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Live 8 DVD Special
Pt II
DVD Boxset Discs 1 & 2
by Jacob McDaniel |
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Twenty years after Live Aid was held to
benefit victims of the Ethiopian famine, Live 8 was organized to persuade
leaders of G8 to "make poverty history" - primarily by increasing financial
aid and AIDS medication, while canceling debts to some of the poorest African
countries. Past global concerts have been used as a fund-raising tool for
a cause. Live 8, however, claims that they only want your voice. Perhaps
I'm naïve, but I fail to see how collecting donations would have tarnished
their agenda. At any rate, an estimated three billion people watched some
part of the concert series, making it one of the biggest music events of
all time.
Disc One:
Disc one opens with a bang, as Paul McCartney
plays "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with the help of U2 backing
him. Although Paul is dressed fairly conservatively, someone decided that
his horn section should don the garb of the Beatles during that 1967 time
period. I'm hoping that they enjoyed wearing their flamboyant outfits as
much as I enjoyed snickering at them.
Next on the bill is U2 playing a three
song set ("Beautiful Day", "Vertigo", "One"). I've never cared for U2's
music, and I've cared even less for Bono's preachy humanitarian rants.
However, U2 was made to play events like this, and Bono's piercing voice
seemed to be one of the few that was there to make a difference. U2's set
climaxed and closed with "One", which was executed perfectly.
One of the few other highlights from disc
one came when Richard Ashcroft joined Coldplay on stage for a rendition
of "Bittersweet Symphony". Ashcroft's vocals were in top shape, and Martin's
keyboard work meshed nicely with the backing orchestration.
Great performances: U2, Coldplay
(w/ Richard Ashcroft), Green Day
Good performances: Muse, Black
Eyed Peas
Poor performances: Bon Jovi, Snoop
Dogg, Duran Duran, Elton John
Disc Two:
Disc two opens with Beyonce-led Destiny's
Child pumping through "Survivor", which proved to be one of the more energetic
performances in this compilation. Kanye West also delivers with "Diamonds
from Sierra Leone", in which his confident aura shows in his stage presence.
Disc two also contains one of the most
sickening performances, an act that reveals the main problem of Live 8:
Are the artists performing in order to rid Africa of poverty, or are they
performing for access to billions of potential fans? Will Smith is carried
onto the stage on a throne, as the loudspeakers repeat the phrase, "The
champ is here". Smith then says, "There's been a whole lot of superstars
on this here stage tonight. But I want you to know one thing: Philly is
my house." It's a shame that such ego-stroking occurs during Live 8, and
it's even more of a shame that the artist most guilty has perhaps the most
suspect credentials. Perhaps the most appalling part of the situation is
that Will Smith is given three songs on disc two, while Kanye West, Brian
Wilson, and Snow Patrol are all given only one.
Great performances: Kanye West,
Brian Wilson
Good performances: Destiny's Child,
Snow Patrol, Alicia Keys, Sting
Poor performances: Will Smith,
Toby Keith
Check back next week for reviews of
Disc Three and Four
CD Info and Links
Live 8 DVD Boxset
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