MJ & FRIENDS

When Michael Jackson made the decision to host two concerts just before the turn of the millennium and donate the proceeds to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, The Red Cross, and UNESCO, he reached out to his friends to rally together under the Adventure of Humanity project.

Among the friends who wholeheartedly answered his call were iconic artists such as Slash, The Scorpions, Ringo Starr, Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, A. R. Rahman, Prabhu Deva Sundaram, Shobana, Andrea Bocelli, and Luciano Pavarotti.

Michael Jackson and Slash performing in München 27th of June 1999 Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0

MUSIC FOR PEACE

Music for Peace is not a new idea, as an example John and Yoko made a campaign for Peace thirty years before Michaels Adventure of Humanity concerts.

"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" marked the culmination of over two years of dedicated peace activism spearheaded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. This remarkable journey commenced with their famous bed-ins held in March and May of 1969, with the initial one taking place during their honeymoon. The song itself emerged as a direct result of an international multimedia campaign initiated by the couple in December 1969. This campaign coincided with the peak of the counterculture movement and its widespread protests against America's involvement in the Vietnam War.

The campaign primarily revolved around the rental of billboard space in 12 major cities worldwide. These billboards featured striking black-and-white posters proclaiming the message: "WAR IS OVER! If You Want It – Happy Christmas from John & Yoko."

John Lennon (1940 - 1980), formerly of English rock band the Beatles, and his wife Yoko Ono pose on the steps of the Apple building in London with a poster reading 'War is Over! If you want it. Happy Christmas from John and Yoko', in protest against the Vietnam War, December 1969. (Photo by Frank Barrett/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)