Live8 Concerts

[Al Khalifah]

I have to say this is actually turning into a pretty exciting looking gig. The London line up has the following acts:
Coldplay, Dido, Sir Elton John, Keane, Annie Lennox, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Muse, Scissor Sisters, Sir Paul McCartney, Joss Stone, Razorlight, Stereophonics, Sting, Robbie Williams, U2, REM, Velvet Revolver, Bob Geldof, The Killers, The Cure, Snow Patrol
Source: BBC Website

Despite quite a bit of dross in there, it still looks like the best of the 5 events by far.

I was just wondering, what do other org patrons make of the whole thing. Do you think it could be the start of the big solution to solve poverty in Africa or an excuse for some artists to boost their careers? Personally I think its a bit of both, but since the benefits of the former far outweigh the saddness of the later, I'm all for it.
I entered the text lottery twice. I'm not that concerned about going, so I'm not going to spend a fortune on lots of entries as I'm sure a lot of people will do, but if I do get the tickets I will be a happy man.
At current I believe they've already had 1,000,000 entries for London, with 72,500 winners to be selected. I'm not sure about the other venues or how they are allocating tickets. An extra £1,500,000 won't make that much difference in the fight against African poverty, but its a start and it raises awareness and will hopefully make this enough of a popular issue for the Government to take notice.

Also, what do people think of the planned protests in Edinburgh at the G8 summit? While I doubt a million people will actually turn up, I think enough people will make it to show the leaders that this is an issue that isn't going to go away. Hopefully Blair will tell Bush imparticular that the developed world needs to give something back to a continent it has become rich off the back of. I doubt I'll be able to go myself, but it sounds like a good event for all those who feel strongly about the issue or people who just enjoy protesting against stuff. An extra hundred-thousand people in rent-a-mob would do the cause no harm at all.

[Duke Malcolm]

Edinburgh certainly couldn't cope with 1,000,000 people, and it was wrong of Sir Bob to say that that number should go. a couple hundred thousand and it can cope fine.

The only thing that I am worrying about for the Live8 and G8, is that there shall be a severe lack of police in this city, since Gleneagles is served by the Tayside Police Constabulary, of whom Dundee has the HQ, so there shall be chaos as thousands of my city's police are a couple miles down the road, instead of keeping public order here, so the neds and such shall run wild...

Also, Edinburgh will no doubt want to pinch a few of our able-bodied officers of the law for the protests there...

[Steppe Merc]

Also, Edinburgh will no doubt want to pinch a few of our able-bodied officers of the law for the protests there...
Why? So they can crack the skulls of a few innocent protestors?

I'm for U2's sort of Live Aid things, though a lot of those bands/musicians (though most aren't even close to either of those...) I think suck.
Only U2, Sir Elton, Sir Paul I would like to see.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Why? So they can crack the skulls of a few innocent protestors?

I'm for U2's sort of Live Aid things, though a lot of those bands/musicians (though most aren't even close to either of those...) I think suck.
Only U2, Sir Elton, Sir Paul I would like to see.

Muse are a great band too.

I'm going to see U2 on the 25th actually. Should be excellent.

[Templar Knight]

Why? So they can crack the skulls of a few innocent protestors?

the highlight of G8 summits ~:)

[Steppe Merc]

Muse are a great band too.
Never heard of them. But knowing your tastes, I believe you. ~;)


I'm going to see U2 on the 25th actually. Should be excellent.
I really liked them when I saw them with their All That You Can't Leave Behind tour (2 or 3 years ago...) Excellent show, and I really liked them when I saw them playing some of their new stuff on Saturday Night Live a while back... (a very long running skit comedy show that always has two songs done by a music guest). What was really cool was that they played another song when the credits rolled, and then went into another one, on live TV. I bet the NBC execs were real pissed... ~D

[Productivity]

While it's a nice idea, I can't see it working. The money raised is nice, but in the overall scheme it's a pittance, and as for raising awareness, well that's the arguments they used the first time around and while awareness may be up, progress is still running at a flat line.

[Navaros]

Bono can't sing any more. his voice is all shot to Hell and sounds like total crap these days. it was starting to go ever since the POP album. on their latest incredibly-stupidly titled album, it is totally horrendous. he now sounds like a toad with laryngitis. a truly pathetic shell of his former voice.

sometimes rock stars really should quit while they're ahead

i am really sick of Bono always getting media attention any time he says anything about Africa. he even got huge coverage when he came to Canada in order to beg Canadian politicians to send the tax money of normal Canadian citizens to Africa (as if Canada didn't have it's own citizens to take care of first)

it's not like he ever says anything interesting, either. yet he always acts like he's the best thing since sliced bread. i even saw Bono in an interview saying that anyone who thinks he sold out by selling U2's music to iPOD commercials should go F' off

i'd like see a concert where loudmouth narcisscists like Bono get beat up on stage. i'd pay a lot to see that. it could raise money for whatever.

btw i don't know why so many of you are saying "Sir Elton"...Elton John certainly is not a respectable person and cannot legitimately be called Sir

[Al Khalifah]

Navaros, you would love this:

The eleven worst songs of 2004 (http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=11worst)

[Ja'chyra]

Don't think I'll bother myself, but good luck to anyone trying for tickets I think they'll be hard to come by.

[BDC]

Anyone noticed the absence of any African musicians from the lineup?

[Steppe Merc]

Excellent point. Are there even any blacks amongst the "bands"?

And Nav, I disagree. I really like U2's last album, I thought it was quite good. Vertigo isn't my favorite song on the album, but I don't hate it. And there are so many crappy "musicians" out there that aren't fit to lick Bono's boots.

[Templar Knight]

Will this do anything spectacular? 20 years on Africa is still in the shithole. The dictators may have changed but the countries are the same.

The Africans don't want concerts or pop stars, they need real leaders, honest leaders. We cant just throw money at a problem that requires direct action. They need free access to the worlds market and an honest days wage for an honest days work.

[Al Khalifah]

They need free access to the worlds market and an honest days wage for an honest days work.
But they can't just do that tomorrow or else the western world would collapse. We have built our economies on exploitation of the third world. There are some pretty horrifying facts out there about what our lives would be like if African workers were payed fair equivalent wages, such as £3 for a chocolate bar.

The reason our leaders won't solve the problem tomorrow is because if they did, they'd have a whole new one to face the day after and it would be one in their own countries that people could not so easily ignore. Like it or not, if you live in the western world or even in the higher echelons of society in the developing world, you are profitting from global poverty.

[BDC]

But they can't just do that tomorrow or else the western world would collapse. We have built our economies on exploitation of the third world. There are some pretty horrifying facts out there about what our lives would be like if African workers were payed fair equivalent wages, such as £3 for a chocolate bar.

The reason our leaders won't solve the problem tomorrow is because if they did, they'd have a whole new one to face the day after and it would be one in their own countries that people could not so easily ignore. Like it or not, if you live in the western world or even in the higher echelons of society in the developing world, you are profitting from global poverty.
It's not just that though - places will always have cheaper wages. After all if you had to pay the same wage to a guy in China or Africa to make something as someone down the road, you would employ the local guy. It would be a complete disaster for all the 3rd world economies.

It's mostly farm subsidies which are causing problems, and they don't even benefit us at all because we pay for them through taxes anyway.

[Ronin]

out of that artist´s list the only one i´d be interested in seeing live is Sting....

i second the notion that U2 sucks.......*i actually agreed with Navarros on something.....the end must be near or something*


as someone else has said.....raising awareness is fine and dandy....but it doesn´t actually solve the problem.

[Steppe Merc]

Yeah, this isn't about money, I believe it's about awareness. But then again, how much more can a musician do? Other than his music, it's not like they can do a whole lot of change.