George Harrison, August 1, 1971, Madison Square Garden
Photography by Joe Sia

The fight to make Bangladesh an independent nation caused a severe refugee problem made worse by torrential downpours and devastating flooding. Bengali sitar player Ravi Shankar and his buddy George Harrison decided to throw a benefit concert to raise money to help the situation. Ringo Starr was on board and John Lennon too, until an argument ensued with Yoko because Harrison didn’t want her to participate. Lennon ended up leaving New York two days before the concert. The afternoon and evening shows at Madison Square Garden brought 40,000 people to the concert and the program was studded with stars including Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Badfinger, and Bob Dylan. An album and film were released, and the benefit raised millions of dollars for the people of Bangladesh. This photo, captured by prolific east coast rock photographer, Joe Sia, captures a bedraggled Harrison at a pensive moment in the show.

See more photography by Joe Sia