Rick Wakeman, the former Yes keyboardist and prog-rock legend, played piano for 150 rescued bears in Vietnam last week. The concert was a private show at a sanctuary, and it was designed to raise awareness for bears that are kept in cages and have their bile extracted for traditional Chinese medicine.
The performance took place at a sanctuary in Vietnam, where Wakeman sat at a grand piano and played new compositions written specifically for the bears. He made light of the occasion, joking that he would not perform the traditional nursery rhyme “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic.” He also noted that his audience had limited options, telling the bears, “They’ve not got much choice, really,” while adding that animals do “react to music, especially gentle melodic music.”
“So what I am going to do is piano music that is melodic, and I can only hope that they will come up to the perimeter of the sanctuary and have a listen.”
Video of the performance shows several bears gathering at the edge of the sanctuary to listen. Wakeman hoped they would approach, and they did.
The Bear Bile Trade
The market for bear bile is one of the largest in the illegal wildlife trade in east Asia. So-called “bile farms” were recently outlawed in Vietnam, but some bears remain in captivity. Wakeman spoke directly about the ongoing situation during the concert.
“We have 150 bears at the sanctuary, but there are 125 bears left in cages in the old bear bile farms, and there are four dying a month,” he said. “We have to get them out quick and into the sanctuary.”
The numbers are stark. There are 150 bears at the sanctuary, and 125 bears still in cages at the old bile farms. Four bears are dying each month.
A Bear That Came Close
One of Wakeman’s most recent adoptees was a 20-month-old bear. When the musician met the “big fella,” the bear came out right to the edge and stood on his back legs to stare at Wakeman.
“He came out right to the edge and stood on his back legs and just stared at me, it was brilliant,” Wakeman said.
The musician also praised the work at the sanctuary, describing the rehabilitation process for the bears. “To see the bears be rehabilitated, having a life they never had before, some have never put their feet on grass before,” he said. “They are so wonderful, that we can do such horrendous things to animals is beyond belief. Before this, they were chained in cages sometimes for 10 or 20 years in conditions where they couldn’t even turn around.”
He added, “If you see them, you can’t help but be moved. They aren’t tame but they are very safe, very happy, they play, they romp. I witnessed two today jumping in a bubble bath and playing. They’ve got a life back.”
Wakeman’s Long Record
Wakeman has worked on animal welfare causes for years. He has been sponsoring rescue bears since 2016.
The bears are now living in a sanctuary, free from the cages where they were once kept. They have a life back, and Wakeman’s music was part of showing the world why that matters.
Key Facts
- Bears at the sanctuary: 150
- Bears still in cages: 125
- Bears dying per month: 4
- Wakeman’s sponsorship start: 2016
- Adoptee age: 20 months
The concert drew attention to the bears’ situation, and the video showed them responding to the music.
See the video the story is built around at Rolling Stone.
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