Even if it wasn’t quite Live Aid 2005, the Music for Relief concert at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim to raise money and awareness for victims of the tsunami in southern Asia inspired a similar coming together of the music community to help those in distress.

Beyond the performances — notably from hard rock band Linkin Park, rapper Jay-Z and modern rockers No Doubt — the clear message of the show was that unity works. The event, for which tickets cost $85 to $125, is expected to generate between $1 million and $1.5 million for UNICEF and Habitat for Humanity to help survivors rebuild their homes and their lives.

The sound reinforcement for this momentous event was provided by Delicate Productions, providing the PA to cover the two stages (designed in a turntable arrangement) from their Martin Audio hire stock.

Main clusters comprised 12 x W8L, with four W8LC’s (per side) underhung as downfills. Covering the side bleachers were 12 x W8LC’s per side and audiences in the side-to-rear bleachers were reached by four W8CS and four W8C’s per side (the short throw providing 270° coverage). Six W8LS subs were flown on either side of the stage, with eight BSX subs (per side) ground stacked, under four pairs of W8LM, which acted as front fills.

The monitors comprised two F2B and two F2 Combis per side (flown), with four F1B’s and four F1T’s as drum fills and 27 x LE700’s as the floor wedges.
The house sound was mixed through a pair of Yamaha PM5000’s, with Midas Heritage H3000’s at the monitor station. The FOH System EQ comprised a TC EQ Station in 8 x 8 matrix mode.

The lineup impressively crossed the genre boundaries that govern most rock shows. But the enthusiastic reception given to each act proved again that people’s tastes aren’t nearly as limited as today’s radio playlists would suggest.
No Doubt generated a hometown heroes’ welcome, playing a characteristically energetic hour-long hits-heavy set in the Anaheim-bred quartet’s backyard, the band’s first performance in seven months since singer Gwen Stefani launched her solo career.

But the greatest anticipation was for what was only the second live collaboration between Linkin Park and Jay-Z. Linkin Park set up the Music for Relief organisation only three days after the tsunami hit. Jay-Z emerged from his self-imposed retirement for this performance.

Between each performance, video footage of the tsunami’s devastation was shown over the three video screens above the open arena floor, and various participants gave straight-from-the-heart pitches, live and on tape, urging concert-goers not to let the issue slip from their minds now that it is no longer front-page news on a daily basis.