If we don’t act now on climate change the planet may be next-to-uninhabitable for future generations. You’d think that one horrifying, apocalyptic fact would be enough to make Live Earth something of a Big Event.
Sadly, it ended up a damp squib, hamstrung by poor viewing figures, lower-than-expected attendances, and a failure on the part of the acts, especially at the Wembley leg, to convey any real sense of passion or urgency - in particular Paolo Nutini, who addressed the stadium with all the iron-lunged conviction of a consumptive Dickensian child.
It seems giant benefit gigs have lost their power to unite people behind a cause. Perhaps we’re all too cynical these days. But it wasn’t always this way. Here are 5 Big Event performances that really did capture the public’s imagination.
Bruce Springsteen, No Nukes, 1979
In the aftermath of the Three Mile Island meltdown, an all-star cast staged a residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden to protest against nuclear power. Springsteen utterly stole the show - although curiously he was the only artist on the bill who refused to sign an anti-nuclear petition afterwards. Odd fella.
Thom Yorke, Bridge School Benefit, 2002
Neil Young’s annual concert in aid of disabled children throws up great performances every year, but Thom Yorke’s solo set in 2002 was particularly memorable, including a breathtaking version of Young’s own After The Gold Rush.
U2, Live Aid, 1985
They were supposed to play three songs, ending with their hit Pride (In The Name Of Love), but Bono got stuck in the crowd during Bad, forcing the rest of the band to stretch it out for 10 minutes. An extraordinary, instinctive piece of improvisation.
George Harrison, Concert For Bangladesh, 1971
Best remembered as organiser George Harrison’s first live peformance since The Beatles split, this Madison Square Garden benefit was also one of the only times Bob Dylan played live between 1969 and 1974. This footage shows him and Harrison duetting on If Not For You.
Richard Ashcroft and Coldplay, Live 8, 2005
Introduced by Chris Martin as “the best song ever written, sung by the best singer in the world”, this bullish rendition of Bittersweet Symphony tapped the requisite vein of sky-scraping scale and ambition.
4:55 PM | 11/07/2007
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Coldplay and Ashcroft at Live 8 was piss poor.
Posted by Frankie at 10:36 AM | 15/07/2007 | Report Abuse
Live Aid set the benchmark for sheer scale and originality and nothing has got close since.
Posted by MutedCensor at 10:43 AM | 16/07/2007 | Report Abuse
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