Central in the City

It is tricky to balance school work with recreational writing, and I apologize for the extended gaps between posts.

This past weekend I traveled to New York City, and attended what I would consider my first actual concert, with big name bands and an intense stage set up. I am referring to the Global Citizen Festival, held in Central Park on October 29th. The line up included performances by K'naan, Band of Horses, the Black Keys, Foo Fighters, and Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Oh, and a surprise performance by John Legend. The stage was steaming with talent.

Literally- steaming with talent!

The concert was designed to raise awareness and bring a call to action for such issues as poverty and disease. In between musical acts, a variety of speakers came to the stage to share their ideas and ways we can work together to solve these global issues. While their messages were well intentioned, many individuals in the crowd seemed to have little interest in the real issues, yelling obscene jokes and directing rude comments towards the speakers on stage. I suppose that is to be expected when 60,000 people attend a high caliber event such as this, free of charge. While it was clear that some only attended to get their fill of free music, the speeches made were powerful and though provoking. It was clear that a lot of thought had been put into this event, and brought speakers from all around the world to share some very personal stories.

The event evoked an interesting mix of somber self reflection and high energy excitement between the scientists, social change makers, and grammy winning rock artists. I am thrilled that I got to be a part of it.