The Concert for Bangladesh ( or Bangla Desh , as the country 's name was originally spelt ) was a pair of benefit concerts organised by former Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar . The shows were held at 2:30 and 8:00 pm on Sunday , 1 August 1971 , at Madison Square Garden in New York City , to raise international awareness of , and fund relief for refugees from East Pakistan , following the Bangladesh Liberation War-related genocide . The concerts were followed by a bestselling live album , a boxed three-record set , and Apple Films ' concert documentary , which opened in cinemas in the spring of 1972
genocide
1971 Bangladesh genocide
The Concert for Bangladesh