NEW YORK — It began, fittingly enough, with jazz from New Orleans
natives Harry Connick Jr. and Wynton Marsalis. But "A Concert for
Hurricane Relief," a heartfelt and dignified benefit aired on NBC and
other networks Friday night, took an unexpected turn thanks to the
outspoken rapper Kanye West.
MICHAEL KIM/AP
Kanye West performs on ABC's "Good Morning America" concert series
at New York's Lincoln Center on Friday.
|
Appearing two-thirds through the program, he claimed "George Bush
doesn't care about black people" and said America is set up "to help the
poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible."
The show, simulcast from New York on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and Pax, was aired
live to the East Coast, enabling the Grammy-winning rapper's outburst to
go out uncensored.
There was a several-second tape delay, but the person in charge "was
instructed to listen for a curse word, and didn't realize (West) had
gone off-script," said NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks.
Immediately after the airing was over, Marks said it was undetermined
how much, if any, of the tirade would be included in the taped West
Coast feed three hours later.
The host was NBC News' Matt Lauer, who invited viewers to contribute to
the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by phone or on the Web. Some
18 presenters performed musical numbers or gave information on the
tragedy's huge scope.
Louisiana native Tim McGraw teared up as he told Lauer, "I know the
citizens that weren't affected by this directly are gonna stand up and
do good things for people." He sang two songs, then became the first of
the evening's stars to sign a Gibson Les Paul Special guitar to be
auditioned online.
Faith Hill, a Mississippi native, sang "There Will Come a Time," with
the inspiring lyrics, "The darkness will be gone, the weak shall be
strong. Hold on to your faith."
New Orleans son Aaron Neville performed Randy Newman's soulful
"Louisiana 1927" with the memorable chorus, "they're trying to wash us
away, they're trying to wash us away."
New York governor George Pataki presented the Red Cross with a check for
$2.5 million and promised, "This great state will do far more."
"In terms of property damage," said actress Hilary Swank, "the estimate
is at least $26 billion in insured losses and perhaps twice that in
uninsured losses over a 90,000-square-mile area - approximately the size
of Kansas."
Other speakers included Lindsay Lohan, Eric LaSalle, Glenn Close,
Richard Gere, John Goodman and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Comedian Mike Myers was paired with West for a 90-second segment that
began with Myers speaking of Katrina's devastation. Then, to Myers'
evident surprise, West began a rant by saying, "I hate the way they
portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says they're
looting. See a white family, it says they're looking for food."
While allowing that "the Red Cross is doing everything they can," West -
who delivered an emotional outburst at the American Music Awards after
he was snubbed for an award - declared that government authorities are
intentionally dragging their feet on aid to the Gulf Coast. Without
getting specific, he added, "They've given them permission to go down
and shoot us."
After he stated, "George Bush doesn't care about black people. Please
call -" the camera cut away to comedian Chris Tucker.
Concluding the hour a few minutes later, Lauer noted that "emotions in
this country right now are running very high. Sometimes that emotion is
translated into inspiration, sometimes into criticism. We've heard some
of that tonight. But it's still part of the American way of life."
Then the entire ensemble performed "When the Saints Go Marching In."
In a statement, NBC said, "Kanye West departed from the scripted
comments that were prepared for him, and his opinions in no way
represent the views of the networks.
"It would be most unfortunate," the statement continued, "if the efforts
of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions
of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one
person's opinion."
Friday's program was the first of several TV benefits planned through
next weekend.
NBC and the five other major commercial broadcast networks, along with
PBS, plan to unite next Friday for a special. The same night, BET will
air a benefit. And on Saturday, Sept. 10, the MTV networks will air a
special.
