A Night Of Music To Save The Rainforests

The theme is ?Shades of Woodstock? ? and the performers are Sting, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Lenny Kravitz and Sheryl Crow ? Crow is making her first public appearance since undergoing surgery for breast cancer earlier this year.This year?s ?Rainforest Foundation Fund Benefit,? taking place at Carnegie Hall on May 19th, pays homage to the music of 1968 and 1969. ?I wanted to do the Woodstock theme particularly because it was a great time for activism,? Concert Producer and Foundation Co-Founder Trudie Styler tells Acccess Hollywood. ?People were really taking to the streets and objecting and challenging government systems. I thought it was a good and timely reminder that we should be using our votes.?Trudie and her husband Sting founded the Rainforest Foundation Fund in 1989 after a trip to Brazil during which a Kavapo indigenous leader asked for their help. ?We had a mandate to stay working within the Amazon area, supporting the indigenous people and looking at conservation?how to give back to them huge swaths of land that had been taken by the white man, if you like,? Trudie explains.So far, the Foundation has raised 22 million dollars for indigenous groups in 23 countries across three continents ? Asia, South America and Africa.  This year?s benefit will be the fourteenth. In the past, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Elton John and Michael J. Fox have all lent their talents. This year funnyman Will Ferrell will also join the festivities. When asked what Will would be doing during a night of music, Trudie jokes: ?singing,? before adding, ?it?s going to be funny whatever it?s going to be.?For more information about the ?Rainforest Foundation Fund Benefit,? log onto rainforestfoundation.org.