Music Humanitarian Aid

One of the Live Earth concerts
was supposed to be held in Washington, before Capitol Hill.
But senator James Inhofe prevented this because, according to him,
the global warming theory is the greatest lie
ever presented to the Americans.

HUMANITARIAN CONCERTS NOT

The whole idea of the Live Aid concert boiled down to raising money for exhausted Africans.
The pivotal character was Bob Geldof who made statements like
"Give us money now!"
with the result of raising 150 million pounds.

Humanitarian Concert = Oxymoron
(not always what they seem to be)
Zita Pronj, CroatiaJavno, Apr 14, 2007
http://www.javno.com/en/lifestyle/clanak.php?id=34144

Climate changes became a popular issue in the context of humanitarian concerts. About 20 years ago, hunger was "in fashion", later on human rights, and now the time has come for global warming. But, the question is if these are real humanitarian concerts of somewhat rusty musicians trying to revive their old splendor through the story of humanness and the promotion of what is good. Live Aid in 1985, its descendant Live 8 in 2005 and today’s Live Earth are examples of very non-stable ideas accompanied by powerful media reactions.

The latest "humanitarian" festival is Live Earth, dedicated to global warming. Concern for the environment and the future of man kind on Earth are very current issues with a large potential for good ticket sales. Seven concerts will be held on seven continents on July 7 this year (two thousand and seven), all with the goal of preventing future climate changes. Or at least it appears so. One of the concerts was supposed to be held in Washington, before Capitol Hill, but senator James Inhofe prevented this, largest opponent of the global warming theory, which is the greatest lie ever presented to the Americans, according to him. Among confirmed performers are Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Duran Duran, The Police, Smashing Pumpkins and the rest great names, but the one that stands out most is Al Gore, appearing in a role of an activist and partner to the mother organisation "Save Ourselves". Therefore, decide for yourselves how much concern there will be about the environment and how much about the advertisements.

This concert is in most text-books, and in Croatia, children get to know of it in primary school already. The pivotal character is Bob Geldof, and the endangered groups are hungry Ethiopians. The whole idea boiled down to raising money for the exhausted Africans, but the outcome, no matter how positive it looks, drew negative reactions of the public and the media. The concert was simultaneously held at the London Wembley and JFK stadium in Philadelphia. Around 160,000 people attended it live, while the number of spectators via satellite broadcast climbed to 1.5 million in over 100 countries. All these people were under the influence of Bob Geldof's statements like "Give us money now!", with a result of gathered 150 million pounds.

During the concert itself, Bob Dylan somewhat ruined the concept by saying he hoped that at least one or two millions of the raised money would end up in the hands of American farmers who were going through a crisis at that time.

Group Chumbawamba still condemn Live Aid musicians for personal advertisement, on their 1986 album "Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records". They claim most performers concentrated on record sales at this concert, and not raising money for the ones who truly need it.

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly criticised the concert organisers because there were doubts that a lot of the collected money ended up on the hands of the then Ethiopia president Megistu Haile Mariam and his army. Also, other critics claim it was donated to Ethiopian non-governmental organisations which were under the direct influence of Dergo's hunta, famous for the execution of at least 50,000 people.

"Live 8" is the name of a line of concerts held in 2005, also under the leadership of Bob Geldof, this time with the goal of raising awareness of the G8 membering countries, which were planning their 31st summit at that time, with the theme, among other things, the economic development of Africa. Ten concerts were held in total with the motto "We do not want your money, we want your vote", which means there was no fund raising, but the concerts were held in order to create a critical mass of people to raise their voices and sign a petition for the pardon of debts of the poorest countries and the implementation of fair trade rules.

Main objections to these concerts were those of an unclear goal. Concerning the circumstances, the entire "Live 8" was reduced to few good concerts which were of no special use to anyone, and the mentioned critical mass was never created. Television and radio host Andy Kershaw wondered if this was actually Geldof's affectation and proving he can influence world statesmen. Also, he was accused of exploiting the African situation with the goal of advertising the careers if already forgotten musicians.

Let us mention the fact that individual concert performers in Philadelphia received presents in stead of a performance fee, like Gibson guitars or Hugo Boss suits, which still lessens their humanitarian intention, and increases their property by at least 3,000 dollars.

Music stars set to rock our world
Like Live Aid, only green, stars to play to save planet
by Mitch Potter, Toronto Star, April 11, 2007
http://www.thestar.com/artsentertainment/article/201673

Can an infinite number of superstars singing to an infinite number of patrons change the world? Global-warming guru Al Gore and an ever-expanding lineup of musical friends are ready to gamble the answer is yes.

Promising to capture more than "two billion eyeballs" in a single 24-hour span, organizers unveiled the Live Earth concert series yesterday, announcing the first wave of top talent slated for seven international stages on July 7 in an effort to mobilize masses in the fight against climate change.

London's Wembley Stadium will feature a generation-straddling roster of Madonna, James Blunt, Foo Fighters, the Black Eyed Peas, Snow Patrol, Genesis, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, among an expected two dozen marquee names, many not yet announced. The U.S. portion will take place in New Jersey, with The Police, Bon Jovi, Roger Waters, Kanye West and Kelly Clarkson sharing top billing. Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo will also host Live Earth concerts, all of which are to be shown live in a cross-platform matrix of television, radio and Web-streaming involving some 120 broadcasters worldwide.

Calling Live Earth "the largest musical event in world history and the beginning of the biggest change we've ever had to make," former U.S. vice-president Gore told Reuters the intent is to mobilize public opinion in ways that will "affect public policy and nations from the United States to China to every place in between."

Reminiscent of Sir Bob Geldof's Live Aid project, which saw Phil Collins ride the now-defunct, carbon-coughing Concorde to perform upon two continents in a single day, Live Earth aims to set a "green example." Eco-friendly electricity, sustainable lighting and carbon-neutral travel will power the shows, organizers say.

Also unlike Live Aid, the Live Earth project is seeking commitment, not cash, from the billions of people it hopes to reach. The request to reach to something deeper than their wallets presents a far more daunting challenge, according to the leaders of the U.K.-based Stop Climate Chaos, one of three environmental alliances associated with Live Earth. "Using pop culture in this way is an admission of desperation on the part of environmental groups," Stop Climate Chaos director Ashok Sinha told the Star. "We don't have the luxury of crafting a 10- or 20-year strategy to engage people. We needed a spectacularly engaging way to get them involved. "On July 7, the challenge to the world will be to pay attention. For groups like ours, the challenge will be to not let that attention fade the moment the music stops. We don't have to be totally po-faced about it, but once people get involved we have to find a way to keep them involved."