Stars hit the heights in Everest concert

Oct 22 2007 icWales

A cancer awareness group and a team of British and US musicians claim to have staged the world’s highest concert – on the slopes of Mount Everest.

The US-based Love Hope Strength Foundation said on its website the Everest Rocks concert was held yesterday at 18,540 feet. Earlier, the group said it intended registering the performance with Guinness World Records.

Six musicians performed at the concert – Mike Peters of The Alarm, Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats, Cy Curnin and Jamie West of the Fixx, and Glen Tillbrook and Nick Harper of Squeeze.

The group of more the 30 trekked to their performance site at Kalapathar hill, near the base camp used by mountaineers scaling Everest.

“Today she (Everest) allowed our Love Hope Strength team to look at her charms from 18,540 feet and to share with her some of our humble songs and to break the record for the world’s highest concert on land,” said Peters, a former cancer patient.

Before leaving for the mountain, organisers said money raised from the performance would be used to buy equipment for the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital near Kathmandu.

Colorado-based Love Hope Strength Foundation campaigns for better cancer treatment.

* Jules Peters, wife of Welsh band The Alarm's Mike Peters, has been writing a blog for icWales, see: Twenty One Days: Mike Rocks Everest