Live Earth
I thought Kevin Wall, Al Gore and friends did a great job putting together the Live Earth concert. Musically, the highlights of the TV broadcast included the Beastie Boys, Madonna (a killer set), UB40, Linkin Park, Macy Gray, Roger Waters and his flying pig, Melissa Etheridge, the Police with Kanye West, and Yusuf Islam singing “Peace Train”.
I thought the interspersed short films were quite good as well. I know it’s fashionable to scoff at these concerts (it’s probably even more fashionable to scoff at them than it is to attend them) but I bet a lot of people learned new things about environmental issues yesterday.
July 9th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Hmmm … I don’t really get the whole “benefit concert” trend. I’m not sure who it really benefits … so perhaps I am scoffing a bit. Ok so I hate them. A lot. But to your point, is it more fashionable to scoff than it is fashionable to put one of these on? It seems to me the efforts and resources poured in could have been better put to use to really be a means to an end. But then it wouldn’t be sponsored by Pepsi, I suppose.
July 11th, 2007 at 11:09 am
It started with George Harrison’s concert for Bangladesh refugees. Then Bob Geldorf trying to raise money for African relief; and John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson raising money for farm aid. Perhaps one could trace this back to John Lennon trying to stop a war; or Woodie Guthrie trying to organize unions. Whatever the origin, it is the most holy, most beat effort imaginable. Humans organizing to help humans. I’m guessing the participants think it’s the most noble thing they’ve ever done with their lives.
Does it matter? I’m not sure that people matter; depends on one’s point of view.