After watching bits of 150 acts over 10 hours of Saturday’s 10 Live 8 concerts, I still have some unanswered questions. Anybody want to help answer these for me?
-What was upwith the painted-on masks on the faces of Michael Stipe and Kanye West’s cocktail-dress-cladstring ensemble?
-Why did Madonna flip the bird at the crowd?
-How embarrassedwas Birhan Woldu, the Ethiopian woman who survived the famine 20 years ago, that Madonna used her as a prop?
-Whathappened to Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters’ voice?
-Who knew Tim McGraw, rocking a sleevelessvest, was so buff?
-Does Jon Bon Jovi still have the best hair in all of rock?
-Was anyone really yearning to hear Bob Geldof drag ”I Don’t Like Mondays” out of mothballs?
-What was the point of having seven channels on AOL if they were all showingWill Smith’s speech?
-Did we all miss the best music because AOL, MTV, and ABC didn’t air anything from the all-African lineups at the Johannesburg and Cornwall concerts?
-Will other artists who’ve seen their sales boosted by Live 8 emulate Pink Floyd and donate the increased royalties to charity?
-How many of these once-in-a-lifetime events, complete with all-star finales, has Paul McCartney headlined? And how many more will he have to headline?
-Why was the TV coverage so lacking in actual, you know, music?
Comments (1-20) of 20
To accuse Madonna of using Birhan is insane. Birhan said in an interview after the concert that Madonna actually helped her lose her nervousness and made her calm when Madonna hugged her and kissed her hands. Birhan admitted that she was so nervous when brought up to the stage, Madonna made her calm down.
This is just another attempt of making negativity out of Madonna’s shining performance and heartfelt gesture for the African survivor.
To accuse Madonna of using Birhan is insane. Birhan said in an interview after the concert that Madonna actually helped her lose her nervousness and made her calm when Madonna hugged her and kissed her hands. Birhan admitted that she was so nervous when brought up to the stage, Madonna made her calm down.
This is just another attempt of making negativity out of Madonna’s shining performance and heartfelt gesture for the African survivor.
All I have heard is negatives about the coverage in the US. CTV in Canada had about 7 straight hours of music, and nothing but. The show from Barrie Ontario was excellent, I think the best of the bunch.
I was mad that they didn’t show more music. THe VJ’s were horrible!!!
-Why did Madonna flip the bird at the crowd?
Because at the Palio di Siena in that moment won Bruco. http://www.ansa.it/main/notizie/fdg/200507022030205081/200507022030205081.html
Domenico Schietti
2010 Eliminazione Povertà
http://www.liberaassociazioneilpopolo.it/
I got the feeling that Birhan was supposed to have been ushered off the stage before Madonna was to sing. I noticed Madonna looking around for someone and I bet it was to have someone help Birhan off the stage but then it was time to sing and she had to make the most of it. It’s to Madonna’s credit that she was able to include Birhan without getting thrown off – there’s only so much you can do with a non-performer on stage when the non-performer was clearly not rehearsed into the number.
Do you really have to ask why MTV didn’t play music? Come on, we’ve all known that answer since 1995 (the last time a video was actually played). Don’t worry there is plenty of pimp my mom and real world China to come.
another burning question: how ironic was it that the TRIMSPA commercial, a product used for WEIGHT MANAGEMENT, was aired at every commercial break?
-Who knew Tim McGraw, rocking a sleeveless vest, was so buff?
Um, who DOESN’T know that??
The show was great – the coverage – i mean, we didn’t really see one or maybe 2 songs from each, and then they had the audacity to break in with TALKING – TALKING while PINK FLOYD played – why wasn’t this more organized? and now that they have everything – why not put it back together and run the whole thing? will there be a dvd of this? and will it cut out songs the way the LIVE AID discs did? and did Natalie Portman actually know why there were there? Do any of us? To end poverty? how – what an excuse for a concert. Should’ve been collecting…AND writing.
Roger Waters – God bless ‘im, his voice has been going since the early 80’s. You can start to hear it on the “pros and cons of hitchiking album”. But to be fair, he always had that sortof-onkey thing going for him anyways (why do you think Gilmour sang so much when Waters wrote all the lyrics?)
Madonna’s performance, for all of its energy and showmanship, was offensive..i need not defend how i feel, but just stating it is enough…I thought Mariah Out-Sung her and was pretty classy..a truely gifted Vocalist..
I really loved how the VJs would talk about how great a particular performance was, then cut to someone else talking to another person how great the performance was, and then never show the actual performance. I recorded the show on Tivo and it literally took me less than an hour to get through a 8 hour show and half the time was spent fast forwarding. You can’t totally blame MTV though, wasn’t it produced by VH1? Either was, what a complete waste. So many great artists to show, for such a great cause, and, once again, completely botched by American television.
I really loved how the VJs would talk about how great a particular performance was, then cut to someone else talking to another person how great the performance was, and then never show the actual performance. I recorded the show on Tivo and it literally took me less than an hour to get through a 8 hour show and half the time was spent fast forwarding. What a complete waste. So many great artists to show, for such a great cause, and, once again, completely ruined by American television.
Yeah!!! The female commentator who thought it was so “magical” and “historic” that The Floyd was back together should have spent more time listening to them play rather than blathering about how great it was that they were playing. I wanted to strap her to a floating pig and just watch her sail off. Nothing like watching someone talk about a band while the band is still playing.
Well, at least you got to see some great act in the US. In Canada, they broadcast the Toronto show which was, except one or two acts, nothing but old hasbeen. I mean, Motley Crue instead of Pink Floyd.
Yeah, this is a little rude, but here goes.
All those TV, Movie, Music stars can screw themselves. They ask ordinary plain and jane citizens to give and give while these “stars” make insane amounts of money. I’ll give $100 for every “star” who donates a movie paycheck to African countries for debt or famine relief. These hollywood types have become so self-important it’s sick. Hearing Chris Martin declare Live8 the greatest thing ever organized is a slap in the face to, i don’t know, say.. the invasion of normandy.
I’m sure these stars really empathize with poor Africans when they sit on mahogany portable toilets (elton john), get $7k goodie bags (Madonna + A-Listers), and take first class flights (all of them) around the world. The hypocrisy is astounding. The only group of people more self-involved are politicians. Maybe instead of companies donating thousands of dollars worth of free stuff, those stars should have encouraged money be given to Live8.
We’ve been shoving money down a pit long enough, let’s do something to put Africa on track to empower themselves to make change.
What a bunch of lazy, cynical comments by the EW writer. Please immediately stop writing about music events.
Watching 8 hours of the London concert on dial-up was more enjoyable than the half hour of American coverage I saw, most of which I fast-forwarded through. I didn’t have to listen to inane commentators endlessly blathering or sit through relentless commercials. I’m just sorry America missed one of the best performers of the London concert — Robbie Williams. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand for 20 minutes.
Madonna’s performace was fantastc, during which she announced ‘are you ready to start a revolution?’ This was what everything was about. She is the queen of popular music therefore it was fantastic she was a part. She sang 3 tracks all amazing, even the crowd were spectacular when Madonna was performing. Live 8 – the long walk to justice would be an even longer walk if the biggest music artist in the world was not involved, thank god (if there is one) she was, go MADONNA!! p.s she gorgeous, especially for 47
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.