IN LIBYA? LIONEL RICHIE, JOSE CARRERAS & THE VIENNA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IN LIBYA AT COLONEL GADDAFI'S COMPOUND IN TRIPOLI - ARE YOU MAD?

LIONEL RICHIE, JOSE CARRERAS & THE VIENNA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IN LIBYA AT COLONEL GADDAFI'S COMPOUND IN TRIPOLI - ARE YOU MAD?  
I suppose the answer to that is yes!

As I look at the appalling situation in Libya today, I reflect on the day that we presented a wonderful concert in Tripoli a few years ago. Here is how it happened:

I received a phone call early March 2006 from my dear friend Elissa Murtaza at that time founder and CEO of Mirage Promotions the number one concert company throughout the Middle East based in Bahrain and Dubai - asking me whether we could find some artists to perform in Libya as part of a United Nations Peace Concert to be held in Colonel Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli, Libya.

Well, I had received some strange requests in my time, but this beat the lot!  Colonel Gaddafi; his personal compound in central Tripoli; Libya - all the political implications - no forget it – it’s impossible.

Despite the obvious objections and concerns there was one redeeming factor – this event had the approval of the United Nations (UN). The event was to be planned as a peace concert in memory of the 40 people who died including Col. Gaddafi’s adopted daughter Hanna when President Reagan ordered the bombing after accusing Libya of involvement in the bombing of a nightclub in Berlin. The bombing took place on April 15^th 1986 and this concert was the 20^th anniversary of this sad occasion.

The concert was to be held in front of the ruins of the building that had been bombed and was in the same condition as the day the bombs fell. Needless to say this was a daunting task.

First of all we wanted to make sure the UN had approved of this high profile concert and were giving it’s blessing. It didn’t take long we soon received a letter from UN confirming this – but how to get a major artist to perform – that was the question?

The initial request from the Libyan authorities was for Elton John and Luciano Pavarotti, well they were not available on the dates concerned – So Elissa and I put our heads together and she went for Lionel Richie being one of the most popular artists in the world and a hell of a nice guy too. I went for someone to replace Pavarotti and after some pretty tough talks secured Jose Carreras and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

(Jose Carreras)

I was amazed we had succeeded to get two great artists to perform but the UN backing and support was critical in this matter – if we hadn’t had that this event would not have happened. But now we had to manage the concert from staging, sound, lights, travel, hotels, visas, catering, dressing rooms – you name it!

Monica Hamill (from our London office) and I flew to Tripoli and met up with Elissa who had arrived the day before at the only major hotel and awaited the artists. Needless to say booking a symphony orchestra into hotels is never easy let alone in Libya!

I went straight to the site of the concert and had to go through numerous security checks – I don’t think I have ever seen so many Kalashnikovs – and this was supposed to be a peace concert!

Gaddafi’s compound was enormous surrounded by high walls and watch-towers manned by troops. The compound was covered in grass and trees, with Camels strolling around – there were what appeared to be air vents that popped up from time to time like large man made flowers or maybe periscopes. I had the feeling there was a whole city underneath me but I could never see anything to prove this.

It was my first sight of the house that had been bombed and it was a sad sight by any standards – broken walls, staircases, furniture, tiles everywhere – lives taken in a flash – what a waste and terrible tragedy – its always the innocents that get hurt somehow (of course all this was taking place before the subsequent demise of the leader Colonel Gaddafi). However, what worried me most at that moment, was the tall statue of a big fist crushing an American jet that was situation immediately behind the stage plumb in the centre where the artists were to perform.

I was incensed and immediately called Elissa back at the hotel home base camp. We had to get this statue covered – how can we have an American Artist Lionel Richie and for that matter a world star such as Jose Carreras performing a peace concert directly in front of a statue of a massive fist crushing a jet?

Endless talks went on with the organisers about this issue and we were promised everything would be fine – so I headed back to the hotel. We spent a tense night because we were putting artists and musicians into their rooms.

We were up early the next morning and the stage build up continued – so did our discussions regarding the “big fist” – tents were erected on site as dressing rooms and one of those large camper vans (home on wheels) appeared as one of the dressing rooms. Jose Carreras arrived and he was met at the airport and whisked to the hotel suite.

The next day – the day of the concert things were getting more and more tense – because the issue of the “big fist” was not getting resolved. I went early to the site again and stood on stage insisting that this statue be covered – by now everything was getting worse – I saw Gaddafi get out of his Range Rover and stare at me from a distance – the Libyan team around me were getting frantic – Gaddafi did not want his statue covered – well tough shit – I wasn’t going to allow the artists onstage until it was covered and Elissa said the same. We had to stand firm, but it was getting scary.

In the meantime a big tent had been erected for Lionel Richie’s dressing room and we were asked if it was OK for Lionel – I remember us saying the tent is lovely but its empty – can we please have some chairs and a table and maybe a mirror? In the end the tent got furnished in some way – probably the oddest dressing room Lionel has ever worked with.

By this time Lionel had arrived and he very kindly agreed to attend a press conference at the hotel, which was covered by local television and some of the world’s press – Reuters, CNN, BBC etc.

Back to the site – we still hadn’t got this bloody statue covered. About an hour before the artists were due to arrive we got the statue covered, but everyone around the stage (at least the Libyans) were obviously very frightened. Elissa and I were at our Bulldog best – shoot us if you like, but come hell or high water, that damned statue gets covered or no concert!

The artists arrived – the audience arrived and were welcomed by Gaddafi’s daughter – the model like Aisha (known in the western press as the Claudia Schiffer of North Africa) – we had an Arabic speaker with us so we knew what Aisha was saying which wasn’t very complimentary to all of us – this peace concert was looking less and less peaceful.

However, we needn’t have worried Lionel Richie came on stage with his trio of musicians and knocked out the audience who waved and sang and clapped to his songs – Lionel left the stage to rapturous applause – a short interval and then the glorious voice of Jose Carreras backed by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra – the problem was the audience didn’t much like opera so large numbers left! Poor Jose Carreras he wasn’t appreciated at the level he should have been – he is such a marvellous artist and professional – he sang magnificently and the show went on.

After the concert was over – everyone left leaving Elissa, Monica and I to take care of the musicians of the orchestra (Lionel and Carreras had gone back to the hotel and in Lionel’s case he flew straight out that night). It took us hours to get the coaches to get everyone back and all their instruments. Exhausted, but happy that this event had taken place – I think we got some sleep that night but not much – we all left the next day deeply relieved that this concert had taken place and that we had survived.

(The Vienna Symphony Orchestra)

It was only later than we learned that most if not all the Libyan team were put in prison after the show – no doubt because of the “Big Fist” being covered and Colonel Gaddafi being most displeased. What a nightmare.

When we learned some months later that the civil war had started - more pain, misery and suffering for the people of Libya ending in the capture and death of Muammar Gaddafi. No-one was very surprised at what developed in Libya, but despite that we experienced an extraordinary moment in history – probably the only UN endorsed peace concert that ever took place in Libya under the eyes of Colonel Gaddafi - We survived it - and music filled the air that hot balmy night in April. 

April 18, 2006

BBC NEWS Reported:

Libya has marked the 20th anniversary of the US bombing raids on Tripoli and Benghazi with a high-profile concert.

US soul singer Lionel Ritchie and Spanish tenor Jose Carreras performed in front of the bombed house of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the capital.

About 40 people died in the attacks on 15 April 1986, including Col Gaddafi's adopted daughter, Hanna.

President Ronald Reagan ordered the strikes, accusing Libya of involvement in bombing a nightclub in Berlin. Two US soldiers and a Turkish woman were killed and least 230 people injured in the explosion.

Compensation

The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says the anniversary of the raids on Libya was marked in a surprisingly festive way.

A crowd of diplomats, businessmen and politicians was brought to their feet, with soul veteran Lionel Ritchie dominating what was called the "concert for peace".

"Hanna will be honoured tonight because of the fact that you've attached peace to her name," Ritchie told the audience.

In 2001, a German court ruled that the Libyan secret service was responsible for the Berlin attack.

Tripoli has agreed to compensate victims, but refuses to do so for the US families saying Libyans also had a right to be compensated.

Relations between Washington and Tripoli began to improve in 2003 when the Libyans renounced weapons of mass destruction. The US has now lifted most of its sanctions against Libya.