Rolling Stone
July 2005
Live 8's Global Uprising
By: Brian Hiatt
July 2005
Live 8's Global Uprising
By: Brian Hiatt
I'M NERVOUS - I WANT TO THROW UP," SAID Bono, pacing between backstage trailers in London's Hyde Park on July 2nd. In an hour, he and U2 would join Paul McCartney onstage in front of a
crowd of 200,000 people, plus a global television audience, to kick off the U.K. Edition of Live 8, the global concert event intended to mobilize the worldwide rock audience in support of Africa
poverty relief.
"The molecules of the air are vibrating faster than usual," said Bono, who helped convince the organizer of 1985's Live Aid, Bob Geldof, to assemble an even more ambitious follow-up. "This is a
moment of history in the making."
While the original Live Aid was a fund-raiser, Live 8's ten free concerts in nine countries aimed to persuade the leaders of the world's eight most powerful nations -who gathered July 6th through July 8th
in Scotland for the G8 economic summit - to increase debt relief and foreign aid for poverty-ravaged Africa. As Sting said backstage in London, "We're actually creating a new form of democracy where
you vote with your presence."
With performances by Coldplay, Madonna and R.E.M. - and the show-ending triumvirate of the Who, a reunited Pink Floyd and then McCartney - the London concert boasted more star power than any of
the other shows. Still, the U.S. Edition, held on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, brought together an estimated 800,000 people to watch Dave Matthews Band, Alicia Keys, Kanye West and Jay-Z
with Linkin Park.
In the U.S., viewing the event on TV was a frustrating experience: MTV and VH1 frequently cut away from the performances for interviews, VJ chatter and commercials. AOL, meanwhile, showed all
the concerts in their entirety at AOLmusic.com 5 million people clicked on to the live streams, a small number by TV standards but an Internet record, according to the company (every performance
from the show will be available on demand from AOL through mid-August). MTV and VH1 scored a respectable total audience of 18 million; ABC didn't fare as well with an evening recap that drew a
miserable 2.9 million via The London concert began with the thrill of McCartney and U2 cranking through a faithful version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." (The performance was made
immediately available as a charity single on iTunes Music Store and shot to Number Five on the service's download chart.) Bono sang John Lennon's harmonies, Larry Mullen Jr. echoed Ringo Starr's
drum fills, and a horn section decked out as Pepper-era Beatles played along. After hugging Bono, McCartney left the stage and U2 began their own set with an impassioned "Beautiful Day" that
climaxed with dozens of white doves soaring from the stage into the cloudy skies above a teeming Hyde Park.
The Philadelphia show kicked into gear with a speech by local hero Will Smith. Standing in front of a glass case containing the Declaration of Independence, Smith make a plea for unity with Africa: "We are
gathered here to make our declaration of interdependence, and today we hold this truth to be self-evident: We are all in this together.
The concerts included two versions of Neil Young's "Rockin in the Free World": Young led members of Barenaked Ladies, Jet, and Aerosmith through the song during the finale of the show in Barrie, Ontario.
And Maroon 5 cranked up their guitars for a loose rendition in Philadelphia.
Two acts also paid tribute to Queen's legendary appearance at the original Live Aid. In Berlin, Green Day plunged headlong into "We Are the Champions," with singer Billie Joe Armstrong pushing his vocal
range to match Freddie Mercury's high notes and leading tens of thousands of swaying Germans in a sing along. And in London, Robbie Williams began his set with a playful attempt at "We Will Rock You,
" dashing across the stage with a mike stand, Freddie Mercury-style.
As with Live Aid, some of the best moments came with once-in-a-lifetime duets. In Philadelphia, an ecstatic, white robed Stevie Wonder traded vocals with Maroon 5's Adam Levine on "Signed, Sealed,
Delivered I'm Yours" and duetted with Rob Thomas (who admitted to a case of nerves beforehand) on "Higher Ground."
But it was a seamlessly intertwined Linkin Park and Jay-Z, reprising their Collision Course performance, who rallied what had been an occasionally indifferent Philly crowd. Rap and rock fans alike banged
their heads to furious performances of "Big Pimpin Papercut" and "Numb/Encore," chanting "Hova, Hova!" between songs. "We're spending billions and billions of dollars killing people," Jay-Z said. "Let's
spend billions and billions of dollars to let people live."
In London, after calling Live 8 "the greatest thing that's ever been organized, probably, in the history of the world," Coldplay frontman Chris Martin invited former Verve singer Richard Ashcroft on stage
to sing a hastily rehearsed, rapturously received version of the Verve's 1997 hit "Bittersweet Symphony." "I wasn't even part of it," said a dazed Ashcroft backstage. "And then suddenly I was right in the
middle of it."
Elton John, meanwhile, enlisted seemingly soused Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty to sing Marc Solan's "Children of the Revolution."
The concerts reached their emotional peak when Geldof brought out Birhan Woldu, a vibrantly healthy twenty-four-year-old Ethiopian woman who was seen as a starving child on posters and in videos
during the original Live Aid.
"Don't let them tell us it doesn't work," Geldof said.
Madonna then took the stage, shouting, "Are you ready to start a revolution? Are you ready to change history?" Clutching Woldu's hand and singing directly to her, Madonna began her set with
"Like a Prayer, backed by a gospel choir.
Hours later, Pete Townsend turned in a windmilling, whammy-bar-shaking performance alongside a stoic Roger Daltrey, in one of the Who's only two scheduled gigs this year. The pair and their
atest crew f backing musicians blazed through a two-song set: "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," both dominated by Townshend's molten power chords.
Live 8's most anticipated moment was Pink Floyd's first reunion with bassist Roger Waters in twenty-four years. "It's easier to get the fucking G8 to do anything than getting Pink Floyd back together,"
Geldof said backstage, and some of that strain showed on stage.
Though Waters beamed as he picked out his walking bass line on "Money" and croaked out "Comfortably Numb," he and singer-guitarist David Gilmour got through the airtight performances without once
making eye contact. "It's just a little one-off," Gilmour said backstage, denying any plans for an album or tour with Waters. And when a fan approached Waters after the set and asked if a tour would follow,
he grimaced and said nothing.
The London concert concluded with McCartney, who screamed, bopped his head and pumped out bass lines with Cavern Club-worthy energy in an all-Beatles set: "Get Back," "Drive My Car" (with s
urprise guest George Michael boundng out to help on vocals), "Helter Skelter" and "The Long and Winding Road." At the finale, many of the day's performers flooded the stage for the coda from
"Hey Jude," with guitar from Townshend and vocal ad-libs from Mariah Carey. "Today means a possible end to poverty in Africa," McCartney said backstage. "We hope that the politicians see this and
that they respond."
crowd of 200,000 people, plus a global television audience, to kick off the U.K. Edition of Live 8, the global concert event intended to mobilize the worldwide rock audience in support of Africa
poverty relief.
"The molecules of the air are vibrating faster than usual," said Bono, who helped convince the organizer of 1985's Live Aid, Bob Geldof, to assemble an even more ambitious follow-up. "This is a
moment of history in the making."
While the original Live Aid was a fund-raiser, Live 8's ten free concerts in nine countries aimed to persuade the leaders of the world's eight most powerful nations -who gathered July 6th through July 8th
in Scotland for the G8 economic summit - to increase debt relief and foreign aid for poverty-ravaged Africa. As Sting said backstage in London, "We're actually creating a new form of democracy where
you vote with your presence."
With performances by Coldplay, Madonna and R.E.M. - and the show-ending triumvirate of the Who, a reunited Pink Floyd and then McCartney - the London concert boasted more star power than any of
the other shows. Still, the U.S. Edition, held on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, brought together an estimated 800,000 people to watch Dave Matthews Band, Alicia Keys, Kanye West and Jay-Z
with Linkin Park.
In the U.S., viewing the event on TV was a frustrating experience: MTV and VH1 frequently cut away from the performances for interviews, VJ chatter and commercials. AOL, meanwhile, showed all
the concerts in their entirety at AOLmusic.com 5 million people clicked on to the live streams, a small number by TV standards but an Internet record, according to the company (every performance
from the show will be available on demand from AOL through mid-August). MTV and VH1 scored a respectable total audience of 18 million; ABC didn't fare as well with an evening recap that drew a
miserable 2.9 million via The London concert began with the thrill of McCartney and U2 cranking through a faithful version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." (The performance was made
immediately available as a charity single on iTunes Music Store and shot to Number Five on the service's download chart.) Bono sang John Lennon's harmonies, Larry Mullen Jr. echoed Ringo Starr's
drum fills, and a horn section decked out as Pepper-era Beatles played along. After hugging Bono, McCartney left the stage and U2 began their own set with an impassioned "Beautiful Day" that
climaxed with dozens of white doves soaring from the stage into the cloudy skies above a teeming Hyde Park.
The Philadelphia show kicked into gear with a speech by local hero Will Smith. Standing in front of a glass case containing the Declaration of Independence, Smith make a plea for unity with Africa: "We are
gathered here to make our declaration of interdependence, and today we hold this truth to be self-evident: We are all in this together.
The concerts included two versions of Neil Young's "Rockin in the Free World": Young led members of Barenaked Ladies, Jet, and Aerosmith through the song during the finale of the show in Barrie, Ontario.
And Maroon 5 cranked up their guitars for a loose rendition in Philadelphia.
Two acts also paid tribute to Queen's legendary appearance at the original Live Aid. In Berlin, Green Day plunged headlong into "We Are the Champions," with singer Billie Joe Armstrong pushing his vocal
range to match Freddie Mercury's high notes and leading tens of thousands of swaying Germans in a sing along. And in London, Robbie Williams began his set with a playful attempt at "We Will Rock You,
" dashing across the stage with a mike stand, Freddie Mercury-style.
As with Live Aid, some of the best moments came with once-in-a-lifetime duets. In Philadelphia, an ecstatic, white robed Stevie Wonder traded vocals with Maroon 5's Adam Levine on "Signed, Sealed,
Delivered I'm Yours" and duetted with Rob Thomas (who admitted to a case of nerves beforehand) on "Higher Ground."
But it was a seamlessly intertwined Linkin Park and Jay-Z, reprising their Collision Course performance, who rallied what had been an occasionally indifferent Philly crowd. Rap and rock fans alike banged
their heads to furious performances of "Big Pimpin Papercut" and "Numb/Encore," chanting "Hova, Hova!" between songs. "We're spending billions and billions of dollars killing people," Jay-Z said. "Let's
spend billions and billions of dollars to let people live."
In London, after calling Live 8 "the greatest thing that's ever been organized, probably, in the history of the world," Coldplay frontman Chris Martin invited former Verve singer Richard Ashcroft on stage
to sing a hastily rehearsed, rapturously received version of the Verve's 1997 hit "Bittersweet Symphony." "I wasn't even part of it," said a dazed Ashcroft backstage. "And then suddenly I was right in the
middle of it."
Elton John, meanwhile, enlisted seemingly soused Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty to sing Marc Solan's "Children of the Revolution."
The concerts reached their emotional peak when Geldof brought out Birhan Woldu, a vibrantly healthy twenty-four-year-old Ethiopian woman who was seen as a starving child on posters and in videos
during the original Live Aid.
"Don't let them tell us it doesn't work," Geldof said.
Madonna then took the stage, shouting, "Are you ready to start a revolution? Are you ready to change history?" Clutching Woldu's hand and singing directly to her, Madonna began her set with
"Like a Prayer, backed by a gospel choir.
Hours later, Pete Townsend turned in a windmilling, whammy-bar-shaking performance alongside a stoic Roger Daltrey, in one of the Who's only two scheduled gigs this year. The pair and their
atest crew f backing musicians blazed through a two-song set: "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," both dominated by Townshend's molten power chords.
Live 8's most anticipated moment was Pink Floyd's first reunion with bassist Roger Waters in twenty-four years. "It's easier to get the fucking G8 to do anything than getting Pink Floyd back together,"
Geldof said backstage, and some of that strain showed on stage.
Though Waters beamed as he picked out his walking bass line on "Money" and croaked out "Comfortably Numb," he and singer-guitarist David Gilmour got through the airtight performances without once
making eye contact. "It's just a little one-off," Gilmour said backstage, denying any plans for an album or tour with Waters. And when a fan approached Waters after the set and asked if a tour would follow,
he grimaced and said nothing.
The London concert concluded with McCartney, who screamed, bopped his head and pumped out bass lines with Cavern Club-worthy energy in an all-Beatles set: "Get Back," "Drive My Car" (with s
urprise guest George Michael boundng out to help on vocals), "Helter Skelter" and "The Long and Winding Road." At the finale, many of the day's performers flooded the stage for the coda from
"Hey Jude," with guitar from Townshend and vocal ad-libs from Mariah Carey. "Today means a possible end to poverty in Africa," McCartney said backstage. "We hope that the politicians see this and
that they respond."
