Live 8: The Concert Event Of Light, Hope And Triumph

Live 8: The Concert Event Of Light, Hope and Triumph

By Arlene R Weiss © Copyright 7/5/2005

Saturday July 2, 2005, was no ordinary day. It was an extraordinary day that will be one of the few to go down in history, as a day where some 3 Billion people around the world, including music artists, movie stars, political dignitaries, concert goers, and a global audience tuning in via TV, radio, and the internet, all connected in the family of man, with open hearts and minds all to stand up for the universal cause of finding solutions to 3rd world poverty. July 2, 2005, was Live 8.

What some saw as the sequel to the 1985 historic Live Aid, once again materialized, organized, and spearheaded by Sir Bob Geldof, along with Midge Ure, Harvey Goldsmith, and the Band Aid Trust, promised monumental expectations, and delivered handsomely.

Live 8 opened with a momentous flourish. Performing ‘’Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’’, live for the first time ever, Sir Paul McCartney was joined onstage in London’s Hyde Park by U2 with Bono trading vocals. The opening verse, of the legendary song ‘’It was 20 years ago today’’, paid affectionate homage to the 20th anniversary of Live Aid, held July 13, 1985, and the song itself could not have been more befitting this music event, of love and humanity. As Macca and U2 performed the song, four men dressed in the infamous Sgt. Pepper uniform costumes stood onstage playing the brass horn part of the tune from the Beatles’ concept album about peace, tolerance, and love, while a giant onstage video screen collage mirroring the classic Beatles’ album cover art, showed a collage of political figures and celebrities from Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela, to Madonna and John Lennon. Bono joyfully changed the lyrics singing, ‘’You’re such a lovely audience, we’d love to take you home with us.’’

From there, U2 performed the moving and equally appropriate ‘’One” and a rocking “Vertigo”. Then as Bono and crew charged into the sublime, powerfully jubilant, uplifting ‘’Beautiful Day’’, with Bono again changing the lyrics to include ‘’Hyde Park, London stretched out in front of you’’ as well as including the names of all 10 Live 8 concert cities in the song, the 200,000 strong London crowd rapturously cheered to the release of white doves. Live 8, indeed a most beautiful day, forever in our hearts and history, officially opened its arms to the world.

As 10 simultaneous concerts were then underway in London, Philadelphia, Rome, Berlin, Paris, Barrie, Tokyo, Moscow, Johannesburg, and Cornwall, the universal voice of music never spoke louder and more meaningfully. But no message ever had more rockin’, dancing, and grooving, all part of the inspiring spirit of the day.

Many of the artists performed songs that were hit, crowd pleasers, many artists chose songs whose meaning befit the message of the day. Around the globe saw Bryan Adams’ ‘’All For Love’’ and Neil Young’s ‘’Keep On Rockin’ In The Free World’’ in Barrie, Canada.

In Philadelphia, Alicia Keys, The Black Eyed Peas singing the apt ‘’Where Is The Love?’’, Destiny’s Child covering the Staple Singers’ gospel song of tolerance ‘’I’ll Take You There’’, Linkin Park, Def Leppard, Sarah McLachlan dueting with Josh Groban on the lovely ‘’Angel’’, Bon Jovi, the one and only Stevie Wonder, and the inimitable Will Smith were introduced by Hollywood luminaries, Richard Gere, Jennifer Connelly, Jimmy Smits, Natalie Portman, Don Cheadle. Paris saw The Cure close an all star lineup that included Shakira and Muse. Rome had Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and Duran Duran adorn their stage. Tokyo had the stylistic diversity of Bjork and Good Charlotte.

Berlin was enthralled by Roxy Music and an anthemic Green Day performing with an exuberant Billie Joe Armstrong.

There were speeches too, from Nelson Mandela, Bill Gates, Brad Pitt, to Will Smith. Smith hammered home the bleak harshest of realities of statistics that every 3 seconds, a child dies of starvation or disease in Africa. He proclaimed on this the USA’s July 4th Independence Day weekend, that this should be a world where people around the globe, now proclaim ‘’our declaration of interdependence’’ to have humanity for one and all, in that ‘’We are all in this together’’. Annie Lennox gave a heart string tugging plea as well before performing her set.

And then there was London. With Bill Gates and Brad Pitt on hand to do the introduction honors, glittering star after star rocked Hyde Park, and the world. During U2’s performance, Bono proclaimed, ‘’This is our moment. This is our time. This is our chance to stand up for what’s right. We’re not looking for charity, we’re looking for justice. We can’t eradicate every problem, but the ones we can, we must.’’

Bono went on to exclaim, ‘’Eight of the most powerful men on earth are meeting on a golf course in Scotland, and we have a message for them. This is your moment to make history by making poverty history.’’ And so like the words of U2’s song, oh yes, it was indeed about ‘’Pride, In The Name Of Love’’.

Coldplay, in a superb duet with Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft, performed a lush ‘’Bittersweet Symphony’’. Elton John also collaborated with former Libertines’ frontman Pete Doherty on ‘’Children Of The Revolution’’. The stars kept coming. R.E.M. with their social conscious set including ‘’Everybody Hurts’’, Dido’s passionate ‘’Seven Seconds’’ and a gorgeous crowd pleasing ‘’Thank You’’, incredibly funky showstopping shake your booty beats from both soul songstress Joss Stone on ‘’Super Duper Love’’ and the bo-ho hippy Scissor Sisters ‘’Take Your Mama’’, Mariah Carey joined by The African Children’s Choir for the uplifting ‘’Hero’’ and ‘’Make It Happen’’, Razorlight went toe to toe with the ever outrageous Velvet Revolver with both tearing what roof there was off of the Hyde Park stage with their volatile sets.

And then there were the icons. Bob Geldof himself gave a powerful, pivotal repeat performance of his 1985 Live Aid take on the Boomtown Rats classic ‘’I Don’t Like Mondays’’ backed by Travis, and just as he also did at Live Aid, midway through the song, he paused abruptly at the ever so stark and fitting lyrics, ‘’And the lesson today is how to die,’’ with his fist raised to the sky in anger, in defiance, in compassion, in encouraging man’s humanity to one another, in fighting the good fight to end injustice, to the cheers of the audience.

The reunion people have waited 2 decades for was worth the wait when a tight and spot on Pink Floyd gathered together on stage with all 4 original members performing to a stone quiet audience exhilarated and mesmerized with The Floyd’s ‘’Money’’ ‘’Breathe’’, ‘’Wish You Were Here’’, and ‘’Comfortably Numb’’. David Gilmour and Roger Waters traded smiles with one another and the audience.

The Who, more than made up for their faltered 1985 Live Aid performance by all but stealing Pink Floyd’s thunder with firestorm versions of ‘’Who Are You’’ and ‘’Won’t Get Fooled Again’’. Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend showed why many still say The Who is the greatest band in rock, choosing 2 classic songs of questions, skepticism, and outrage at authority..perhaps targeting the leaders of the G8 nations, performing them with vicious, tornadic ferocity.

As U2 had lit up the stage before in 1985 at Live Aid, in 2005 at Live 8, it was U2 once more, along with fellow Live Aid returnees Sting and Madonna.

Sting performed a pointed yet emotionally uplifting, optimistic, faith filled version of ‘’Every Breath You Take’’ changing the lyrics to, ‘’this time we’ll see, a democracy.’’ And ‘’we’ll be watching you’’, as footage of the G8 leaders played on the video screen behind him.

Then…Sir Bob Geldof and Lady Madonna brought the house down with heart wrenching and heart soaring matters. Geldof, understandably angered and frustrated with the cynics, especially in the International press, about his and the Live 8 organizer’s mission, showed to the Live 8 world audience, footage of the original BBC documentary he had also shown to the Live Aid world audience of the dying masses from the 1985 African famine. In it, Geldof pointed out, was a three year old girl, just moments away from dying of starvation.

Geldof, adamant in driving home the message of what Live 8 was about and not letting the global audience forget what all the wonderful music of the day was about, to serve a universal purpose of justice, saving lives, impassionately exclaimed ‘’See this little girl? She had ten minutes to live 20 years ago. And because we did a concert (Live Aid) in this city and in Philadelphia, last week she did her agricultural exams in the school she goes to in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands.’’

Then, he proclaimed, with outrage, ‘’Don’t let them tell us why we should even try! Don’t let them tell us why we should accept defeat!’’

And with those words Geldof brought out that same girl from the documentary, Birhan Woldu, saved by the funds from Live Aid that provided her with food and healthcare, now a resplendent 24 year old woman. And Geldof trumpeted and beamed, ‘’She is here tonight. Here is this beautiful woman.’’ And as the crowd cheered with joy and triumph, Geldof exclaimed, ‘’Don’t let them tell us this doesn’t work. This stuff works. YOU work.’’ Calling Birhan a beautiful queen, there was not a dry eye in London, and all around the world, but tears of joy rained down with Geldof’s words and the immensity of what Live Aid, and Live 8 has, can, and will accomplish. The gift of life.

With that, Geldof introduced Birhan, ‘’this beautiful Queen’’ to the ‘’Queen Bee of Rock’’, Madonna, and the infamous songstress exclaimed ‘’Are you ready to start a revolution? Are you ready to change history?’’ as Madonna embraced and kissed Birhan throughout the absolutely glorious, exalted, joyous, resounding resolve of a soaring, gospel choir backed ‘’Like A Prayer’’, perhaps the most befitting song of the day, as all of Hyde Park clapped along to the song in unison, and billions cried in happiness and cheered and rejoiced around the world.

And the finale…Sir Paul McCartney playing piano and singing a stunning, poignant, ‘’The Long And Winding Road’’, in reverence to what Live 8 and the ‘’Make Poverty History’’ campaign is all about and what it will commence with, this July 6-July 8, 2005 during the G8 Summit in Gleneagles Scotland, when Sir Bob and people from every walk of life gather in Edinburgh for The Long Walk To Justice. From there, happy..beginnings…and hope that Live 8 will impact and make a resounding difference in convincing the leaders of the G8 nations to enact concrete resolutions with foreign aid and economic development to Africa and the 3rd world nations….as Sir Paul and the all star artists who had performed at Hyde Park, all day, gathered together onstage to sing ‘’Hey Jude’’ with joy in their hearts and souls, as Sir Bob heralded to the world, ‘’We’ll see you in Edinburgh’’!

By Arlene R. Weiss © Copyright July 5, 2005