Last month, parts of Turkey and Syria were hit by two devastating earthquakes, causing widespread destruction and resulting in thousands of fatalities. At present, the confirmed death toll is over 50,000, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in modern history. Many have contributed aid, with thousands joining the rescue efforts and raising funds, and that extends toFinal Fantasy 14.
In Eorzea, good samaritans are trying to raise awareness and encourage others to donate to help those affected by the disaster. FFXIV Bards & Bands, a community group that promotes bands and venues across Eorzea, has organised a special charity festival, Eorzea Rescue, which will be happening across both European and North American Data Centers. With over 30 bands already signed up, this event will be one of the biggest in-game music events to date. The current lineup is as follows:
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The group is asking players to participate in any way they can, regardless of whether they can donate, as even just spreading the word and showing your support goes a long way. You can keep up to date with the eventvia Discord, and it will also be broadcast ontheir Partake page.Donations will be via Tiltify, with the proceeds going towards Doctors Without Borders.
U’whalon Sthah of the band Cashalations suggested the group band together (pun intended) for a charity event to provide relief for the victims affected by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. U’whalon explains that they came up with the idea because of their close friend Rese who lives in Turkey.
“When the Earthquake hit, I was currently in-game and speaking to Rese,” U’whalon tells me. “When Rese first mentioned an earthquake, our initial thoughts were one of fear, but neither of us believed it would be as serious as it turned out to be. Fortunately, Rese was far enough away from the epicenter that they were unharmed. Needless to say it was a frightening experience, and I was constantly worried about them. We kept in contact throughout the night, and hearing about it firsthand from someone who was actively experiencing it, rather than from a third-party like a news source, made it really hit home for me.
“I started thinking whether there was anything that I could do, and my thoughts turned to real-life events; bands doing charity songs or even concerts to raise money, such as Live Aid, and it made me think ‘Why can’t we do that?’. I got in contact with two other bands on the server, one of them being Fus, and I introduced them to the idea of a charity concert. Originally it was to be a small concert, with a few bands, to hopefully raise some funds for charity. But as you may see it’s grown into a much larger community event, and I couldn’t be happier about that.”
Images of some of the FFXIV Bards & Bands leaders and group members.
With the help of Sam Skyfall, the founder of FFXIV Bards & Bards, and other senior community members, the team began to plan the event. “At first, we wanted to do a simple charity concert with all of our friends like we usually do,” community manager Kiwi tells me. “We pick a server, choose a major city, and pop in with a lot of bands every two weeks. The Bards then play in a round-robin style for the joy of passersby.
It’s taken the team a couple of weeks to plan the event. The initial idea was to host it sooner, but as the idea evolved and more and more people wanted to help out, Eorzea Rescue grew into an epic undertaking. It wasn’t just a case of finding performers; the team also needed to find an appropriate donation system, sort the marketing with flyers and glamour ideas, and find volunteers to help the event run smoothly and spread the word.
“I started the concept on the day of the earthquake while it was still fresh in people’s minds,” U’Whalon explains. “The first goal was to get other bands involved, and I can’t thank Fus enough as he was pivotal in that aspect. Eventually, as others became involved, it became clear that a simple small concert wouldn’t work out. We needed to plan this properly and make it as big as possible, especially as the goal was to raise money.”
The team worked together to rebrand their usual Flash Mob event into something much bigger, with an easily identifiable concept that other players could get behind. With the help of FFXIV Bards & Bands photographer Rey Ornitier, they created an easy-to-replicate glamour for everyone to wear that resembles scrubs.
Kiwi is encouraging players to get involved in any way they can. “Just wear our outfit during the day and have a nice moment with us. If you’re able to’t participate financially, it’s more than fine! We just need you to be there, and maybe instead of disconnecting from the game if you are busy, just leave your character with us? Spread the love through your in-game screenshots and drawings with the hashtag #EorzeaRescue. We would love to show your hard work on stream during the day.”
The FFXIV Bards & Bands charity concert in Limsa Lominsa.
As the originator of the idea, U’whalon is keen to thank others for helping it to grow. “None of this would’ve been possible without the efforts of others. I am still very new to this community, so I didn’t have many connections, so I am eternally grateful to Fus and Sam for reaching out to other members of the community and getting them involved as well, and it really has grown from there.”
This isn’t the first time that FFXIV Bards & Bands has held a charity concert, as in March 2022, Sam, Ori, and Kiwi hosted an event in Limsa Lominsa on multiple FF14 worlds for Ukraine. As well as playing for the crowds, they handed out yellow and blue dye to players so that everyone could represent and raise awareness.
Don’t forget to check out Eorzea Rescue if you’re playing Final Fantasy 14 this weekend, and be sure to spread the word to help the team out!
