Nepalese Band Plays In Boulder Despite Worry Over Quake Back Home
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - What was supposed to be a fun weekend concert with a band from Nepal turned into a difficult and emotional night for the Nepalese community in Boulder.
Thousands of miles from their home country, the group 1974AD learned that thousands of their countrymen were killed by an earthquake.
The members of 1974AD took the stage anyway at the Glenn Miller Ballroom on the University of Colorado campus on Sunday night to raise money for their country.
1974AD told CBS4 they eager get back home soon.
"We're definitely going to be playing with a very heavy heart. I'm not in the mood to play, but I feel we need to do it," said bass player Nirakar Yakthumba before the show.
Meghna Basnet of the CU Nepal Student Association which organized the show agreed that making the show a fundraiser for Nepal was a good idea.
"We all wish we could buy a plane ticket back home and comfort our families, do what we can on the streets," Basnet said.
Many homes in Nepal have been turned into rubble. Sanjay Shrestha, the band's drummer, said his family is sleeping outside under a tent because they are fearful of aftershocks.
"A couple of families have gathered together in that garden, in an open area, and have been camping the last two nights," Shrestha said.
"I believe that God or whatever power has sent us here," Shrestha said, "... to take some help back home."
Additional Resources
The CU Nepal Student Association has set up a GoFundMe account to help Nepal after the quake. Other Colorado communities raising money for Nepal include the Colorado Nepalese Alliance and Shoes For Sherpas.