musical Journey Of George Harrison.

Bassist and friend of The Beatles, Klaus Voormann, said, “George was very nervous, but he got this strength through his friends and his religion. His view was ‘It’s my gig, I have to do this. . . .’ If it wasn’t for the cause, he wouldn’t have done it.”

George reserved rooms at the Plaza Hotel for the arriving troupe of musicians coming into New York City for the benefit concert. When they all arrived, George said he wanted the performances to run smoothly. This was their chance to make a difference.

“They clapped each other on the back, stoked a boiler of excitement, and energized one other with a shared sense of mission,” Greene wrote. “What he envisioned, he told them, was a dignified concert, spirit in action, a happy thing that would be very much worth the effort.

“When George’s philosophizing threatened to spill over, the musicians poked affectionate fun by calling him ‘Mr. Professor’ or ‘Curly Toes,’ referring to the pointy plastic shoes that Indian gurus sometimes wore.”

George acted as if he was rallying the troops. All the performers were a “unit” with George as their “engine.” The Concert for Bangladesh worked out even without a rehearsal.

George Harrison Said the Concert for Bangladesh was a ‘Stroke of Luck’ Because There Was No Rehearsal

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George Harrison Said the Concert for Bangladesh was a ‘Stroke of Luck’ Because There Was No Rehearsal

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George Harrison organized the Concert for Bangladesh in a few weeks

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