It could have been a Beatles re-union. Harrison invited Lennon and McCartney. Harrison placed a stipulation: no Yoko Ono. Initially, Lennon agreed, but later he and Yoko had an argument. After a long argument with Yoko about whether to perform, Lennon flew to Paris alone and in a rage, missing the entire show, and causing a major rift in Lennon and Harrison’s relationship
Elsewhere, McCartney agreed to attend, but declined to perform with Lennon. He also thought the Beatles manager, Allen Klein, would take credit for a Beatles re-union. So, citing "legal problems", McCartney opted out. What about Ringo? Apparently, he was not formally invited, but invited himself. Harrison took him on board.
Macca explained that it all came down to the involvement of The Beatles' former manager, Allen Klein.
McCartney later confessed: "You know I was asked to play George’s concert in New York for Bangladesh and I didn’t? Well, listen. Klein called a press conference and told everyone I had refused to do it. That wasn't so."
"I said to George the reason I couldn’t do it was because it would mean that all the world’s press would scream that The Beatles had got back together again and I know that would have made Klein very happy."
He added: "It would have been a historical event and Klein would have taken the credit."
The event was the first-ever benefit concert of such a magnitude and featured a supergroup of performers that included Harrison, fellow ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and the band Badfinger. In addition, Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan – both of whom had ancestral roots in Bangladesh – performed an opening set of Indian classical music. Decades later, Shankar would say of the overwhelming success of the event: "In one day, the whole world knew the name of Bangladesh.
McCartney initially agreed, but only if Lennon also performed, with the two playing separate solo sets. McCartney, who was days away from announcing the formation of his solo band Wings, eventually backed out.
The concerts were attended by a total of 40,000 people, and raised close to US$250,000 for Bangladesh relief, which was administered by UNICEF. Although the project was subsequently marred by financial problems – a result of the pioneering nature of the venture – the Concert for Bangladesh is recognised as a highly successful and influential humanitarian aid project, generating both awareness and considerable funds as well as providing valuable lessons and inspiration for projects that followed, notably Live Aid. By 1985, through revenue raised from the Concert for Bangladesh live album and film, an estimated $12 million had been sent to Bangladesh in relief.
Sales of the live album and DVD release of the film continue to benefit the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF.
