BROOKLYN, N.Y. — By the time Yoko Ono and the psychedelic Flaming Lips took the stage at 12:30 a.m. Thursday, about half of the audience at Amnesty International's Bringing Human Rights Home concert had left Barclays Center to head home.
It was the culmination of a long mid-week concert at which both the musicians and audience were enthusiastic about pairing songs and activism, but neither group seemed totally confident carrying that torch. The event featured nine musical acts built around a speaking appearance by two recently-freed Russian activists from punk band Pussy Riot.
See also: 12 Top YouTube Videos for Social Good
The five-hour event that started Wednesday was a roller-coaster ride that was often thrilling but sometimes fell emotionally flat. Most notably, the crowd cheered raucously for he night's honored guests — Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova — but awkwardly failed to pick up on a "Russia will be free" chant the two women tried to incite. Madonna, who introduced Pussy Riot, trumpeted her history as a "freedom fighter" and, for some unknown reason, felt the need to tell everyone when to "boo" and when to cheer during her speech.
The show was packed with short performances from a range of big-name pop acts, including Lauryn Hill, Blondie, Imagine Dragons, The Fray, Cold War Kids, Tegan and Sara, Colbie Caillat and Bob Geldof. Several of the artists re-emerged on stage with the Flaming Lips for the show's finale rendition of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," which also included appearances from Ono and Sean Lennon, son of The Beatles' John Lennon.
Perhaps an indication of how the musicians didn't seem completely connected to the event, several of the singers read the lyrics of Dylan's iconic tune from a piece of paper.
During their own sets, newer musicians like Imagine Dragons and The Fray sounded good and got the crowd moving, but their songs didn't seem to have the same connection to human rights as the U2, Bruce Springsteen and The Police performances from the iconic Amnesty shows of the 1980s, which were recapped with commentary from the artists on video monitors between bands.

Bono of U2, left, and Sting of The Police answer questions at a news conference at Giants Stadium regarding the final concert of the "Conspiracy of Hope" tour in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 14, 1986.
Image: Bill Kostroun/Associated Press
To Amnesty's credit, several veteran musicians were pitch perfect carrying on the organization's musical tradition. Irish singer Bob Geldof, of The Boomtown Rats, knew how to navigate an activist crowd. While other acts were introduced by the likes of Susan Sarandon and Amnesty's senior staff, Geldof gave his own intro. The 62-year-old rattled off a strongly-worded, profanity-laced speech, challenging the audience to not only get involved with Amnesty's efforts but also to encourage friends to do the same.
Geldof, who also performed at the last of Amnesty's iconic six-show "Conspiracy of Hope" tour at Giants Stadium in 1986, followed his speech by singing three protest songs in an airy brogue.
Blondie tore through a three-song set that included past hits "One Way or Another" and "Call Me," as well as a newer song called "A Rose by Any Name." Other artists had to coax the audience to their feet — not Blondie. The crowd immediately rose to greet Debbie Harry and stayed standing as the 68-year-old singer shook her hips and strutted back-and-forth across the stage in knee-high leather boots.
The brevity of the performances is one possible reason some of the acts failed to build momentum. After Cold War Kids opened the concert with "Miracle Mile," an upbeat and thumping rock song, singer Nathan Willett made sure to note that the band would only "have time for two songs."
Most of the other bands played three-song sets. Only Lauryn Hill, or "Ms. Lauryn Hill" as she's now known, played longer.
Hill received her loudest applause when she was introduced. Unlike the other acts, she did not play any of her most popular songs. But Hill still showed off her substantial vocal talent — at times rattling off verbose rap verses and at other times dropping into a low-pitched soul singer's range — during a five-song set that ended with a cover of Bob Marley's "Zimbabwe."
It's true, not every humanitarian musical event can be like Live Aid or George Harrison's Concert For Bangladesh. And it's more than understandable for a crowd to lose its fizz toward the end of a five-hour Wednesday night concert that didn't start until after 8 p.m.
In the videos between sets, some the past musical champions of human rights — Bono, Sting and Springsteen — talked about passing the torch to a younger generation of musicians. The Brooklyn show did, however, leave some doubt that today's popular musicians are ready for that considerable responsibility.
The concert was recorded and is expected to be broadcast sometime next month, though Amnesty International has not yet announced further details. Check out the gallery below for some memorable moments from the concert.
Debbie Harry and Blondie played old hits like "One Way or Another" and "Call Me," as well as a newer song called "A Rose by Any Name."
Madonna, left, introduces Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, center, and Maria Alyokhina, right, of Pussy Riot.
Singer Lauryn Hill performs at Amnesty International's "Bringing Human Rights Home" concert at the Barclays Center.
Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds bangs a drum during the band's rhythmic dub step set at Amnesty International's "Bringing Human Rights Home" concert.
Irish singer Sir Bob Geldof performs at Amnesty International's "Bringing Human Rights Home" concert at the Barclays Center.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.