In the recent election, human rights and liberties became major talking points across the nation. With the election now behind us, the band fun., Reverb, Ben & Jerry's, and want to make sure campuses across the nation are continuing those discussions.
Yesterday afternoon, HeadCount had the pleasure of attending a special panel from fun. and representatives from Reverb and Ben & Jerry's. In the historic Bowery Ballroom, about 100 people braved the cold to hear the members discuss the Campus Consciousness Tour, The Ally Coalition, LGBTQ equality, and of course, play a few songs. Interestingly, the panel was originally scheduled for October 30, but was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy; now, occurring after the election rather than before, the panel had a bit of a different tone to it. The band played a few of their hits, ("Carry On," "We Are Young," "Some Nights," and "All Alright"), forgot the punch lines to a few bad jokes, we all got some free ice cream (as the Ben & Jerry's rep pointed outsocial causes are always easier to promote when there's ice cream involved!), and we left feeling inspired at the thought of another artist using their voice for something bigger than themselves. All in all, not a bad way to spend a Thursday afternoon!
The Campus Consciousness Tour was started in 2006, going across the country using music to advocate for the environment. This year, they brought in fun. and their new non-profit organization, The Ally Coalition, for a different focus: LGBTQ rights. The tour stops will each feature a "Consciousness Village," which will include free ice cream from Ben & Jerry's, a photo booth, and local, campus, and national non-profit groups to discuss the importance of equality and tolerance.
Back in February, fun. guitarist Jack Antonoff wrote an article for the Huffington Post about the important role of straight allies in the fight for LGBTQ equality. Today he said, "We found that our shows are places where homophobia doesn't exist, and that was really inspiring." He went on to say, "The Ally Coalition is where we can use our voices, and anyone can use their voice to speak up."
He said, "We found that our shows are places where homophobia doesn't exist, and that was really inspiring."
Seven of the nine tour dates are sold out, but if you'd like to volunteer with CCT there may still be spots available. Who knows, maybe you can get some free ice cream too!