The rock band Queen sang to tens of thousands of Ukrainians on Friday to raise money to care for HIV-AIDS sufferers in this ex-Soviet republic, which has one of the fastest-growing infection rates in Europe.
Cheering fans packed the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city to listen to the revered British group, whose lead vocalist, Freddie Mercury, died of an AIDS-related illness in 1991.
The open-air charity concert – named “Life must go on!” – was timed to the release of Queen’s new album, “Cosmos Rocks,” which comes out Monday. The show launched the band’s tour of European countries including Russia, Britain, France, Germany.
“We are very happy to do what we can to raise the awareness of AIDS and also to kick off a new tour,” Paul Rodgers, the band’s new frontman, told The Associated Press in an interview. “Awareness is the first step towards defeating the problem.”
“Queen lost its singer many years ago, so we know that this can affect anybody,” said drummer Roger Taylor.
Government officials say nearly 77,000 people in Ukraine have been registered as HIV-positive since the first reported case in 1987. But some experts believe the rate is much higher, with as many as half a million people – 1 percent of Ukraine’s population – infected.
Organizers chose Kharkiv, an industrial city in the east of the country, for its huge student population. Young people are especially in danger of contracting the virus. Volunteers distributed condoms and information leaflets in the run-up to the concert.
But ecstatic middle-aged Ukrainians also turned up to listen to the songs of their youth, a testament to the undiminished popularity of aging Western rock bands in the former Soviet Union.
Deep Purple gave a concert in the Kremlin earlier this year. Paul McCartney sang in Moscow in 2003 and performed in Kiev in June, in a charity show. Many Soviets learned English on those songs and their records were extremely hard to find.
This is Queen’s second tour after they teamed up with Rodgers, who used to be the leading vocalist for the popular English rock bands Free and Bad Company. It is their first show in Ukraine.
The show was free for most participants. Organizers raised money by selling tickets to the VIP zone. They declined to say how much money had been raised, but said it will be donated to a city orphanage for HIV-positive children.
