What’s better than Neil Young, Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, and K’naan playing a free concert in New York City’s Central Park on September 29th? How about all that, plus the news that these acts are coming together for Global Festival, a collaboration between the Global Poverty Project and Goldenvoice that aims to raise both money for and awareness of the movement to end poverty worldwide. Underwritten largely by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Sumner Redstone Charity Foundation, with tickets to be distributed via an online lottery that potential attendees can only enter by taking action to end poverty, the festival is scheduled to coincide with a United Nations General Assembly meeting where reducing global poverty by 2015 will be on the agenda.
“It’s a worldwide platform, one that few get to play, so it’s the perfect stage for a charity and a cause – especially considering the caliber of artists involved,” Goldenvoice’s Rick Mueller tells Rolling Stone. “I don’t know if there’s been a rock show this big at Central Park; it’s a cohesive lineup that really makes a statement.” We’re not entirely sure whether the addition of even one female musician would ruin the “cohesiveness” of the lineup, but as excited as we are about Global Festival, it sure would be nice to hear about some lineup additions in the weeks to come.