Concert Details

Show Notes:

Tsunami Relief Cardiff was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to raise funds for victims of the December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami—one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history, leaving more than 225,000 people across 14 countries dead and around two million displaced.

The concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio Wales and S4C, with additional live coverage and highlights on BBC Radio 2 and BBC One Wales. The full event was available via the BBC Red Button digital service and streamed online, with highlights later shown on BBC Two and Five.

The event and its rapid organization were later chronicled in the 2025 BBC Wales documentary The Impossible Gig. With public emotion still running high and the Six Nations Championship approaching, organizers had just over three weeks to stage the concert. A number of Welsh artists, including Katherine Jenkins and Goldie Lookin’ Chain, quickly signed on. However, to maximize fundraising and secure prime-time BBC coverage, the event required a major headline act—something that proved difficult to secure. With just two weeks remaining, a member of the organizing team found a contact who knew Eric Clapton, who readily agreed to appear. He then contacted Jools Holland and his band to accompany him, prompting other artists to sign up.

Eric and Jools closed the concert. The seven-hour benefit ultimately drew nearly 70,000 fans and raised £1,248,963, making it the largest charity concert in the United Kingdom since Live Aid.

Today, the Millennium Stadium is known as Principality Stadium.