The charity Music Rising recently held an auction at Van Eaton Galleries, raising money for musicians in the Gulf South after the effects of covid-19 and Hurricane Ida. The event finished last weekend and was organised by U2’s The Edge (David Evans) and producer Bob Ezrin (known for his work with the likes of Lou Reed, Aerosmith and Pink Floyd). It raised around £1.5 million, but not without the help of a number of musical celebs, and definitely not without breaking a few records while they were at it.
IT’S AUCTION DAY for The Edge’s @musicrising #GuitarIcons auction! Kick off is 10am PST / 6pm GMT, Sat Dec 11. To watch the online auction and to find out how to bid, go to https://t.co/B9sRhzztuR. pic.twitter.com/YqGGJxxbYM
— U2 (@U2) December 11, 2021
The event saw numerous musicians offering their instruments to the auction. Notable examples include the sale of a bass used by Sir James Paul McCartney, dating back to his days in the classic seventies rock band Wings. The instrument, which is a Yamaha BB-1200 bass, sold for £374,905, becoming the highest-selling bass at an auction and beating the pre-existing record from 2020, when Bill Wyman (of The Rolling Stones) had his 1969 Fender Mustang bass sell for £290,190. It wasn’t the only record of the night, with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder having his smashed Lake Placid Blue Fender Telecaster (smashed by his own hand at a concert) become the highest-selling smashed guitar at an auction, going for £201,168.
Other artists whose instruments were auctioned include U2 bandmates Bono and Adam Clayton, with The Edge’s own Custom Strat from “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For“ getting over £370,000. Oasis’ Noel Gallagher and Coldplay’s Chris Martin also had success with their instruments, getting around £39,000 and £61,000 respectively. Other artists’ instruments that featured include Elton John, Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Marr and Radiohead. If you want to read more about who was involved, you can look here and here.
In speaking on the event, The Edge had this to say: “We want to thank everyone involved in this amazing auction including the artists who generously gave their personal instruments and the bidders from around the globe who helped us break world records. The proceeds Music Rising earned will help bring live music back to life in a part of the country whose musical culture has been hugely influential in the world. We are indebted to all of the supporters of Music Rising who have given us a great opportunity to return to our roots and help those musicians in need.“
Ezrin also said that “We are so thankful to all of the artists, supporters and bidders who helped make Guitar Icons an auction for the history books. New Orleans musicians are the custodians of a unique music heritage, passing it down through the generations and influencing so many genres of music we enjoy. The proceeds from this auction will help musicians from the region who suffered financially through this pandemic.”
