Fundraiser for Sichuan Earthquake Relief

My pal The Barman has been helping to set up a fundraiser to help victims of the Sichuan earthquake at one of my favourite nearby bars, Room 101.

It's all been put together at very short notice, of course; and then there was the further complication that they'd just got around to scheduling it for this Wednesday when the government suddenly announced three days of national mourning for the start of this week. So, the event has now been put back till Thursday. That's this Thursday, the 22nd May - from early evening till LATE.

Most of 101's regular roster of musicians have agreed to come along and play for free. There are supposed to be 8 bands in all, perhaps more. I think my guitar buddies David Mitchell, Benny Oyama, and Jean-Sebastien are amongst the line-up. I'm rather hoping those sexy chanteuses Anna Lisa Hughes and Marie-Claude Lebel will be showing up as well.

There's no admission fee as such, though door donations are encouraged (recommended 30 RMB minimum). They're also selling t-shirts and a bunch of other stuff to raise money.

And....... all the bar takings for the night are being donated to earthquake relief as well.

So, for once, we can all drink in a good cause. Too good to miss!

Important Correction: There was a certain uncertainty as to what exactly the bar's contribution to the relief fund from this event was going to be. Initially it was suggested that it would be the "profits" from the evening, but a number of us regular bar cronies pointed out that this was an unquantifiable term. On the initial mailing I received, they seemed to have switched to the (improbably, dangerously generous) offer of "all the money taken for food & drink". They probably can't really afford to do that, if it's a busy night. The thinking now is that they will donate a fixed percentage of the revenue - to be advertised on notices at the bar on the night.

Please don't think there was any conscious attempt to mislead here. It's just one of those tangles you get into when you're throwing something together in the space of a few days, and English isn't your first language. It's as much my fault as anyone's, since I was supposed to be advising on the English-language version of the promotional blurbs.