On the 6th of last month, a catastrophic earthquake shook Syria and Türkiye, and killed more than 50,000 people, with many others injured or missing. To raise needed funds for the affected areas and people, some of the best bards and bands in FFXIV had come together for a Live Aid-inspired FFXIV concert for the MMORPG. The name of this concert fits it well, and it's Eorzea Rescue.

U'Whalon Sthah, the brainchild behind Eorzea Rescue, told PCGamesN that he was playing FFXIV with his friend Rese when the earthquake happened. “For me, getting news from friends around me was more of a hit than getting news from a third party like the news. That’s when Rese first told me what happened. When the earthquake happened, we all felt terrible, and we couldn't even believe that the earthquake was so serious."

As disaster-affected areas receive more and more aid, FFXIV developer Square Enix has suspended the demolition of in-game houses for inactive FFXIV players. The existence of this system usually pushes players to log in. However, facing the current situation in Turkey and Syria, many local players have no way to log in. Companies like Humble Bundle have also partnered with developers to create a valuable charity bundle valued at over $1,000, with all proceeds going to earthquake relief charities.

The intention is not to show their big money gestures, but out of inner compassion and everyday kindness. And that's what the Eorzea Rescue concert is all about, showing pure empathy to everyone. U'Whalon Sthah said, "One thing I have been thinking about is: what can I do for them? So, I turned my attention to real life. Let the band hold a concert together to raise funds for the disaster-stricken area. It's a really good idea, so, of course, we're going to do it."

So, they looked to Live Aid, a 1985 fundraising concert. The concert was spearheaded by Ultravox's Midge Ure and Boomtown Rats' Bob Geldof. Organizer Ori said, "When we organize events in the game, we are always trying to find great ideas from the real world. The Live Aid concert in 1985 can encourage people to continue to live well. And we as a global community have members who have come across the Atlantic. So, we hope that more and more members will join us in this common humanitarian goal."

U'Whalon also responded, "In my opinion, the idea of bringing singers and bands together for a good purpose is very good. So, when this idea was born in my mind, I just decided to do it. Just thinking about how many singers and bands are joining us makes me so excited."

So, when exactly does this concert start? The start is Friday 3 March at 6 pm GMT/7 pm CEST and the end is Saturday 4 March with Bard Bash fest. A total of 34 bands and solo artists took to the stage of Limsa Lominsa last Saturday. They performed in a round-robin format and spanned three data centers: Louisoix on Chaos, Zodiark on Light, and Exodus on Primal.

The server mod and organizer also stated that there is no selection process for this event, "basically, we are trying to give everyone the opportunity to go to the concert so they can go to a charity event. The purpose of our doing this is to leave a good memory for everyone and send love to the world."

However, that's not all. Since Kiwi was recently inspired by a concert series, and he saw players walking the streets of the FFXIV's capital wearing yellow and blue Ukrainian flags, he had a similar idea to make the event in many activities become more unique and attractive.

"I thought we should have a similar concept so that our event would stand out from many events and get more attention from people. So, I asked Rey Ornitier, the official B&B photographer, to provide us with some help, and edited a costume that was easy to replicate." As seen in the image below, the costume was inspired by medical scrubbing equipment and pays homage to the work of Doctors Beyond Bord. The charity also accepted all donations to Eorzea Rescue.

It is such a move that makes me feel warm in my heart, and I believe you have also been touched. In a world full of anxiety and pain, a small act of kindness from you can also bring warmth and help to others. If you're an FFXIV player, it's a good thing to take part in the festivities and toss coins at your Eorzean Witcher. After all, no matter how small the stone is, it can play a big role in the river.

For additional information on Eorzea Rescue and the celebration, or even to create your own musical menagerie, you can join the FFXIV Bards and Bands Discord and make a direct donation using the event's Tiltify.

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