- Title: UKRAINE-EURO2012-ELTON JOHN-QUEEN: Elton John and Queen peform in Kiev
- Date: 2nd July 2012
- Summary: ADAM LAMBERT AND QUEEN PERFORMING AUDIENCE VARIOUS OF QUEEN PERFORMING 'WE WILL ROCK YOU'
- Embargoed: 17th July 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ukraine
- Country: Ukraine
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVACPR7LCJXTWLKI5RPY4QC74ES5
- Story Text: Rock legend Sir Elton John took to the stage of the Euro 2012 Kiev fan zone on Saturday (June 30) for a free concert in front of tens of thousands of fans to raise awareness of AIDS in Ukraine.
The band Queen, with "American Idol" star lead singer Adam Lambert joined John in waiving their fees for the concert which was organised by the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation.
Queen band member Brian May said he hoped the concert in the fan zone that was televised in Ukraine and Euro 2012 co-host Poland, would create a big impression on viewers and concert-goers.
According to a 2012 report by UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Ukraine is experiencing the "most severe HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and the CIS countries," with new cases of infection rising steadily since 1999.
May said the concert was meant to draw attention to the continued need to fight the disease.
"I guess the strongest signal would be that we must not be complacent. AIDS is still a problem. It is still walking on the Earth. And complacency is our enemy. It's a wake up to say 'No', it is still there, people are still dying of AIDS. And we have to continue the fight," May said.
AIDS hits close to home for band members. Their former band mate and Queen frontman Freddy Mercury died of AIDS in 1991.
The band's charity work in Ukraine has raised more than 1.2 million hrvynas ($148,000 USD) for the Zhlenenyy Gai Children's House in Kharkiv and helped to reduce the stigma of children with HIV and AIDS.
"I don't know how to explain it, but before the Queen concert (in Kharkiv), there wasn't a single orphan in that category adopted. After the concert, as for today, we have already 38 adopted children and 54 who have found foster families," said the children's house head doctor Igor Tytanrenko.
Concert-goer Yaroslava Girich said attaching big stars to the anti-AIDS message was a good idea.
"Of course Queen attracted me to the concert and Lambert and Elton John, who will be performing tonight, but the fight against AIDS which I learned about here is also very important," Girich said.
Elton John started the concert with a spirited rendition of his classic "Saturday Night's Alright," dancing for the crowd before settling down at the grand piano and belting out familiar favourites like "Bennie and the Jets" and "Levon".
Elton John used the concert to also call on Ukrainians to repudiate violence against homosexuals.
Ahead of the European soccer championship which began on June 8 andon Sunday (July 1) with the final in Kiev, a gay pride march in the Ukrainian capital was called off, but one of its leaders was beaten by assailants.
Last Saturday (June 23) a second leading Ukrainian gay rights activist said he had hospital treatment after being beaten in Kiev by a group of unidentified assailants, who screamed homophobic insults at him.
Lambert and Queen band mates played a set heavy on electric guitar, performing a reworked version of "We Will Rock You," very different from the original and other new songs.
Concert promoters said Saturday's concert was the first and last joint John-Queen performance since 1992. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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