[baboonworld]

Doesnt things like Live8 make it really hard to leave!!

You dont get bands playing gigs like this in NZ

Even if you break it down and think.... um... i like The Who ... Id like to see them!!

NOT IN NZ

The only bands i saw in NZ were Jimmy Barnes, U2 (ex i know) and Split Enz.

Now every so often you get barbara steiensand, rod stewart, cher etc!!!

OH MY GOD !!!!!


I feel like crying!

[Bubbles]

The Who and Pink Floyd were just S**T HOT.

[xanctus]

You dont get bands playing gigs like this in NZ

I feel the same way about that baboonworld... :( :(

[StevieD]

Well, David Byrne (ex-Talking Heads) played Auck recently, and that's o.k. for me :nice1 Don't go to that many concerts myself, but I agree it would be nice to see the "biggies" now and again. Now how can I set up a music agency - must get in touch with some of my friends in Liverpool about this, now where did I put Maccas phone number......

The concert was totally electrifying. Tears, joy, it was all there. It certainly made you think about the s****y deal that our politicians and business leaders give to us ordinary folk, and I include everybody in the world in this. Africa is a huge problem, but let's not forget South America, Asia et al. There are people living in some scary conditions in this country too.
And the same can be said about us, when you see the amount of cash that we spend/waste pampering ourselves, on shoes, make-up, food, entertainment. It certainly makes you look at yourself and think.

Now which way is Edinburgh.. :exit

[Michelle and Richard]

Well said Steve

We are getting a new venue in Auckland, it was on the news as "big enough to hold concerts by bands such as U2" and I'm afraid thats where it stopped. They just don't make the trip over here very often and if they do ticket prices are $100 plus so a bit pricey.

Since I have been here we have had Dido, Black Eyed Peas and REM played New Plymouth and thats about it ! Oh and Cher played North Harbour tickets were outrageous with some being up to $400, it didn't sell out.


Michelle

[Diny]

Doesnt things like Live8 make it really hard to leave!!


You're joking right?

Putting aside all the meaning behind the concert and concentrating simply on the actual gig itself ............ sorry, I thought it was teetering on the wrong side of average - well the bits I saw anyway.

Must admit I didn't see the Who but I understand their sound test was brilliant so that bodes well about their performance.

I suppose I was expecting the same atmosphere as Live Aid 20 years back, I was disappointed from the start. Mind you, I reckon it could be me who's being boring not the the concert itself.

And just to throw a political stick in the spokes .......... A couple of weeks ago I was thumbing through a Hello magazine and there was a picture of 'Sir' Bob (yeah right ) taken on a recent trip to Africa. He was sitting on a huge throne, dressed in the finest ceremonical robes, surrounded by the locals all praising him as King Bob. He had such a smug look on his face I could have slapped it. The only thing missing was the little black boy curled up on the floor being used as a foot rest. Can't get round the idea that there's a huge amount of 'self adoration' going on here. That picture sort of proved (to me) what this is all about for him.

I'm not brushing over the problems that exisit all over the world, I'm just voicing my 'problems' with 'Sir Bob'. Live Aid didn't work .......... I doubt Live 8 will work ...... but at least 'Sir Bob' has got himself back in the news and boosted his flagging ego.

I'll walk across hot coles to help people - but I'm not into hero worship. As for the bands I saw .......... very disappointing.

Flack jacket on.

Diny

[Mildred]

Its nice to put our world leaders to shame but I also didn't find the concert had as much atmosphere as previous ones.

I had to walk out of the room when Maria Carey came on after reading about all her demands for red carpets etc when she stays at hotels. It would be nice if some of these performers could try living a month in genuine hardship. Perhaps they could stop buying £200+ jeans, get a pair for £15 from Matalan and donate the difference to Africa.

Like Diny, now looking for the Flak Jacket or should it be straight jacket?

[foolsgold99]

I'm with Diny on this, whilst I'm sure some of the music was ok, I still don't see the point of this.

Quote Madonna "Are you ready to start a revolution? Are you ready to change history? I said, are you ready?" Before heading back to her mansion in Wiltshire. does she think that belting out like a prayer is going to change anything. In my more forgiving moments I can just about believe the people involved mean well. Did you see Macca on stage with Bono. Line from a song sticks in my mind "soaked in hype and foolishness"

Geldoff said this wasn't about money, it was about harnessing the political power of the audience to force G8 leaders into change. Sting displayed their photos, "we'll be watching you". As they say in NZ, Yeah right, Bro.
99.9% of the punters that turned out to watch these gigs won't be watching the leaders of the G8 to examine their comittment to poverty in Africa. They'll be watching Big Brother instead.

The simple fact is that the young don't vote, even if they did, who are they going to vote for ? The Africa party ?? They're only there for the music

Did anyone catch the fiasco of the Sail8 thing, only 5 boats made it to France, and there was no one to pick up. Bet Bobby boy, distances himself from that one quick sharp.

Perhaps they could stop buying £200+ jeans, get a pair for £15 from Matalan and donate the difference to Africa.


Why bother, they'll only squander the money on AK-47s and private jets and cocaine for their leaders

I said it before Africa is a shambles because of the low standard of goverence. Democray isn't a concept native to africa, it took europe hundreds of years and many bloody wars to embrace it. We can't expect to dump it onto a semi-fedual society and expect them to cope. The crying shame is that the second world war destroyed both the british and french empires in Africa, they were dropped in at the deep end and didn't deal well. Another 100 years or so of colonial rule would have been better in the long term.

[jo b]

Well,

I heard it on radio 1 as we were camping in Derbyshire :clap

I have to say I have been with Diny on Foolsgolds thought on this, call me an old synic but how can mulit millionaires really put thenselves in the position of someone close to death..........mmmmmmm.

After 25 years or so after the first live aid nothing has changed!!!! There's more than one way to skin a cat.

I get the feeling this time it's a little bit like big brother syndrome. When that first started the insiders didn't know what the outside world thought of it. Then as each one came about the fame hunters jumped on board. To me live8 smacks of that.

Rant over, flack jacket on.

Jo

[markkellaway]

Hmmm, interesting thread.

Does it really matter if Bob Geldof is on an ego trip (I'm not saying that he is)? The fact is that the intent of this is to raise awareness so that individuals can put pressure on elected politicians to do something about the problems. If none of us believe that can have an impact then let's scrap any ideas we have of democracy and wait for the real big brother! :no

As for the first Live Aid being a failure, it actually wasn't. It did save an awful lot of lives, sure it was a sticking plaster and didn't have a long term effect, but it did make a difference to the lives of many. The fact that the current effort is not about raising money surely means that people realise that we can't fix the problem just by throwing money at it?

Let's not just knock the efforts of a few people just because they are rich and privileged, at least they are making an effort. This whole thing may be a waste of time, but at least they are trying. Criticism is great, if it comes with an alternative but let's not knock people who could, after all, have entirely genuine intentions, however naive they may be.

Now my rant is over, and I don't have a flak jacket!!!

Mark. :P

[Moorf]

With their joint net worth why don't THEY pay off a small country's debt and show us all what can be achieved???

:roll:

I was at Live Aid in '85, which was fab, and it just seemed as if they were trying to recreate it again (felt bloomin' old though as it appears some of the Live8 audience may not have been BORN when Live Aid was on!! :wah :wah ) Musicians mid-life crisis methinks :laugh :laugh

Having said that, I did add myself to the Live8 list :P

[Diny]

With their joint net worth why don't THEY pay off a small country's debt and show us all what can be achieved???


I think if it was Mr Joe Average with 2.2 kids, and an annual income of 30k who was standing on the stage telling us we have to make ourselves heard then (for me anyway) it would have alot more meaning.

They say this is not about money but that's tosh - of course it is. Like Moorf says, the combined spare income of these flagging stars would clear the debt of a small country. It wasn't that long ago that Sting hired a new accountant and the first thing he discovered was that his old accountant had creamed 11 million out of his bank account and he hadn't even noticed.

If that can happen, then surely he - and a few others - wouldn't notice another 11 million going missing.

They need to adopt a 'do as I do - not as I say' approach to get people to take them more seriously.

If this attitude makes me sound like a hard hearted bitch then so be it. I'm not - I just get rather irked when some aging 'has been' decides to branch out into their own kind of politics and those of us who don't 'hail them almighty' are considered narrow minded, stupid and arrogant.

They say charity begins at home .... and that's exactly where 'Sir Bob' should go.

Diny

[Jon]

I'm sorry the vast majority of the bands were totally embarrassing, but its all about raising awareness, which I think it did quite well (you'll find out how much it matters on wednesday).

The main problem is until africa (mainly south africa), takes responsibility for its own continent (ie Zimbabwe) the leaders of the g8 will be reluctant to make more than a token gesture.

Sorry to get too political, if anyone's out in NZ let me know if the go-betweens are touring august/september time?

Cheers
Jon

[Moorf]

It wasn't that long ago that Sting hired a new accountant and the first thing he discovered was that his old accountant had creamed 11 million out of his bank account and he hadn't even noticed.

Add to that the 36million that U2 turned down last month for a car company to use "Streets with No Name" in a global car ad and we've nearly cleared a country's debt!

They turned down the ££ cos they didn't like the car brand :eek but hey, couldn't they have swallowed their "Pride" and "In the Name of Love" taken the £££ and donated it to their fav charity??!! :uhoh

[wayne]

I too found it very average/poor and how they had the nerve to push Bill Gates out there spouting on about dropping world debt when he could clear up the third world dept and still have more than enough left to live his days out in comfort.
I must admit it didnt seem to have the force of the original too many lame acts I think

[Jon]

To be fair Wayne, Gates has set up some foundation to help reduce third world debt, it was in the Sunday Times yesterday.....he can afford it of course!

Cheers
Jon

[GeorgeM]

I support the sentiment - it WOULD be nice to know that no-one was living in poverty in Africa or anywhere else.

Unfortunately wiping out Third World debt wouldn't make much difference - it would just leave more in the pot for the various strong men and warlords throughout these parts of the world to cream off billions whilst their people continue to die.

Sierra Leone in West Africa has huge resources in diamonds. Nigeria has oil. South Africa has gold. Zimbabwe used to have some very productive agricultural land. Yet in all of these countries people die of poverty whilst leaders and members of the ruling elite (no longer a colonial one) live lives of luxury and oppulance.

The colonial period was far from perfect, but I wonder how many in Africa would have been better served by a slow road to self determination rather than the headlong rush into inter-tribal warfare, genocide and mob rule which has so often been the result of political reform. I remember as a student naively marching to help 'liberate' Zimbabwe. I am truly sorry now for those who were once amongst the best-off blacks in Africa and who are now living in squallor, hunger and abject poverty.

Until all aid into these places comes with huge strings attached (yes, if necessary in the very non-PC form of "be like us or you don't get anything off us") the problems will continue.

[jo b]

George,

you put that in a way I couldn't.

And Diny yes if it was mrs ave jo bloggs it would have more meaning.

How powerful was it to have MAndonna f'ing all her way through the performance, I am sure this was not the kind of attention Bob intended.

In Paris people treated it as a family day out and turned up with the names of their fave bands on.......absolutley nothing about abolishing 3rd world debt. Organisers in Paris were blamed for this by R1.
Even if we did abolished third world debt the starving and poverty stricken would be no better off as it's the corrupt governments that owe the money not the needy.

Jo

[Mildred]

My son thought Roger Dawltry looked like Johnny Wilkinson!

[Diny]

Roger Daltry ...... PHWOAAAAARRRRRRRR.

Now there's a fine specimen of manhood. Did any of you see his bare bum in McVicar. It's worth renting the film and just replaying that bit over and over again.

Pure bliss :nice1 :nice1 :nice1

Diny

[Mildred]

Diny you need to get out more :roll:

[alihow]

i've seen REM, U2, Rolling Stones Robbie Williams, Duran Duran, Elton John, Bobby Brown, MC Hammer, B52's, to name a few in NZ. Bit embarrassed about the last few there but hey! We get a ton of big named bands in NZ. Robbie seems to tour there alot!

[toesonthenose]

I think a large part of the purpose of Live 8 was that the G8 pledged to give 0.7% of their national GDP in aid, debt forgiveness, etc. Many of the European G8 nations are very close to this, and some even exceed. The US continues to sit at 0.19%, and has not fulfilled the even moderate increases promised by Mr. Bush. Additionally, Mr. Bush has created these Millenium Challenge Accounts, where the developing nations can apply for US aid through a competitve grant application process. Probably a very difficult task if anything like our federal education training grants. I think if Live 8 can educate some Americans to the shell game being engineered in Washington DC, then it will achieve some success in the US. Also, the US has spent 300Billion US$ on our Iraq adventure, with billions unaccounted for and Halliburton making massive profits. Not really that different then the small scale corruption of many African governments.

[Timbo]

Rogers a bit old for you isnt he Diny. :laugh
I have to say though, he has not lost his brilliant voice with age. Neither has Dave Gilmour of Floyd, unlike (imo) Robbie W who sounded like he had just had his "1000 fags" (cigarrettes to all of you Americans :oops: )

[Mildred]

unlike (imo) Robbie W who sounded like he had just had his "1000 fags"


Timbo

Shame on you :( If I have a telephone interview with NZIS I will mention that Robbie appearing so much in NZ is one of the reasons for wanting to live there. He has to be the sexiest thing on legs

http://tcwozere.co.uk/smileys/girly11.gif

[Bubbles]

Frances, you need to get out more. :roll:

;)

[Timbo]

You took the words right out of my mouth John :laugh .

[Bubbles]

Just to bring the debate back up


Stars see album sales soar after Live 8 gigs


LONDON (Reuters) - They came out of charity. They left with booming record sales.

The galaxy of rock stars who took part in Live 8 concerts on Saturday to help beat the curse of poverty have seen their discs fly off the shelves in music stores -- a case of bank balances as well as consciences winning out.


Live 8's main cause, making poverty history, also benefitted though, after the London performance of Beatles classic "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was released over the Internet with all proceeds going to the campaign.

According to HMV, one of the country's main record retailers with 200 stores nationwide, Pink Floyd's "Echoes" album posted a staggering 1,343 percent increase in sales on Sunday compared with the same day a week ago.


The band re-formed for the Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park, where they joined pop legends Paul McCartney, Madonna, U2 and Elton John among others in front of 200,000 people.

"Even allowing for the relative nature of this exercise ... this snapshot still shows that the Live 8 concert is having a marked effect on sales of featured artist recordings," said Gennaro Castaldo, spokesman for the HMV chain.

He stressed that the increase for Pink Floyd and other acts appearing in Hyde Park was partly due to the low number of records sold on Sunday, June 26. Total sales of "Echoes" on Sunday, July 3, the day after Live 8, were approaching 1,000.

Next came The Who's "Then & Now", with an increase of 863 percent, Annie Lennox's "Eurythmics Greatest Hits" (500 percent) and Dido's "Life For Rent" (412 percent).

ONLINE RELEASE

Coldplay's "X&Y", which has stormed the charts in Britain and the United States, registered one of the smallest increases out of the London Live 8 acts at just three percent.

But according to HMV, the band still sold the highest number of records at more than 2,800.

The only Live 8 performer to have clocked a drop in sales was Pete Doherty. His former group the Libertines saw sales of their "Up the Bracket" album drop by 35 percent.

Doherty's performance was singled out by the media as one of the worst of the nine-hour Hyde Park music marathon.

The Mirror tabloid called his duet with Elton John "shambolic", and people at the gig said he struggled with the words of "Children of the Revolution" and looked unsteady on his feet.

Record label Universal Music Group released online "Sgt. Pepper", sung by McCartney and U2 at the opening of the Hyde Park gig, within minutes of the performance.

A spokesman for Universal said it was already the number one track on the iTunes online music service in Britain, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Belgium. No outright sales figures were available on Monday. Proceeds go to Live 8.

The closing London Live 8 song, another Beatles classic "Hey Jude", has also been put online.


:?