ROCKIN’1000 announces its participation in the event scheduled for Saturday September 3 in Switzerland, promoted by Ukraine Aid, an international organization founded in Geneva to raise funds to support aid for Ukrainian refugees. The Ukraine Aid Association has invited Rockin’1000 – the Biggest Rock Band on Earth – to perform on September 3 at the Geneva Arena (3, route des Batailleux, 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland) at 9 p.m. (gates open at 7 p.m.): Rockin’1000 will take the stage with POWER 100 – the reduced lineup of 100 musicians and several bands will perform afterward, including Haneke Twins, a 5-piece band producing alternative rock/post-punk music since 2018, and Useless, a 4-piece Swiss indie band playing grunge and alternative rock music. A live music event dedicated to solidarity and Rock music: all proceeds from the concert will be donated to Ukraine Aid.
“We’ve never played just for fun, there has always been a higher purpose, to carry a message of inclusion, respect, and peace. This is one of those times when we do more than that, as proceeds will be donated to help Ukrainian refugees. In these hard times we all have to do our part, right?”– declares Fabio Zaffagnini, creator, and founder of Rockin’1000, the project born in 2014 with the first choral performance in 1000 of Learn to Fly to invite the Foo Fighters to play in Cesena and that today performs in stadiums around the world.
On the setlist is a selection of iconic songs that have made Rock History and identified directly from the repertoire of covers performed in stadiums around the world by Rockin’1000, such as Happy Together (The Turtles), Rockin’ in the Free World (Neil Young), Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones), Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes), Killing in the Name (Rage Against The Machine), Don’t Look Back in Anger (Oasis) but also a new song that will be performed for the first time by the 100 lineup: Bullet with Butterfly Wings (Smashing Pumpkins) and finally the Epic Medley consisting of Because (The Beatles), Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys), Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen) e Wake Up (Arcade Fire).
Applications for special projects and Rockin’1000 concerts are always open, year-round, through free registration at www.rockin1000.com.
To participate in this specific project as a musician, you can apply until August 22, 2022 (deadline for musicians’ cancellation: no later than August 15) with registration at www.rockin1000.com. Rehearsals are scheduled for September 2 and 3 (more info and instructions on the Rockin’1000 App). Rockin’1000 is looking for 10 drummers, 12 bassists, 24 guitarists, 48 singers, and 4 keyboardists for this unique project. The concert is a Power 100, a show in which about 100 musicians play. The set list includes 8 songs for about 30 minutes. Link to play: https://tinyurl.com/recruitingmusicians
Tickets and donations: https://rock.ukraineaid.ch/en
Ukraine Aid is the new international association founded in Geneva to support refugees arriving in the EU and Switzerland. According to the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), about 5.7 million people have fled Ukraine since the war began in these countries. The vast majority have remained in Poland, where the Polish population is hosting and feeding them. That is why scientist and ETH Zürich employee, and CERN collaborator Tomasz Gadek founded the Ukraine Aid association in Geneva. Many of its members are ETH and CERN scientists, and they raise funds to support 400 refugees every three months in Poland, other EU countries, and Switzerland through donations proceeds and charity concerts held in Geneva. The first concert occurred on Sunday, June 19, at Victoria Hall. It was a classical music concert performed by Harmonie Nautique and conducted by Eric Haegi. They performed pieces by W.A. Mozart and F. Mendelssohn, among others. It gathered an audience of more than 900 people, among whom diplomats from various countries could be found along with the ambassador of Ukraine. Proceeds from the concert were donated to refugees’ families. More concerts are planned for the fall and winter.
“Although we try to diversify the countries receiving donations, most of the requests for aid come from Poland, which is home to most of the Ukrainians. Fortunately, financially, supporting refugees close to their country, Ukraine, makes more sense than in Switzerland. The purchasing power of the Swiss franc is much higher in Poland than in Switzerland, meaning we can help more families there with the same amount of money. This is a direct and quick assistance operation on the ground,” – explains Tomasz Gadek, the founder of the NGO.
For further information on Ukraine Aid: https://ngo.ukraineaid.ch/ For further information on Rockin’1000: www.rockin1000.com
Rockin’1000 – The Biggest Rock Band on Earth
In 2015, Fabio Zaffagnini, a rock-loving marine geologist, enlisted some friends, showbiz insiders, in a wild bet. His goal was to gather 1000 musicians in a meadow to play Learn to Fly by Foo Fighters in unison to convince the popular American band to perform in his hometown, Cesena. The performance’s video immediately went viral (today, it counts over 60 million views), and the Foo Fighters answered, accepting the invitation, and adding a date to their tour. Rockin’1000, the Biggest Rock Band on Earth, arises from this unexpected success. To its credit, the band has several concerts in stadiums in Italy and abroad (Cesena, Florence, Paris, and Frankfurt), and unique locations (Courmayeur, Linate Airport, Piazza del Duomo, Sanremo), an album with Sony Music Italy, and the movie We Are the Thousand – directed by Anita Rivaroli which narrates the genesis of the band and candidate at the most famous international film festivals. From an original concept of Fabio Zaffagnini, created with the founders Claudia Spadoni, Martina Pieri, Mariagrazia Canu, and “Cisko” Ridolfi – today Rockin’1000 is a benefit company and SME that carries out international projects. More information: www.rockin1000.com
Concerts / events: 2015 – Romagna Calling the Foo Fighters – Cesena Hippodrome Park (performance) / 2016 – That’s Live – Cesena Stadium (live) / 2017 – Summer Camp – Mont Blanc in Courmayeur (performance) / 2018
– That’s Live with Love – Florence Stadium, with Courtney Love as special guest (live) / 2019 – That’s Live – Stade de France in Paris (live) / That’s Live – CommerzBank Arena in Frankfurt (live) / No Borders on Board – Linate Airport Milan, with Subsonica and M. Agnelli (live) / 2020 – Alma in 100 – University of Bologna (live) / Global Gig – Global Village in Dubai (virtual concert) / 2021 – Party Power 100 Rimini / Alma in 100 – University of Bologna / Music4Climate in Milan / 2022 – Rockin’1000 Spot Eurovision – San Carlo Square in Turin (video) / Rockin’1000 at Stade de France in Paris (live)
Productions: 2019 – Milan Super Orchestra / Christmas Esselunga – Piazza Duomo Milan (format 100) / 2020 – World Nutella Day – Ferrero Stage at Sanremo (format 100) / 2020 – L’Italia Chiamò – (streaming marathon / fundraising) / 2021 – #TogetherWeCan: Aperol and Rockin’1000 (choral video/fundraising) / We are The Thousand, the incredible story of Rockin’1000 – Rome Film Festival (film)
Awards received: 2015 – StartupItalia! Open Summit (Social Innovation Award) / TeleTopi (Better Community Award) / 2016 – Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award / Social Network Award / TeleTopi / Best event at Coca-Cola Onstage Award / Malatesta Novello Award / 2017 – Silver Button YouTube / 2019 – Guinness World Records™ awarded by the “Rekord Institute für Deutschland” as the biggest band that performed during a concert / 2020 – Guinness World Records™ as the performance made with the most video contributions featured in a medley music video / ANGI Award, awarded by the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (Associazione Nazionale Giovani) for the Costume and Society category, an important recognition in the field of technological and scientific innovation.
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 