Courtesy of NIVA/YouTube MusicNeil Young narrates a new trailer promoting #SOSFest, a.k.a. the Save Our Stages Festival, the star-studded three-day virtual concert event kicking off today that supports the National Independent Venue Association, or NIVA, and its mission of helping independent music venues amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The video features a montage of archival performance footage of various artists, including Young, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Iggy Pop, Nirvana and Foo Fighters, as well as clips of famous venues such as The Troubadour in Los Angeles and New York’s Apollo Theater.
“Shakespeare said, ‘All the world’s a stage,'” Neil says in his voice-over. “But not every stage can raise you up high off the ground, or bring you down all the way to your knees, or take you in like you’ve always belonged.”
He continues, “[N]ot every stage is part of our history, part of our culture, part of our community…But there are some stages feel like the whole world.”
The trailer also shares some details about how hard-hit small venues around the U.S. are by the pandemic, noting that 90% of them are at risk of being permanently shut down.
Meanwhile, Slash also has taken part in a video promoting the #SOSFest, featuring him being interviewed at The Troubadour and sharing his recollections of seeing concerts at the venue and of Guns N’ Roses playing there.
#SOSFest will air at the NIVA YouTube channel starting tonight at 8 p.m. ET and run through Sunday, October 18.
The lineup includes Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Reba McEntire, The Roots and many others performing from various well-known U.S. venues. The event also will include special appearances by Slash, Jimmy Buffett, Jimmy Fallon, Quincy Jones and other celebrities.
Visit SaveOurStages.com for more details.
By Matt Friedlander
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(Slash video contains uncensored profanity.)