Last January, the world rallied to help the small Caribbean country of Haiti when an earthquake hit killing thousands and destroying infrastructure. Artists around the world participated in benefit concerts, recordings, telethons and all sorts of other fundraisers to raise money for the relief effort.
Then an even stronger earthquake struck Chile in February. There were fewer casualties in this South American country than in Haiti. Despite a lot of structural damage suffered, the artistic community did not feel the need to get involved here.
Now ZZ Top announced that it will host a benefit concert for victims of the Chilean earthquake. The band will head to Moviestar Arena in Chile’s capital, Santiago, and perform on May 18.
Guitarist Billy Gibbons made a short video announcement on the group’s website. The video was recorded at Gibbons’ home. He directly addresses the Chilean people in Spanish.
A translation of his message goes something like this, "Hello friends, I’m Billy from the band ZZ Top. The whole world knows about the effects caused by the earthquake that happened in your beautiful country. We know that the Chilean spirit can never be broken and that right now it is stronger than ever. ZZ will be in Santiago on May 18 at the Movistar arena. We hope that you can join us for a special night."