KINGSTON, Jamaica -This Sunday, the virtual staging of the Earth Hour Concert is back. The acoustic show will be pre-recorded on the historical grounds of the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston.
Headlining the concert is Agent Sasco. Other performers are set to include Sevana, King X, Christopher Ellis, and Blvk H3ro.
Alex Morrissey, director of ESIROM and Jamaicansmusic.com, organisers of the event explained the objective of the concert.
“The concert is mainly to spread awareness to Jamaica, the Caribbean, and the world on the impact of climate change and with doing this, we in Jamaica for Earth Hour Jamaica choose music as the medium, to help spread this message," he said. "In 2007, EH International would have asked/encouraged countries and persons to switch off their lights and electricity for at least one hour, and that was the alarm that started to bring attention to climate change and the crisis that has only been getting worse each year."
Morrissey shared that with the message behind the event playing the most important role in the staging of the concert each year, he is looking forward to bringing the Earth Hour event even more attention.
"Doing the show virtually last year and now this year, allows us to actually bring the message to a wider audience and cross section of people thus aiding the very same objective.”
Jamila Pinto, Earth Hour JA project manager (Artiste Division) said the response to the concert has been overwhelming.
“The response has been incredible. With us actually reaching people in Canada, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and the US. And because it's Jamaican and Jamaican music, people actually tap into it more, solely due to our entertainment and energy that we're known for,” said Pinto. She continued, “last year all the platforms we streamed on had over 70,000 in online viewership and this year we hope to double that with our lineup of performers.” Morrissey says it hasn't been an easy feat putting the concert together each year. “It has been extremely difficult. Whether in person or online, it is 100 percent free for any and every one to watch and enjoy. ESIROM thankfully has been able to save towards the production and each year has been able to sustain and absorb cost and we also thank our sponsors that have come on board yearly to give in kind whether it be a venue or equipment and even artists who donate their time or give a lowered fee which helps greatly," he expressed. "We want to especially thank our host Terri-Karelle who has said yes, every single year and this year to the Bob Marley Museum that will be our venue.” Colleen Dawkins, 2022 Prime Minister's Youth Awardee under Environment, will lead as the backstage interview host at the concert. “With Earth hour JA being an environmentally conscious show, it can be seen as a drawback but it allows us to highlight a side to an artiste that many people may not have seen and it also gives the chance to tap into our younger performers, showing those new and emerging sounds and hopefully, enhancing their careers,” said Morrissey. Asked whether there were plans to return to a physical concert with patrons, Morrissey said “Honestly, we would love that and I'm sure the artistes would too. It's actually more or less the same cost and effort that goes into both but it's more about the energy and connecting on the message of Earth Hour so either way it's a win/win. I would also say that even with a physical show, I would still love to have a virtual/online component so that we still reach out to our audience members within that space.” The Earth Hour Acoustic concert will be streamed via www.jamaicansmusic.com and Earth Hour International https://www.facebook.com/earthhour on Saturday March 27. It will also air on Tuff Gong radio as well as Sirius XM radio. Earth Hour is the single, largest, symbolic mass participation event in the world, that was born out of a hope to mobilize people to take action on climate change. In 2013, the Earth Hour organisers reached out to www.jamaicansmusic.com to join their world movement against climate change. At the time, Jamaica was revered (and still is) as the land of wood and water and so this tiny island is actually highly susceptible to climate change. Using music as the universal language, 2013 saw the execution of the first Earth Hour Acoustic Concert on March 23, a first of its kind. The concerts held since then, marked the initiation of Jamaica's participation in the global movement, with support of over 5,000 physical patrons, enjoying an evening packed with the natural mystic of live acoustic music and education about the greater cause. The environmental concert has seen performances from the likes of Chronixx, Kelissa, Jesse Royal and Kabaka Pyramid. -Kevin Jackson