US courts ruled against Bolton and awarded the Issey brothers US$5.4 million, then reported to be the largest-ever settlement for copyright infringement of a song.
After establishing a successful career in the music industry the rugged singer turned his attention to social activism, founding Michael Bolton Charities (MBC) in 1993 with the aim of bringing "attention to issues which adversely affect children and women at risk-issues which include domestic and street violence, poverty, abuse, neglect, AIDS and homelessness," according to Bolton's mission statement.
For the Taipei concert, holders of a China Trust credit card can enjoy a 10 percent discount on the ticket price, or choose to donate the money to local charity.
Bolton has campaigned on other social issues, raised money for various causes and is the recipient of a raft of accolades for his philanthropic endeavors, such as the prestigious Lewis Hine Award from the National Child Labor Committee.
The US press revealed in 1998 that MBC's financial report for 1995 showed it had collected some US$2.6 million for that year, of which 15 percent went to good causes and the remainder was swallowed up in administration expenses.
Eight years later the charity had improved operations.
Charity Navigator, a nonprofit independent organi-zation that assesses the performance of US philanthropic groups, evaluated MBC in 2003 and found it, "exceeds or meets industry standards and performs as well as, or better than, most charities in its cause" with 72.5 percent of the year's revenue spent on the programs and services it aims to deliver.
Performance notes:
What: Michael Bolton "Hope is Here" concert
Where: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館)
Tickets: NT$1,500 to NT$4,800 available through ERA
ticketing. (Tickets may be available at the door)
For more information call 02 2741 5988
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