Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Sir Bob Geldof: We salute you! May the force be with you, eternally.

2nd July 2005 was the day that LIVE 8 rocked the world in 9 countries across 4 continents. 20 years after Live Aid, Bob Geldof demonstrated, yet again, the true power of one. Around the world, an estimated 3 BILLION PEOPLE tuned in to watch LIVE 8, the greatest musical show ever. The concerts took place in London, Paris, Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, Barrie (Canada), Tokyo, Johannesburg, and Moscow. The artists included U2, Annie Lennox, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Madonna, REM, The Who, Roxy Music, Andrea Bocelli, Cold Play, Bon Jovi, Dido, Bryan Adams, Green Day, Youssou N'Dour, Sheryl Crow, and, and, and ... PINK FLOYD.



Some words from Sir Bob Geldof:

"This is not Live Aid 2.

These concerts are the starting point for The Long Walk To Justice, the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison. This is without doubt a moment in history where ordinary people can grasp the chance to achieve something truly monumental and demand from the 8 world leaders at G8 an end to poverty.

The G8 leaders have it within their power to alter history. They will only have the will to do so if tens of thousands of people show them that enough is enough. By doubling aid, fully cancelling debt, and delivering trade justice for Africa, the G8 could change the future for millions of men, women and children."

We never, ever, thought this would happen but "pigs flew"! David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Rick Wright reunited, after 20 years, for LIVE 8!!!!!! They performed Breathe, Money, Wish You Were Here, and Comfortably Numb - it felt as if they'd never been apart. I couldn't stop shivering the entire time. At the beginning of Wish You Were Here, Roger Waters said, "It's actually quite emotional, standing up here with these three guys after all these years, standing to be counted with the rest of you. Anyway, we're doing this for everyone's who's not here, particularly, of course, for Syd" [Barret]. When he started singing the second part of Wish You Were Here (... and did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts, hot ashes for trees, heartache for a cool breeze, cold comfort for change, did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?), I fell off my bean bag. Pink Floyd, without a doubt, is the best rock band in the world and even though they're old and grey, they are simply spectacular.

U2, Pink Floyd, Sting, Madonna, Elton John, Robbie Williams, Annie Lennox, Sir Paul McCartney, Dido, Green Day, and REM turned out magical performances. The superstars, the real rockstars of the day were the old folk, the icons. The pathetic, mindless creations of corporations, acts like Destiny's Child, were pitiful. However, apart from a few idiotic performances, including Mariah Carey, LIVE 8 was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most phenomenal experience imaginable. Fuck the cynics who question whether any of this will make a difference. "NOW IS THE TIME, THIS IS THE YEAR - OUR LEADERS HAVE THE POWER TO END POVERTY - BUT WE HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE THEM USE IT."

G8: THE WORLD IS WATCHING!
Sting sang a fantastic, reworded version of Every Breath You Take ... "Every single day, every word you say, every game you play, every night you stay, WE'LL be watching you. THIS TIME WE'LL SEE, IF OUR DEMOCRACY, IS JUST A GAME YOU PLAY, NO MATTER WHAT WE SAY!"

I want to say a very special thank you to ARY Digital and The Musik for broadcasting LIVE 8 absolutely live for 10 hours and 25 minutes. Of course, the advertising was extremely disruptive and ill-timed and could have been handled more sensitively, but that's a topic for another day. After 1:00 am, the advertising disappeared, so another round of applause for ARY.

Will any of this matter to the 8 chaps getting together at GlenEagles, Scotland? We'll find out soon enough but in the meanwhile, the least we can do is support the cause without cynicism. Visit live8live.com and BBC's detailed coverage of the LIVE 8 event for more information.

Posted by BeanZ | Permalink: 11:40 PM |