Reminder: Last Chance for Dispatch: Zimbabwe

As discussed here, Dispatch are rocking New York's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, for charity and tomorrow morning will provide the last chance to get in on this special event. Here's a message from the Dispatch: Zimbabwe website:

Dispatchers:

Here it is, your last reminder that the third and FINAL show of DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE, taking place on Sunday, July 15 at Madison Square Garden, will go onsale this coming Saturday. There will be no presale for this show. All tickets will be made available to the public at 9:00 AM EST on Saturday, January 20. Tickets can be purchased at that time via Ticketmaster.com (direct link: http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1096740), or by calling 212.307.7171. There will be a 6 ticket limit per customer, and 4 ticket limit per customer for floor seats. Multiple transactions will not be permitted.

Also, in an effort to release as many tickets to the general public as the building will allow, we have been working with our production team over the past week to adjust our stage design, allowing us to open more seats behind the stage. We will be releasing these seats behind the stage for July 13, 14 and 15 when we go onsale this Saturday morning. The same ticket limits and restrictions will apply for these seats.

We encourage everyone to act fast this Saturday; if the presale was any indication, all seats should go quickly.

Thank you again for your generous support.

See you in July,

**TEAM DISPATCH**

Billboard also has a write-up on the event and the band couldn't be more noble with their intention to jam for righteousness:

"It seemed like if we got Dispatch back together, we could raise some real money," group member Chad Urmston tells Billboard.com. "We agreed to do it only if it was going to be a 100% benefit."

Urmston, who briefly lived in Zimbabwe after high school, says the band will take the next six months to decide which specific organizations it will donate the proceeds to, which could include a visit to the African country.

"It's not a story you hear about every day on the news," he explains, "So we're excited to bring it into the limelight a little bit and hopefully raise enough money to help a country that's on the brink of mass starvation." In addition, a small portion of the concert earnings will be dispersed to various domestic causes that each band member has supported over the years.

Check out the article for more on the band, which sadly will not be officially getting back together, according to Urmston. That really makes these limited engagements in July a rare and meaningful gathering.

And to further solidify the ultimate coolness of the group, one last tidbit:

The advent of Napster helped spread the word, which the band didn't mind one bit. "It was good for us," Urmston says. "Whatever we lost in CD sales, we gained way more in the listenership overall."

Yep, Dispatch get it. You mean the Internets and file sharing tools can be used toward the actual benefit of a band? How about that folks? Much more on this topic will be covered on the site, keep it right here.

Here's the link to purchase tickets again:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1096740

So who's hitting this baby up?

Dispatch Rock For Zimbabwe!

Reggae-infused rockers Dispatch are ready to give it up for charity and they want you to come along. And apparently you listened, with two sold-out engagements at MSG. From the Dispatch website:

Friends:

It has been a wild 48 hours. What we initially intended to be a one-night charity event at Madison Square Garden turned into two SOLD OUT nights (July 13 and 14), all via our presale. We cannot thank you enough for your generous support of the cause at hand.

In an effort to get more tickets into the hands of fans, and raise further awareness and funds for those in need, we will be adding a third night of DISPATCH: ZIMBABWE, to take place on Sunday, July 15.

There will be no presale for this show. All tickets will be made available to the public at 9:00 AM EST on Saturday, January 20. Tickets can be purchased at that time via Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 212.307.7171. Also, in an attempt to fight some of the folks who thought it would be charitable to use EBAY to turn a profit on a charity show, there will be a 6 ticket limit per customer, and 4 ticket limit per customer for floor seats. Multiple transactions will not be permitted.

We are also working with our production team to explore opening more seats on Friday July 13, and Saturday July 14. More information on this as soon as it becomes available.

For now, all we can say is, Thank you.

**TEAM DISPATCH**

As for what this is all about, Ticketmaster summed it up pretty well on their presale page:

The goal is to raise money to fight the effects of environmental degradation, sustained drought conditions, a distressing disregard for human rights, an HIV population that exceeds 25% and an ill-advised economic policy that has left thousands of Zimbabweans on the brink of starvation.

The proceeds from the event will go towards fighting disease, famine, and social injustice in Zimbabwe--plus, in an effort to bring the fight to their own country, the band will donate a small portion of money raised to the domestic causes they have long supported.

Don't try buying tickets from the page though, as you'll be sorely disappointed if you do. Rather, plug in to the 7/15/07 event page, where you can get in on the action beginning on Jan. 20th. But do follow the rules so some of us ticket-less ones can get in on this too, k?

Be sure to stay tuned to Dispatch:Zimbabwe for the latest updates, news, and info, including how you can get backstage with the band (perverts need not apply).

Not familiar with the jammin' sounds of Dispatch? No problem! Just head on over to their official band page, where you can stream their music library for all your listening needs completely free! And remember this is for a good cause so come out for a good time and do some good while you're at it. I'll be hoping to catch you there!

Discuss:

What's the best charity concert ever staged?
(The Concert for Bangladesh, Live Aid, Live 8, others?)
What's the best performance from a charity event?
What's your ideal charity benefit concert lineup? What cause would you support?