The war-relief effort outdoor event was held at Parco Novi Sad in Modena, near Bologna. Italian state television RAI broadcast the benefit concert live nationally. Robin Stringer, 'Evening Standard': "A cantilevered television camera continually swept across the audience as bats flitted through the darkness, their sensitive navigation systems severely tested by the flashing lights and thundering beat."
Pavarotti extended a personal invitation to Britain's Princess Diana for the benefit concert. The world's most famous woman flew in from London to support the War Child concert, dressed in a white cocktail dress designed by Versace. Kensington Palace issued a statement informing it was an official engagement for the then Princess of Wales who arrived without an escort or lady-in-waiting. The event drew scores of dignitaries.
Pavarotti was waiting to welcome Diana as she stepped from a black Mercedes limousine in a motorcade of Italian police cars with blue lights flashing. Pavarotti stood side by side with Diana as the world's Press captured the moment on film.
Although Diana was not called upon than to watch the show in the front row, Pavarotti gave her a private dressing room next door to Bono's and across a corridor from Meat Loaf's. "Of course we gave her a proper rock'n'roll dressing room!" one insider explained. Diana was clearly the star among stars.
The September 12 benefit concert (a 60-piece classical orchestra and rock) was attended by an estimated audience of 15,000 (who paid between US$20 (standing) and US$155 (seat) for tickets). All receipts, plus donations from Italian television viewers and proceeds from sales around the world of audio and recording of the benefit concert would go to War Child.
Luciano Pavarotti had assembled a who's who of big names from the international rock world to perform at the benefit concert. Of the highlights were duets featuring Pavarotti and Meat Loaf ('Come Back to Sorrento'), Pavarotti and the pink-haired, clear-voiced Dolores O'Riordan (Schubert's 'Ave Maria'), Pavarotti and Michael Bolton (Leoncavallo's 'Vesti la guibba') and in the final climatic rendition, Italian rock star Jovanotti had trouble locating the first note of Puccini's 'Nessun Dorma'.
Pavarotti told the crowd, "We believe that when this war is over for the children, they will want to sing. I know because when I was ten (in 1945) when the war (World War II) ended here (in Italy) and the first thing I wanted to do show we were alive was sing." Benito Mussolini's ("Il Duce") reign also ended 50 years earlier.
War Child started in 1991 by two cameramen shocked by what they saw in the war in Croatia. At the time, War Child had raised US$1.5 million from sales of a charity record album by some of Britain's best young pop bands and Paul McCartney in British stores.
Pavarotti, Bono, Brian Eno and The Edge teamed up to perform a new song, 'Miss Sarajevo'. The night ended with Pavarotti and his friends singing the new song, 'The Bridge Is Broken' and 'Nessun Dorma'. The first song was inspired by the famous Ottoman Turkish bridge in the Bosnian city of Mostar. Having stood for centuries, the bridge was destroyed in fighting.
After the 2½-hour concert, the performers and dignitaries (about 200 guests) joined Pavarotti at a dinner costing another £100 a head in the town's magnificent 18th century Military Academy which began at 1 in the morning. At 2:45, Diana finally leaned over her table and said, "Luciano, do you mind if I go to bed?" Diana had been at the event for over 7 hours.
