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Live 8

Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 2005. Both events also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid. Run in support of the aims of the UK's Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, ten simultaneous concerts were held on 2 July and one on 6 July. On 7 July, the G8 leaders pledged to double 2004 levels of aid to poor nations from US$25 billion to US$50 billion by 2010. Half of the money was to go to Africa. More than 1,000 musicians performed at the concerts, which were broadcast on 182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks.

Live 8
The Live 8 logo
GenrePop
Rock
Dates2 and 6 July 2005; 18 years ago
Location(s)London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Philadelphia, Barrie, Chiba, Johannesburg, Moscow, Cornwall, and Edinburgh
Years active2005
Founded byBob Geldof, Midge Ure
Website

Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof announced the event on 31 May. Many former Live Aid acts offered their services to the cause. Prior to the official announcement of the event, many news sources referred to the event as Live Aid 2. However, Geldof and co-organiser Midge Ure have since explicitly said they do not think of the event as the same as Live Aid. On an episode of BBC Two music-based comedy panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, which aired on 2 March 2006, The Cribs frontman Ryan Jarman said he had texted Geldof to suggest that a "Live Aid 2" would be a good idea. However, after organising the event, Geldof said: "This is not Live Aid 2. These concerts are the start point for The Long Walk To Justice, the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison."[1] Many of the Live 8 backers were also involved in the largely forgotten NetAid concerts, including Executive Producer Jeff Pollack.

Organisers of Live 8 presented the "Live 8 List" to the world leaders at the Live 8 call that politicians take action to "Make Poverty History".[2] Names from the list also appeared on the giant televisions at each concert during the broadcast.

An official Live 8 DVD set was released on 7 November 2005 internationally and 8 November 2005 in the United States.

Concerts edit

Broadcaster Jonathan Ross opened the European Live 8 concerts with the words: "It's two o'clock in London on July the 2nd 2005. Hyde Park welcomes the world to Live 8."

There were ten concerts held on 2 July 2005, most of them simultaneously. The first to begin was held at the Makuhari Messe in Japan, with Rize being the first of all the Live 8 performers. During the opening of the Philadelphia concert outside the city's Museum of Art, actor Will Smith led the combined audiences of London, Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, Paris and Barrie in a synchronised finger snap, meant to represent the death of a child every three seconds in Africa.[3][4]

Bob Geldof hosted the event at Hyde Park in London, England where he also performed "I Don't Like Mondays". Special guests appeared throughout the concerts. Then-Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates made speeches at the London show, while former South African President Nelson Mandela addressed the crowd in the Johannesburg venue. Guest presenters, ranging from sports stars to comedians, also introduced acts.[3]

Included in the all-star line-up were Pink Floyd, reunited with former frontman Roger Waters for the first time in over 24 years. With the death of keyboardist Richard Wright in 2008, Live 8 was the final time the band's "classic" lineup performed together. Waters stated the band dedicated "Wish You Were Here" to their absent former member Syd Barrett, who later died in 2006.[5]

The final event called Edinburgh 50,000 – The Final Push was held at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 6 July 2005.[6] It featured further performances from some of the artists from the other concerts, and was the closest of the eleven to the actual location of the G8 summit.

Tickets edit

 
A pair of Live 8 tickets

Although the concerts were free, 66,500 pairs of tickets for the Hyde Park concert were allocated from 13 to 15 June 2005, to winners of a mobile phone text message competition that began on Monday, 6 June 2005. Entry involved sending the answer to a multiple choice question via a text message costing £1.50. Winners were drawn at random from those who correctly answered the question. Over two million messages were sent during the competition, raising £3 million. The first £1.6 million raised was given to the Prince's Trust, which had to cancel its own annual Party in the Park concert in Hyde Park that year to make way for Live 8.[7] According to the Live 8 website, funds raised beyond the £1.6 million "will go to pay for the costs of Live 8, as it is a free event".

Some ticket-winners placed their tickets for sale on internet auction site eBay, and were heavily criticised by the organisers of the event, including Bob Geldof. Initially, eBay defended its decision to allow the auctions to go ahead, stating that there were no laws against the resale of charity concert tickets. The site also offered to make a donation to Live 8 at least equivalent to the fees it would make from the ticket sales. Some people, angered by others seemingly using Live 8 to make money, placed fake bids for millions of pounds for such auctions in an attempt to force the sellers to take them off sale. It was later announced that eBay, under pressure from the British government, the public, as well as Geldof himself, would withdraw all auctions of the tickets.[8]

Similar touting situations arose for the Edinburgh and Canadian shows, and eBay also halted the sales of the tickets.[citation needed]

Performances edit

London edit

 
Madonna performing at Live 8

Philadelphia edit

Barrie, Canada edit

Deep Purple made an appearance and performed "Highway Star", "Smoke on the Water" and "Hush". DMC (of Run-DMC) performed with Elliot Easton of The Cars, and Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith.[10] The Tragically Hip played a set, just before Neil Young finished off Live 8 in Barrie with "4 Strong Winds", "Rockin' in the Free World" and "O Canada".

Berlin edit

Some of the highlights of the Berlin show included Brian Wilson who played a set with his band, doing "Our Prayer"/"Gee", "God Only Knows", "California Girls", "Good Vibrations", and "Fun Fun Fun", as well as Green Day, having released their political rock opera "American Idiot" the previous year.

Moscow edit

Agatha Christie, Bi-2, Jango, Dolphin, Linda, Moral Code X, Red Elvises, Splean, Pet Shop Boys

Separate rally and anti-poverty protest in Edinburgh edit

On 2 July, the same day as the Live 8 concerts, a rally and protest march was held in central Edinburgh, the nearest major city to the Gleneagles venue, for the G8 conference later that week. This protest was organised by the Make Poverty History coalition as part of a series of events ahead of the G8 conference,[11] and had already been planned before the announcement of Live 8.

An estimated 225,000 people took part, making it the largest-ever protest in Scotland[11][12] and the largest ever anti-poverty protest in the UK.

Notable absences edit

In the weeks leading up to Live 8, British newspaper Daily Mirror began a petition, garnering support for British rock band Status Quo to play at the event. Originally offered a 6pm slot, the band already had commitments in Ireland and therefore requested an earlier slot. Their request was rejected by the organisers as there were no available slots.[13]

There were speculations by the press that English girl group the Spice Girls would reunite for a Live 8 performance, in what would have been their first appearance as a five-piece since May 1998.[14] At the Live 8 launch in May, Bob Geldof confirmed that organisers were trying to get the group to re-form for the event. Ultimately, the Live 8 reunion did not materialise due to a holdout by Spice Girl Mel B.[15][16] During the Hyde Park concert, British comedian Peter Kay jokingly introduced the Spice Girls while he was introducing The Who.[3]

English rock band Oasis also declined to participate in the concerts as they were performing at the City of Manchester Stadium the same evening and the day after. Noel Gallagher later expressed disapproval that musicians were expected to rally at the convenience of Geldof.[17] Gallagher was also vocally sceptical about the impact of Live 8, citing his belief that rock stars did not have as much influence over world leaders as the Live 8 organisers may believe.[18]

English rock band Radiohead also turned down an offer to play at the event.[19]

Criticism edit

Lack of racially diverse performers edit

The original lineup for the Hyde Park concert faced criticism for having only one non-white artist – Mariah Carey.[20] Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn called the lack of black performers the organisers' "greatest oversight",[21] while Senegalese musician Baaba Maal wrote in The Independent: "I do feel it's very patronising as an African artist that more of us aren't involved."[20]

Live 8 organisers subsequently added British R&B singer Ms. Dynamite, US rapper Snoop Dogg and Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour to the Hyde Park lineup in response to the criticism. N'Dour was the only major African artist scheduled to perform at any of the five main concerts. A Live 8 spokesman said that a number of black performers had been approached but were not available to participate[20] and that the event would nonetheless feature a "large urban element".[22] Organisers also argued that there were few black British artists who could attract a large global audience, stating that Geldof's intention was to aim for the biggest global stars to ensure media attention and a large television audience.[20] A Live 8 concert in Johannesburg and an "Africa Calling" concert featuring an entirely African lineup at the Eden Project in Cornwall, were organised following the criticisms.[23]

Motives and controversy edit

Geldof's motives for organising Live 8 were questioned. TV and radio presenter Andy Kershaw - who had co-presented Live Aid in 1985 - directed criticisms at Geldof and the motives for Live 8, saying: "I am coming, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Live 8 is as much to do with Geldof showing off his ability to push around presidents and prime ministers as with pointing out the potential of Africa. Indeed, Geldof appears not to be interested in Africa's strengths, only in an Africa on its knees."[24] Rashod Ollison of The Baltimore Sun echoed Kershaw's criticisms, calling the event a "ravenous orgy of celebrity ego trips".[25] Geldof's approach, of pressuring G8 leaders to improve aid, forgive debt and ease trade restrictions in Africa, was questioned by John O'Shea, chief executive of international aid charity Goal. O'Shea was concerned that "Live 8 overlooked the need to tackle Africa's corrupt regimes and establish a UN peacekeeping army in Darfur, the Congo and northern Uganda."[26]

The organisers were criticised for using Africa to revive the careers of ageing rock stars more than about helping the poor in Africa.[26] The lineup for the Canada Live 8 concert in particular, was criticised for being "out of touch" and filled with "musical has-beens".[27]

For the Edinburgh concert, Geldof called for children to "give up home and school for a week" to join supporters in a march (entitled The Long Walk to Justice) on 6 July, the start of the G8 summit, which drew the ire of teachers and local residents.[26] Furthermore, the Live 8 concert's timing coincided with the long planned Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh.

Damon Albarn suggested that the performers should put pressure on their record labels to pay "some kind of tariff" from the increased record sales that would come from playing at the event, so as to "genuinely show this is an altruistic act and that there is no self-gain in it".[22] Pink Floyd's guitarist David Gilmour announced that he would donate the profits from the increased sales in Pink Floyd's Echoes album to charity, stating: "Though the main objective has been to raise consciousness and put pressure on the G8 leaders, I will not profit from the concert. This is money that should be used to save lives."[28]

Criticism was levelled at the Philadelphia Live 8 concert, when it was revealed that while the performers received no monetary compensation for their participation, they were given gift bags containing designer gifts worth about $12,000. The gifts included $2,000 Gibson guitars, $3,500 Hugo Boss suits and $6,000 Bertolucci watches.[25]

Uncensored broadcasts edit

Despite the show being broadcast before the watershed in the United Kingdom, there was no attempt at censorship by the BBC. The network came under fire for its coverage of the Live 8 concerts due to the amount of live swearing by several performers that was broadcast before the watershed. Madonna, Snoop Dogg, Razorlight, Green Day, U2 and Velvet Revolver were also criticised for their use of foul language during their performances.[29] An investigation by the UK media regulator Ofcom ruled that television audiences were subjected to "the most offensive language" and demanded that the BBC issue an on-air apology.[30]

In the United States, ABC drew criticism from the Parents Television Council when its delayed airing of the Hyde Park concert highlights failed to censor The Who's performance of "Who Are You" which contained the lyric, "Who the fuck are you?". ABC responded: "Unfortunately, one inappropriate phrase sung by one performer was initially missed and made it into the East Coast network feed. It was subsequently edited out of the West Coast feed."[31]

Other edit

MTV and VH1 were criticised for their coverage of the Live 8 concerts. Media critics and viewers complained that the networks focused too little on the actual musical performances, pointing to the frequent switching between artists and concerts, and cutting to commercials, interviews or "educational segments" while bands were still performing. The VJs also received criticism for frequently talking over the performances. The following weekend, MTV and VH1 re-aired ten commercial-free hours of music performances from the Live 8 concerts in response to the criticism.[32][33]

The London concert also received criticism when alcohol was outlawed for concertgoers, but made available for the VIPs.[34]

Legacy edit

On 2 July 2006, BBC One, CTV and MTV broadcast Live 8: What a Difference a Day Makes. In the UK, the special was 60 minutes as compared to the U.S .version on MTV, which was 90 minutes long. The special was aired on MTV at 07:30 Eastern time, giving nearly no chance for viewers to be made aware of the broadcast. Instead of airing the special late at night, MTV aired their normal broadcasting schedule for Sundays, again adding to the criticism of MTV's lack of interest in Live 8.

The Live 8 on AOL worldwide multi-feed webcast by America Online won the first Emmy Award for content delivered via the Internet, cellphones, and iPods ("Broadband award"). Live 8 on AOL was chosen as the winner out of 74 entrants.[35]

In a report issued in June 2006, the G8 have reportedly not lived up to their promises set in 2005. According to DATA, the US, U.K., Italy, and France increased their development-assistance pledges and actual aid to Africa in 2005, but Germany maintained its former level of contribution and Canada decreased aid in 2005. In general, the G8 is moving slowly in the effort to meet its promises.[36]

Some consider Live 8 to be a success, including Bob Geldof himself.[37] However, others including the World Socialist Web Site dismissed Live 8 as a "public relations stunt" for G8 leaders and multinational corporations, due to the disparity between the rhetoric of the events and the actual efforts made after the events in reducing poverty.[38] Geldof also believes that public attention was quickly diverted by the London bombings on 7 July 2005, the day after Live 8 Edinburgh which was the final concert in the series.[39]

Home video edit

Weekly charts edit

Chart performance for Live 8
Chart (2005–2006) Peak
position
Austrian Music DVD (Ö3 Austria)[40] 1
Danish Music DVD (Hitlisten)[41] 1
New Zealand Music DVD (RMNZ)[42] 1
Norwegian Music DVD (VG-lista)[43] 2
Portuguese Music DVD (AFP)[44] 1
Spanish Music DVD (PROMUSICAE)[45] 2
Swedish Music DVD (Sverigetopplistan)[46] 2

Certifications edit

Certifications for Live 8
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[47]
Australian compilation
Platinum 15,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[48]
Live 8 – Barrie/Toronto
5× Platinum 50,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[49]
Live 8 – International
2× Diamond 200,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[41]
Live 8 – International
Platinum 40,000^
France (SNEP)[50]
Live 8 – International
Gold 10,000*
France (SNEP)[51]
Live 8 – Paris
Platinum 20,000*
Germany (BVMI)[52]
Live 8 – International
Platinum 50,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[53]
Live 8 – Rome
2× Platinum 8,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[42]
Live 8 – International
2× Platinum 10,000^
Portugal (AFP)[54]
Live 8 – International
Platinum 8,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[55]
Live 8 – International
Gold 10,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[56]
Live 8 – International
Platinum 6,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[57]
Live 8 – International
3× Platinum 150,000*
United States (RIAA)[58]
Live 8 – International
9× Platinum 900,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ . Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 July 2006. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  2. ^ www.live8list.com 2 June 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b c Tilden, Imogen (2 July 2005). "'Welcome to the greatest rock concert in the world'". The Guardian (London).
  4. ^ The Associated Press (2 July 2005). "Rock, rap, reunions at Live 8 concerts". Today.
  5. ^ Greene, Andy (7 July 2015). "Pink Floyd Reunited With Roger Waters 10 Years Ago This Week". Rolling Stone.
  6. ^ Broadfoot, Julie (7 July 2005). "Eyewitness: Live 8 The Final Push". BBC News.
  7. ^ MacMillan, Robert (15 June 2005). "Geldof: I Don't Like EBay". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ "eBay prevents Live 8 ticket sales". BBC News. 15 June 2005.
  9. ^ "Keane Setlist at Live 8 London". setlist.fm. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  10. ^ "Rapper DMC added to Canadian Live 8 lineup". The Globe and Mail. 29 June 2005. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Thousands flock to poverty march".2 July 2005.
  12. ^ Jeffery, Simon; Tempest, Matthew (2 July 2005). "200,000 form Edinburgh human chain". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  13. ^ Colothan, Scott (17 June 2005). "STATUS QUO PLEAD YET AGAIN TO PERFORM AT LIVE 8". Gigwise.
  14. ^ Davies, Hugh (27 May 2005). "Spice Girls to reunite for Live 8 concert". The Daily Telegraph (London).
  15. ^ Mel B 'blocking Spice comeback'. BBC News. 21 June 2005.
  16. ^ Amter, Charlie (22 June 2005). "Mel B a Maybe for Live 8". E! News.
  17. ^ Melia, David (17 June 2005). "NOEL GALLAGHER DEFENDS OASIS' LIVE 8 NO SHOW". Gigwise.
  18. ^ Smith, David (19 June 2005). "Gallagher casts doubt on the value of Live8". The Guardian (London).
  19. ^ "Radiohead decline Live 8 request". BBC News. 7 June 2005.
  20. ^ a b c d Live 8 logic attracts criticism. BBC News. 10 June 2005.
  21. ^ Left, Sarah (10 June 2005). "Albarn hits out at 'Anglo Saxon' Live 8". The Guardian.
  22. ^ a b "Albarn criticises Live 8 concerts". BBC News. 10 June 2005.
  23. ^ "Live 8 concerts call for debt relief". Al Jazeera English. 2 July 2005.
  24. ^ Andy Kershaw: The myth of Saint Bob, saviour of Africa. The Independent. 16 June 2005.
  25. ^ a b Ollison, Rashod D. (4 July 2005). "Did egos stifle Live 8 message?". The Baltimore Sun.
  26. ^ a b c "Live 8 logic attracts criticism". BBC News. BBC UK. 10 June 2005. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  27. ^ . Archived from the original on 25 June 2005. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  28. ^ Byrne, Ciar (4 July 2005). "Pink Floyd album sales soar but no money for Gilmour". The Independent.
  29. ^ "BBC rapped over Live 8 swearing". BBC News (London).
  30. ^ Singh, Anita (9 April 2008). "BBC forced to apologise on-air over foul language on Live Earth". The Daily Telegraph (London).
  31. ^ Live 8 swearing angers US parents. BBC News, 15 July 2005.
  32. ^ Ryan, Maureen (10 July 2005). "MTV defends Live 8 coverage". Chicago Tribune.
  33. ^ Welsh, James (8 July 2005). "MTV, VH1 in US to re-air Live 8 concerts". Digital Spy.
  34. ^ Baracaia, Alexa (29 June 2005). "Pop, but no alcohol in the park". London Evening Standard.
  35. ^ ""LIVE 8 ON AOL" WINS FIRST BROADBAND EMMYHONORING PROGRAMS FOR INTERNET, CELLPHONES, PDAs | The Emmy Awards". emmyonline.com. New York, New York: The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 24 April 2006. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  36. ^ Kaufman, Gil. "Live 8, One Year Later: Goals Not Met". MTV News. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  37. ^ Burkeman, Oliver (13 September 2005). "Three months ago Bob Geldof declared Live 8 had achieved its aim. But what really happened next?". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  38. ^ "Live 8: Who organised the PR campaign for Blair and Bush?". Wsws.org. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  39. ^ Youngs, Ian (2 July 2006). "Did Live 8 make a difference?". BBC News. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  40. ^ "Austria Top 40 – Musik-DVD: 18-11-2005" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  41. ^ a b (in Danish). IFPI Danmark. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  42. ^ a b Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts: 1966–2006. Maurienne House. ISBN 978-1-877443-00-8.
  43. ^ (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  44. ^ (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  45. ^ "Top 20 DVD Musical – Lista de los titulos mas vendidos del 07.11.05 al 13.11.05" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  46. ^ "Veckolista DVD Album – Vecka 46, 2005" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  47. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  48. ^ "Canadian video certifications – Various Artists – Live 8 Toronto". Music Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  49. ^ "Canadian video certifications – Various Artists – Live 8". Music Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  50. ^ "French video certifications – Compilation – Live 8 International" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  51. ^ "French video certifications – Compilation – Live 8 Paris" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  52. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Diverse; 'Live 8')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  53. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2005 Certification Awards - Multi Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  54. ^ (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  55. ^ "Top 20 DVD Musical – Lista de los titulos mas vendidos del 14.11.05 al 20.11.05" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  56. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Live 8 - One Day - One Concert - One World')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  57. ^ "British video certifications – Various Artists – Live 8 - July 2Nd 2005". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  58. ^ "American video certifications – Various – Live 8". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 1 February 2021.

live, pair, benefit, concerts, whose, twentieth, anniversary, commemorated, live, string, benefit, concerts, that, took, place, july, 2005, states, south, africa, they, were, timed, precede, conference, summit, held, gleneagles, hotel, auchterarder, scotland, . For the pair of benefit concerts whose twentieth anniversary Live 8 commemorated see Live Aid Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005 in the G8 states and in South Africa They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder Scotland from 6 8 July 2005 Both events also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid Run in support of the aims of the UK s Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty ten simultaneous concerts were held on 2 July and one on 6 July On 7 July the G8 leaders pledged to double 2004 levels of aid to poor nations from US 25 billion to US 50 billion by 2010 Half of the money was to go to Africa More than 1 000 musicians performed at the concerts which were broadcast on 182 television networks and 2 000 radio networks Live 8The Live 8 logoGenrePopRockDates2 and 6 July 2005 18 years agoLocation s London Paris Berlin Rome Philadelphia Barrie Chiba Johannesburg Moscow Cornwall and EdinburghYears active2005Founded byBob Geldof Midge UreWebsitewww live8live com Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof announced the event on 31 May Many former Live Aid acts offered their services to the cause Prior to the official announcement of the event many news sources referred to the event as Live Aid 2 However Geldof and co organiser Midge Ure have since explicitly said they do not think of the event as the same as Live Aid On an episode of BBC Two music based comedy panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks which aired on 2 March 2006 The Cribs frontman Ryan Jarman said he had texted Geldof to suggest that a Live Aid 2 would be a good idea However after organising the event Geldof said This is not Live Aid 2 These concerts are the start point for The Long Walk To Justice the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison 1 Many of the Live 8 backers were also involved in the largely forgotten NetAid concerts including Executive Producer Jeff Pollack Organisers of Live 8 presented the Live 8 List to the world leaders at the Live 8 call that politicians take action to Make Poverty History 2 Names from the list also appeared on the giant televisions at each concert during the broadcast An official Live 8 DVD set was released on 7 November 2005 internationally and 8 November 2005 in the United States Contents 1 Concerts 2 Tickets 3 Performances 3 1 London 3 2 Philadelphia 3 3 Barrie Canada 3 4 Berlin 3 5 Moscow 4 Separate rally and anti poverty protest in Edinburgh 5 Notable absences 6 Criticism 6 1 Lack of racially diverse performers 6 2 Motives and controversy 6 3 Uncensored broadcasts 6 4 Other 7 Legacy 8 Home video 8 1 Weekly charts 8 2 Certifications 9 See also 10 ReferencesConcerts editBroadcaster Jonathan Ross opened the European Live 8 concerts with the words It s two o clock in London on July the 2nd 2005 Hyde Park welcomes the world to Live 8 There were ten concerts held on 2 July 2005 most of them simultaneously The first to begin was held at the Makuhari Messe in Japan with Rize being the first of all the Live 8 performers During the opening of the Philadelphia concert outside the city s Museum of Art actor Will Smith led the combined audiences of London Philadelphia Berlin Rome Paris and Barrie in a synchronised finger snap meant to represent the death of a child every three seconds in Africa 3 4 Bob Geldof hosted the event at Hyde Park in London England where he also performed I Don t Like Mondays Special guests appeared throughout the concerts Then Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan and Microsoft co founder Bill Gates made speeches at the London show while former South African President Nelson Mandela addressed the crowd in the Johannesburg venue Guest presenters ranging from sports stars to comedians also introduced acts 3 Included in the all star line up were Pink Floyd reunited with former frontman Roger Waters for the first time in over 24 years With the death of keyboardist Richard Wright in 2008 Live 8 was the final time the band s classic lineup performed together Waters stated the band dedicated Wish You Were Here to their absent former member Syd Barrett who later died in 2006 5 The final event called Edinburgh 50 000 The Final Push was held at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh Scotland on 6 July 2005 6 It featured further performances from some of the artists from the other concerts and was the closest of the eleven to the actual location of the G8 summit Tickets edit nbsp A pair of Live 8 tickets Although the concerts were free 66 500 pairs of tickets for the Hyde Park concert were allocated from 13 to 15 June 2005 to winners of a mobile phone text message competition that began on Monday 6 June 2005 Entry involved sending the answer to a multiple choice question via a text message costing 1 50 Winners were drawn at random from those who correctly answered the question Over two million messages were sent during the competition raising 3 million The first 1 6 million raised was given to the Prince s Trust which had to cancel its own annual Party in the Park concert in Hyde Park that year to make way for Live 8 7 According to the Live 8 website funds raised beyond the 1 6 million will go to pay for the costs of Live 8 as it is a free event Some ticket winners placed their tickets for sale on internet auction site eBay and were heavily criticised by the organisers of the event including Bob Geldof Initially eBay defended its decision to allow the auctions to go ahead stating that there were no laws against the resale of charity concert tickets The site also offered to make a donation to Live 8 at least equivalent to the fees it would make from the ticket sales Some people angered by others seemingly using Live 8 to make money placed fake bids for millions of pounds for such auctions in an attempt to force the sellers to take them off sale It was later announced that eBay under pressure from the British government the public as well as Geldof himself would withdraw all auctions of the tickets 8 Similar touting situations arose for the Edinburgh and Canadian shows and eBay also halted the sales of the tickets citation needed Performances editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message This section is in list format but may read better as prose You can help by converting this section if appropriate Editing help is available February 2013 London edit nbsp Madonna performing at Live 8 U2 and Paul McCartney opened the London concert playing Sgt Pepper s Lonely Hearts Club Band Later Bono added a couple of lines of The Beatles Blackbird to the end of Beautiful Day Keane performed singles Somewhere Only We Know and Bedshaped 9 The classic quartet line up of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd Roger Waters David Gilmour Richard Wright and Nick Mason played together on stage for the first time in 24 years The band performed the songs Speak to Me Breathe Breathe Reprise Money Wish You Were Here and Comfortably Numb They were the only band not to be verbally introduced This was also the final performance by the full classic line up as Richard Wright died of cancer in 2008 Pete Doherty joined Elton John for a version of T Rex s hit Children of the Revolution Using much of the musical equipment used by rock band Travis who had just left the stage Bob Geldof decided on the spur of the moment to perform the Boomtown Rats hit I Don t Like Mondays Before Madonna s set Geldof introduced Birhan Woldu who was the starving child in the CBC News report which prompted Geldof to organise Live Aid She held hands with Madonna while the singer performed the first verses of Like a Prayer Chris Martin included the chorus of Status Quo s song Rockin All Over the World in the bridge of Coldplay s song In My Place Status Quo had opened the 1985 Wembley Live Aid concert with that song In addition Coldplay were joined by Richard Ashcroft to perform Bitter Sweet Symphony Robbie Williams began his set with a cover of Queen s We Will Rock You Williams stated in an interview that he wanted to bring a bit of Freddie back from the original Live Aid Williams had often performed the same section of We Will Rock You during his own concerts Philadelphia edit Main article Live 8 concert Philadelphia Kaiser Chiefs opened the show with I Predict a Riot Everyday I Love You Less And Less and Oh My God Kanye West performed a three song set with a twenty five piece string orchestra opening with a live debut of his lead single for his then forthcoming album Late Registration Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff can be seen briefly dancing off stage Will Smith led the crowd in a sing along to the theme song of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air Jay Z and Linkin Park joined forces to sing the huge hit Numb Mayor John Street announced on stage that there were over 1 million spectators in the audience Closing act Stevie Wonder was joined on stage by Matchbox Twenty front man Rob Thomas and Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine Thomas dueted with him on Higher Ground and Levine on Signed Sealed Delivered I m Yours During Wonder s performance American Idol judge Paula Abdul can be seen dancing off stage right Barrie Canada edit Main article Live 8 concert Barrie Deep Purple made an appearance and performed Highway Star Smoke on the Water and Hush DMC of Run DMC performed with Elliot Easton of The Cars and Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith 10 The Tragically Hip played a set just before Neil Young finished off Live 8 in Barrie with 4 Strong Winds Rockin in the Free World and O Canada Berlin edit Main article Live 8 concert Berlin Some of the highlights of the Berlin show included Brian Wilson who played a set with his band doing Our Prayer Gee God Only Knows California Girls Good Vibrations and Fun Fun Fun as well as Green Day having released their political rock opera American Idiot the previous year Moscow edit Main article Live 8 concert Moscow Agatha Christie Bi 2 Jango Dolphin Linda Moral Code X Red Elvises Splean Pet Shop BoysSeparate rally and anti poverty protest in Edinburgh editThis section relies largely or entirely on a single source Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources Find sources Live 8 news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2023 On 2 July the same day as the Live 8 concerts a rally and protest march was held in central Edinburgh the nearest major city to the Gleneagles venue for the G8 conference later that week This protest was organised by the Make Poverty History coalition as part of a series of events ahead of the G8 conference 11 and had already been planned before the announcement of Live 8 An estimated 225 000 people took part making it the largest ever protest in Scotland 11 12 and the largest ever anti poverty protest in the UK Notable absences editIn the weeks leading up to Live 8 British newspaper Daily Mirror began a petition garnering support for British rock band Status Quo to play at the event Originally offered a 6pm slot the band already had commitments in Ireland and therefore requested an earlier slot Their request was rejected by the organisers as there were no available slots 13 There were speculations by the press that English girl group the Spice Girls would reunite for a Live 8 performance in what would have been their first appearance as a five piece since May 1998 14 At the Live 8 launch in May Bob Geldof confirmed that organisers were trying to get the group to re form for the event Ultimately the Live 8 reunion did not materialise due to a holdout by Spice Girl Mel B 15 16 During the Hyde Park concert British comedian Peter Kay jokingly introduced the Spice Girls while he was introducing The Who 3 English rock band Oasis also declined to participate in the concerts as they were performing at the City of Manchester Stadium the same evening and the day after Noel Gallagher later expressed disapproval that musicians were expected to rally at the convenience of Geldof 17 Gallagher was also vocally sceptical about the impact of Live 8 citing his belief that rock stars did not have as much influence over world leaders as the Live 8 organisers may believe 18 English rock band Radiohead also turned down an offer to play at the event 19 Criticism editLack of racially diverse performers edit The original lineup for the Hyde Park concert faced criticism for having only one non white artist Mariah Carey 20 Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn called the lack of black performers the organisers greatest oversight 21 while Senegalese musician Baaba Maal wrote in The Independent I do feel it s very patronising as an African artist that more of us aren t involved 20 Live 8 organisers subsequently added British R amp B singer Ms Dynamite US rapper Snoop Dogg and Senegalese singer Youssou N Dour to the Hyde Park lineup in response to the criticism N Dour was the only major African artist scheduled to perform at any of the five main concerts A Live 8 spokesman said that a number of black performers had been approached but were not available to participate 20 and that the event would nonetheless feature a large urban element 22 Organisers also argued that there were few black British artists who could attract a large global audience stating that Geldof s intention was to aim for the biggest global stars to ensure media attention and a large television audience 20 A Live 8 concert in Johannesburg and an Africa Calling concert featuring an entirely African lineup at the Eden Project in Cornwall were organised following the criticisms 23 Motives and controversy edit Geldof s motives for organising Live 8 were questioned TV and radio presenter Andy Kershaw who had co presented Live Aid in 1985 directed criticisms at Geldof and the motives for Live 8 saying I am coming reluctantly to the conclusion that Live 8 is as much to do with Geldof showing off his ability to push around presidents and prime ministers as with pointing out the potential of Africa Indeed Geldof appears not to be interested in Africa s strengths only in an Africa on its knees 24 Rashod Ollison of The Baltimore Sun echoed Kershaw s criticisms calling the event a ravenous orgy of celebrity ego trips 25 Geldof s approach of pressuring G8 leaders to improve aid forgive debt and ease trade restrictions in Africa was questioned by John O Shea chief executive of international aid charity Goal O Shea was concerned that Live 8 overlooked the need to tackle Africa s corrupt regimes and establish a UN peacekeeping army in Darfur the Congo and northern Uganda 26 The organisers were criticised for using Africa to revive the careers of ageing rock stars more than about helping the poor in Africa 26 The lineup for the Canada Live 8 concert in particular was criticised for being out of touch and filled with musical has beens 27 For the Edinburgh concert Geldof called for children to give up home and school for a week to join supporters in a march entitled The Long Walk to Justice on 6 July the start of the G8 summit which drew the ire of teachers and local residents 26 Furthermore the Live 8 concert s timing coincided with the long planned Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh Damon Albarn suggested that the performers should put pressure on their record labels to pay some kind of tariff from the increased record sales that would come from playing at the event so as to genuinely show this is an altruistic act and that there is no self gain in it 22 Pink Floyd s guitarist David Gilmour announced that he would donate the profits from the increased sales in Pink Floyd s Echoes album to charity stating Though the main objective has been to raise consciousness and put pressure on the G8 leaders I will not profit from the concert This is money that should be used to save lives 28 Criticism was levelled at the Philadelphia Live 8 concert when it was revealed that while the performers received no monetary compensation for their participation they were given gift bags containing designer gifts worth about 12 000 The gifts included 2 000 Gibson guitars 3 500 Hugo Boss suits and 6 000 Bertolucci watches 25 Uncensored broadcasts edit Despite the show being broadcast before the watershed in the United Kingdom there was no attempt at censorship by the BBC The network came under fire for its coverage of the Live 8 concerts due to the amount of live swearing by several performers that was broadcast before the watershed Madonna Snoop Dogg Razorlight Green Day U2 and Velvet Revolver were also criticised for their use of foul language during their performances 29 An investigation by the UK media regulator Ofcom ruled that television audiences were subjected to the most offensive language and demanded that the BBC issue an on air apology 30 In the United States ABC drew criticism from the Parents Television Council when its delayed airing of the Hyde Park concert highlights failed to censor The Who s performance of Who Are You which contained the lyric Who the fuck are you ABC responded Unfortunately one inappropriate phrase sung by one performer was initially missed and made it into the East Coast network feed It was subsequently edited out of the West Coast feed 31 Other edit MTV and VH1 were criticised for their coverage of the Live 8 concerts Media critics and viewers complained that the networks focused too little on the actual musical performances pointing to the frequent switching between artists and concerts and cutting to commercials interviews or educational segments while bands were still performing The VJs also received criticism for frequently talking over the performances The following weekend MTV and VH1 re aired ten commercial free hours of music performances from the Live 8 concerts in response to the criticism 32 33 The London concert also received criticism when alcohol was outlawed for concertgoers but made available for the VIPs 34 Legacy editOn 2 July 2006 BBC One CTV and MTV broadcast Live 8 What a Difference a Day Makes In the UK the special was 60 minutes as compared to the U S version on MTV which was 90 minutes long The special was aired on MTV at 07 30 Eastern time giving nearly no chance for viewers to be made aware of the broadcast Instead of airing the special late at night MTV aired their normal broadcasting schedule for Sundays again adding to the criticism of MTV s lack of interest in Live 8 The Live 8 on AOL worldwide multi feed webcast by America Online won the first Emmy Award for content delivered via the Internet cellphones and iPods Broadband award Live 8 on AOL was chosen as the winner out of 74 entrants 35 In a report issued in June 2006 the G8 have reportedly not lived up to their promises set in 2005 According to DATA the US U K Italy and France increased their development assistance pledges and actual aid to Africa in 2005 but Germany maintained its former level of contribution and Canada decreased aid in 2005 In general the G8 is moving slowly in the effort to meet its promises 36 Some consider Live 8 to be a success including Bob Geldof himself 37 However others including the World Socialist Web Site dismissed Live 8 as a public relations stunt for G8 leaders and multinational corporations due to the disparity between the rhetoric of the events and the actual efforts made after the events in reducing poverty 38 Geldof also believes that public attention was quickly diverted by the London bombings on 7 July 2005 the day after Live 8 Edinburgh which was the final concert in the series 39 Home video editWeekly charts edit Chart performance for Live 8 Chart 2005 2006 Peakposition Austrian Music DVD O3 Austria 40 1 Danish Music DVD Hitlisten 41 1 New Zealand Music DVD RMNZ 42 1 Norwegian Music DVD VG lista 43 2 Portuguese Music DVD AFP 44 1 Spanish Music DVD PROMUSICAE 45 2 Swedish Music DVD Sverigetopplistan 46 2 Certifications edit Certifications for Live 8 Region Certification Certified units sales Australia ARIA 47 Australian compilation Platinum 15 000 Canada Music Canada 48 Live 8 Barrie Toronto 5 Platinum 50 000 Canada Music Canada 49 Live 8 International 2 Diamond 200 000 Denmark IFPI Danmark 41 Live 8 International Platinum 40 000 France SNEP 50 Live 8 International Gold 10 000 France SNEP 51 Live 8 Paris Platinum 20 000 Germany BVMI 52 Live 8 International Platinum 50 000 Ireland IRMA 53 Live 8 Rome 2 Platinum 8 000 New Zealand RMNZ 42 Live 8 International 2 Platinum 10 000 Portugal AFP 54 Live 8 International Platinum 8 000 Spain PROMUSICAE 55 Live 8 International Gold 10 000 Switzerland IFPI Switzerland 56 Live 8 International Platinum 6 000 United Kingdom BPI 57 Live 8 International 3 Platinum 150 000 United States RIAA 58 Live 8 International 9 Platinum 900 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone See also edit nbsp Rock music portal List of historic rock festivals List of Live 8 artists Live Aid Live Earth Philadelphia Freedom Concert G8References edit Belfast Northern Ireland UK World News Business Entertainment Belfast Telegraph Archived from the original on 18 July 2006 Retrieved 19 December 2010 www live8list com Archived 2 June 2005 at the Wayback Machine a b c Tilden Imogen 2 July 2005 Welcome to the greatest rock concert in the world The Guardian London The Associated Press 2 July 2005 Rock rap reunions at Live 8 concerts Today Greene Andy 7 July 2015 Pink Floyd Reunited With Roger Waters 10 Years Ago This Week Rolling Stone Broadfoot Julie 7 July 2005 Eyewitness Live 8 The Final Push BBC News MacMillan Robert 15 June 2005 Geldof I Don t Like EBay The Washington Post eBay prevents Live 8 ticket sales BBC News 15 June 2005 Keane Setlist at Live 8 London setlist fm Retrieved 7 March 2018 Rapper DMC added to Canadian Live 8 lineup The Globe and Mail 29 June 2005 Retrieved 12 October 2018 a b Thousands flock to poverty march 2 July 2005 Jeffery Simon Tempest Matthew 2 July 2005 200 000 form Edinburgh human chain The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 26 February 2024 Colothan Scott 17 June 2005 STATUS QUO PLEAD YET AGAIN TO PERFORM AT LIVE 8 Gigwise Davies Hugh 27 May 2005 Spice Girls to reunite for Live 8 concert The Daily Telegraph London Mel B blocking Spice comeback BBC News 21 June 2005 Amter Charlie 22 June 2005 Mel B a Maybe for Live 8 E News Melia David 17 June 2005 NOEL GALLAGHER DEFENDS OASIS LIVE 8 NO SHOW Gigwise Smith David 19 June 2005 Gallagher casts doubt on the value of Live8 The Guardian London Radiohead decline Live 8 request BBC News 7 June 2005 a b c d Live 8 logic attracts criticism BBC News 10 June 2005 Left Sarah 10 June 2005 Albarn hits out at Anglo Saxon Live 8 The Guardian a b Albarn criticises Live 8 concerts BBC News 10 June 2005 Live 8 concerts call for debt relief Al Jazeera English 2 July 2005 Andy Kershaw The myth of Saint Bob saviour of Africa The Independent 16 June 2005 a b Ollison Rashod D 4 July 2005 Did egos stifle Live 8 message The Baltimore Sun a b c Live 8 logic attracts criticism BBC News BBC UK 10 June 2005 Retrieved 3 September 2019 Live 8 dismisses criticism about grizzled lineup Archived from the original on 25 June 2005 Retrieved 12 July 2009 Byrne Ciar 4 July 2005 Pink Floyd album sales soar but no money for Gilmour The Independent BBC rapped over Live 8 swearing BBC News London Singh Anita 9 April 2008 BBC forced to apologise on air over foul language on Live Earth The Daily Telegraph London Live 8 swearing angers US parents BBC News 15 July 2005 Ryan Maureen 10 July 2005 MTV defends Live 8 coverage Chicago Tribune Welsh James 8 July 2005 MTV VH1 in US to re air Live 8 concerts Digital Spy Baracaia Alexa 29 June 2005 Pop but no alcohol in the park London Evening Standard LIVE 8 ON AOL WINS FIRST BROADBAND EMMYHONORING PROGRAMS FOR INTERNET CELLPHONES PDAs The Emmy Awards emmyonline com New York New York The National Academy of Television Arts amp Sciences 24 April 2006 Retrieved 3 September 2019 Kaufman Gil Live 8 One Year Later Goals Not Met MTV News Retrieved 19 December 2010 Burkeman Oliver 13 September 2005 Three months ago Bob Geldof declared Live 8 had achieved its aim But what really happened next The Guardian London Guardian News and Media ISSN 0261 3077 OCLC 60623878 Archived from the original on 28 May 2012 Retrieved 28 July 2012 Live 8 Who organised the PR campaign for Blair and Bush Wsws org Retrieved 19 December 2010 Youngs Ian 2 July 2006 Did Live 8 make a difference BBC News Retrieved 11 May 2010 Austria Top 40 Musik DVD 18 11 2005 in German O3 Austria Top 40 Hung Medien Retrieved 1 February 2021 a b Musik DVD Top 10 Uge 47 2005 in Danish IFPI Danmark Archived from the original on 5 October 2012 Retrieved 1 February 2021 a b Scapolo Dean 2007 The Complete New Zealand Music Charts 1966 2006 Maurienne House ISBN 978 1 877443 00 8 Topp 10 DVD Audio Uke 47 2005 in Norwegian IFPI Norway Archived from the original on 29 March 2016 Retrieved 1 February 2021 Top 30 DVD s Musicais Semana 46 de 2005 in Portuguese Associacao Fonografica Portuguesa Archived from the original on 19 November 2010 Retrieved 1 February 2021 Top 20 DVD Musical Lista de los titulos mas vendidos del 07 11 05 al 13 11 05 in Spanish Productores de Musica de Espana Retrieved 1 February 2021 Veckolista DVD Album Vecka 46 2005 in Swedish Sverigetopplistan Retrieved 1 February 2021 ARIA Charts Accreditations 2005 DVDs PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved 17 December 2021 Canadian video certifications Various Artists Live 8 Toronto Music Canada Retrieved 1 February 2021 Canadian video certifications Various Artists Live 8 Music Canada Retrieved 1 February 2021 French video certifications Compilation Live 8 International in French Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique Retrieved 1 February 2021 French video certifications Compilation Live 8 Paris in French Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique Retrieved 1 February 2021 Gold Platin Datenbank Diverse Live 8 in German Bundesverband Musikindustrie Retrieved 1 February 2021 The Irish Charts 2005 Certification Awards Multi Platinum Irish Recorded Music Association Retrieved 1 February 2021 Top 30 DVD s Musicais Semana 30 de 2006 in Portuguese Associacao Fonografica Portuguesa Archived from the original on 20 November 2010 Retrieved 1 February 2021 Top 20 DVD Musical Lista de los titulos mas vendidos del 14 11 05 al 20 11 05 in Spanish Productores de Musica de Espana Retrieved 1 February 2021 The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community Awards Live 8 One Day One Concert One World IFPI Switzerland Hung Medien Retrieved 1 February 2021 British video certifications Various Artists Live 8 July 2Nd 2005 British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 1 February 2021 American video certifications Various Live 8 Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 1 February 2021 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Live 8 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Live 8 amp oldid 1221003416, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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