Hope for the world resting on Live Earth
Thursday, April 12, 2007
IF THE ordinary preacher can't get his message across, use celebrities. It worked for Live Aid and Live8, now there's going to be Live Earth, a concert in seven countries featuring top names like Madonna, Genesis, Bon Jovi and The Police.
The megastars will be rocking the world against climate change in seven mammoth concerts across the globe on July 7, organisers said on Tuesday.
More than 100 acts will perform in the giant 24-hour Live Earth concert relay the brainchild of former US vice president Al Gore spanning Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Johannesburg, London, Rio de Janeiro and New York.
Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Genesis top the bill at London's Wembley Stadium while Bon Jovi, Smashing Pumpkins and the newly-reformed The Police will headline the concert at New York's Giants Stadium, organisers said.
"Live Earth the concerts for a climate in crisis", dreamed up by politician-turned-environmental campaigner Gore, are intended to highlight the threat of climate change.
Organisers hope the concerts will raise awareness of the issue just as the 1985 Live Aid concerts raised awareness of starvation in Africa. They aim to reach over two billion people on TV, radio and the Internet.
In London, Duran Duran, the Foo Fighters, the Black Eyed Peas, Keane, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party and the Beastie Boys will also perform at the 90,000-seater newly-redeveloped Wembley. Razorlight, Corinne Bailey Rae, Damien Rice, David Gray, James Blunt, John Legend and Paolo Nutini are among the other confirmed acts who will perform.
The New York concert also features Kanye West, Roger Waters, Ludacris, Dave Matthews Band, Kelly Clarkson and Melissa Etheridge.
They will take the stage in the 80,000-seater Giants Stadium in New Jersey alongside Alicia Keys, Fall Out Boy, John Mayer, Akon, AFI, Rihanna and KT Tunstall.
"By attracting an audience of billions we hope Live Earth will launch a global campaign giving a critical mass of people around the world the tools they need to help solve the climate crisis," Gore said.
"We hope the energy created by Live Earth will jump start a massive public education effort.
"Live Earth will help us reach a tipping point that's needed to move corporations and governments to take decisive action to solve the climate crisis."
Starting in Sydney and ending in New York, the event will deliver a call to action and the solutions needed to answer the call, organisers said.
"This monster line-up will ensure Live Earth meets our goal of bringing together people from around the world to combat the climate crisis ... and in turning the tide against global warming," said Live Earth founder Kevin Wall.
The other Live Earth concerts will take place at Sydney's Aussie Stadium, Tokyo Stadium, a Shanghai venue to be confirmed, Johannesburg's Cradle of Human Kind and Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach.
The concerts promise to be carbon-neutral events, with everything from lighting the stages to how artists travel being offset. Emissions and waste will be reduced to as little as possible. Proceeds from the concerts will go towards a foundation to combat climate change.
Gore is the author of a bestselling book on global warming. An Inconvenient Truth, which was made into the blockbuster documentary that won Oscars in February.
The last mammoth international concert series was Live8 in July 2005, designed to pressure leaders from the Group of Eight industrialised nations to change their approach to poor countries.
It took up the baton from the unprecedented Live Aid, held at Wembley and at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia in the US.AFP
The megastars will be rocking the world against climate change in seven mammoth concerts across the globe on July 7, organisers said on Tuesday.
More than 100 acts will perform in the giant 24-hour Live Earth concert relay the brainchild of former US vice president Al Gore spanning Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Johannesburg, London, Rio de Janeiro and New York.
Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Genesis top the bill at London's Wembley Stadium while Bon Jovi, Smashing Pumpkins and the newly-reformed The Police will headline the concert at New York's Giants Stadium, organisers said.
"Live Earth the concerts for a climate in crisis", dreamed up by politician-turned-environmental campaigner Gore, are intended to highlight the threat of climate change.
Organisers hope the concerts will raise awareness of the issue just as the 1985 Live Aid concerts raised awareness of starvation in Africa. They aim to reach over two billion people on TV, radio and the Internet.
In London, Duran Duran, the Foo Fighters, the Black Eyed Peas, Keane, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party and the Beastie Boys will also perform at the 90,000-seater newly-redeveloped Wembley. Razorlight, Corinne Bailey Rae, Damien Rice, David Gray, James Blunt, John Legend and Paolo Nutini are among the other confirmed acts who will perform.
The New York concert also features Kanye West, Roger Waters, Ludacris, Dave Matthews Band, Kelly Clarkson and Melissa Etheridge.
They will take the stage in the 80,000-seater Giants Stadium in New Jersey alongside Alicia Keys, Fall Out Boy, John Mayer, Akon, AFI, Rihanna and KT Tunstall.
"By attracting an audience of billions we hope Live Earth will launch a global campaign giving a critical mass of people around the world the tools they need to help solve the climate crisis," Gore said.
"We hope the energy created by Live Earth will jump start a massive public education effort.
"Live Earth will help us reach a tipping point that's needed to move corporations and governments to take decisive action to solve the climate crisis."
Starting in Sydney and ending in New York, the event will deliver a call to action and the solutions needed to answer the call, organisers said.
"This monster line-up will ensure Live Earth meets our goal of bringing together people from around the world to combat the climate crisis ... and in turning the tide against global warming," said Live Earth founder Kevin Wall.
The other Live Earth concerts will take place at Sydney's Aussie Stadium, Tokyo Stadium, a Shanghai venue to be confirmed, Johannesburg's Cradle of Human Kind and Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach.
The concerts promise to be carbon-neutral events, with everything from lighting the stages to how artists travel being offset. Emissions and waste will be reduced to as little as possible. Proceeds from the concerts will go towards a foundation to combat climate change.
Gore is the author of a bestselling book on global warming. An Inconvenient Truth, which was made into the blockbuster documentary that won Oscars in February.
The last mammoth international concert series was Live8 in July 2005, designed to pressure leaders from the Group of Eight industrialised nations to change their approach to poor countries.
It took up the baton from the unprecedented Live Aid, held at Wembley and at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia in the US.AFP
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