NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) — Robert Plant has confirmed that he is the latest to sign on for the Lampedusa Concerts for Refugees tour, which will take place from October 12–21, 2016.
Other artists previously announced for the tour include Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, The Milk Carton Kids. The eleven-date tour is intended to raise awareness of the unprecedented worldwide refugee crisis, which has seen more persons displaced by conflict than at any time since World War II.
Plant offered this statement about joining the tour:
"I'm taking a break from recording the new Sensational Space Shifters record to be a part of this very important and worthwhile cause. When I watch the news and see people from these places being displaced by hatred and ignorance, I know that these people are just like you and me. All they want is to live in peace and have their children grow up loved, fed and educated. That seems a million miles away for many people at the moment. They are living in refugee camps, in conditions that are far below sustenance levels. When I heard that some of my friends were rallying to do a series of concerts to help raise funds and awareness, to help address the basic needs of food, shelter and medical care, I wanted to help, in whatever way I could. One thing that I want to make clear: as with all the other members of this tour, I will be performing two or three songs a night and no more. I’m not making a political statement. The organization that is receiving these funds is a religious one. This appeal is trying to help on the ground wherever it can. I hope that my voice, along with my friends, helps bend the arc of the universe a little more toward the loving and helps with the work of getting the basic essentials of life to those who are without."
The concerts are being billed as intimate evenings of acoustic performances benefiting Jesuit Refugee Service's Global Education Initiative. Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees is named for the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, where Pope Francis visited refugees during his first official trip as Pope. The Italian island off the coast of Sicily serves as a waypoint to Europe in refugees making their way to the relative safety of Europe.
LAMPEDUSA: CONCERTS FOR REFUGEES
Oct 6 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO
Oct 8 Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Kansas City, MO
Oct 9 Rococo Theater Lincoln, NE
Oct 11 Sheldon Concert Hall St. Louis, MO
Oct 12 Pabst Theater* Milwaukee, WI
Oct 13 Vic Theater* Chicago, IL
Oct 14 Massey Hall* Toronto, ON
Oct 16 Berklee Performance Center* Boston, MA
Oct 18 The Town Hall* New York, NY
Oct 19 Merriam Theater* Philadelphia, PA
Oct 21 Lisner Auditorium* Washington, DC
*Asterisks mark dates that will include Robert Plant
