Stars Take Center Stage In Fight To Halt Climate Change

By ALAN RIDING The New York Times

Published: Jul 8, 2007

LONDON - They joined forces two years ago to combat global poverty under the flag of Live 8, and on Saturday rock and pop stars and their myriad fans around the world again threw their voices behind a good cause, this time that of raising awareness about global warming through a campaign called Live Earth.

In eight major concerts attended by hundreds of thousands and watched on television or the Web by many hundreds of millions more, local and international celebrities backed solo and group acts to promote individual, corporate and government action to slow, even reverse, climate change.

"We're here to save the world," Chris Moyles, a British DJ, told the crowd at the start of the nine-hour show at London's Wembley Stadium. "Will you help?"

The entire venture has Al Gore as its guardian guru. The former vice president's environmental documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," inspired the American producer, Kevin Wall, to apply the formula he used to organize Live 8 to the fresh challenge of global warming. Gore enthusiastically backed the 24-hour initiative.

"It's the largest entertainment event in the history of the world," Gore said with some hyperbole Thursday on CNN's Larry King Live, noting that an audience of 2 billion people was expected.

Starting at Aussie Stadium in Sydney, the concerts were timed to spread west throughout the day, to Tokyo and Shanghai in Asia, Johannesburg in South Africa, Hamburg in Germany, Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach in Brazil and eventually to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and a smaller event in Washington, as well as London.

Rock, Rap And So Much More

The show at Wembley Stadium offered one of the liveliest lineups of rock stars. The show opened under an early afternoon sun with Phil Collins and Genesis and ended long after dark with Madonna as the closing attraction.

In between, performing before a crowd of about 50,000, were the Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Duran Duran, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Spinal Tap, Beastie Boys and Foo Fighters, among others.

In other cities, well-known singers on the program included Crowded House and Jack Johnson in Sydney; Linkin Park and Rihanna in Tokyo; Sarah Brightman in Shanghai; Baaba Maal in Johannesburg; Chris Cornell, Shakira and Snoop Dogg in Hamburg; and Lenny Kravitz and Pharrell Williams in Rio de Janeiro.

At Giants Stadium, the temperature hovered near 90 degrees as a succession of bands and musicians including Kanye West, Roger Waters and The Police were among 18 performers.

Organizers said the crowd inside the stadium numbered 52,000.

One of the most rousing responses of the afternoon came barely 45 minutes into the marathon show, when Gore bounded onto the stage wearing jeans and a black shirt. "You are Live Earth," he told the crowd, then thanked performers for participating in a "global effort to solve the climate crisis."

A moment later, Keith Urban, joined by Alicia Keys, launched into a droning, apocalyptic cover version of "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones.

Global Event Undergoes Criticism

For all the public interest in the environment, Live Earth also has been sharply criticized, notably in Britain by Bob Geldof, the singer who played a central role in promoting Live 8. "Live Earth doesn't have a final goal," he said in May, adding that it would only be useful if it forced politicians and corporations to announce concrete environmental measures.

Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders was also outspoken, saying it would be "a bit patronizing" to think his group could change the world. "Especially when we're using enough power for 10 houses just for lighting, it would be a bit hypocritical," he told Agence-France Presse after a recent concert in Paris.

Even harsher has been criticism in newspapers of the energy-expending lifestyle of many singers, some of whom, it has been reported, flew their private planes halfway across the world to play in Saturday's concerts.

Gore and Wall have tried to answer these critics, responding to Geldof's snipe about goals by asking the public to commit to a seven-point pledge. It includes demanding an international treaty to cut carbon emissions by 90 percent, working for energy efficiency at home and in the workplace and reducing individual carbon pollution to become "carbon neutral."

Live Earth's organizers also claim these are the most "green" rock concerts ever held, with recyclable material used wherever possible. Profits are to go to Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection and other ecological groups.