Live Earth concerts rock the world
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - In a 24-hour music marathon spanning seven continents, rock stars sharing the spotlight with aboriginal elders and famous scientists urged their fans to turn interest in the Live Earth events into environmental activism.
"Put all of this energy in your heart and help us solve the climate crisis,'' said former Vice President Al Gore, appearing on stage at the end of the final concert, staged at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
With other shows in London, Sydney, Tokyo, Kyoto, Shanghai, Hamburg, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro - and even a performance by a band of scientists at a research station in Antarctica - organizers called Live Earth the biggest musical event ever staged, dwarfing the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts.
Live Earth venues featured aboriginal elders, chimpanzee calls from scientist Jane Goodall, a holographic Gore and more than 100 of the biggest names in music - including Bon Jovi, the Smashing Pumpkins and The Police.
The concerts were backed by Gore, whose campaign to force global warming onto the international political stage inspired the event. Musicians and celebrities at each show encouraged fans to take little steps, such as not leaving electrical devices plugged in when not in use and changing to low-energy light bulbs.
The Police, led by frontman Sting - who along with his wife, Trudie Styler, has been active on environmental issues for years - was the last act to perform in the global concert series. They were joined on stage by John Mayer and Kanye West for a version of "Message in a Bottle.''
At the London show, the stadium's nonessential lights were turned off before the closing act - Madonna - came on stage, leaving the venue dark except for the glow of exit lights and the flashes of cameras.
"Let's hope the concerts that are happening around the world are not just about entertainment, but about starting a revolution,'' said Madonna, who sang a song she wrote for Live Earth called "Hey You.''
The Beastie Boys wore their feelings on their sleeves, performing a furious set of their hits in tailored green suits and shades when they took the stage at Wembley Stadium.
In New Jersey, rocker Melissa Etheridge pounded out her song "I Need to Wake Up,'' which was featured in Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth,'' and won an Oscar for best song this year.
Gore later introduced Bon Jovi, which hails from the Garden State, saying the group was one of the first to volunteer musical services when the concerts were announced. The band didn't make any environmental statements during its five-song set, but that didn't seem to matter to its cheering fans.
The former vice president called on members of the crowd to commit themselves to a seven-point pledge to combat global warming, including steps such as demanding a moratorium on building new coal-powered plants and fighting for more renewable energy.
"I would like to ask each and every one of you to answer the call,'' Gore said.
Many of the celebrities and musical acts - if they mentioned global warming at all - focused on what everyday citizens could do to help out, and tended to stay away from partisan politics. Primatologist Goodall greeted the Jersey crowd with an imitation of a chimpanzee, while Cameron Diaz told concertgoers that the day "is not about gloom and doom. It's a celebration.''
One of the exceptions was environmental activist Robert Kennedy Jr., who called on attendees to "get rid of all those rotten politicians we have in Washington, D.C.''
Organizers promised that the huge shows were made green by using recycled goods, shuttling some concertgoers from distant parking lots in biodiesel buses and using biofuels for generators.
Critics have faulted the Live Earth concerts for lacking clear-cut, achievable goals, and for lauding rock stars whose jet-setting, high-consumption lifestyles can often send a different, less environmentally friendly message.
Many of the musicians acknowledged that they weren't rock stars when it came to the environment, but stressed that it was important to start a discussion about climate change.
"If you want to peg me as not being entirely eco-friendly, you'll win,'' said John Mayer, speaking to reporters after his set. "I also think it's very difficult to judge the success of a movement. ... You can't find out by 9:00 this evening how much awareness was raised. ... What you're really talking about is the placement of an idea at a rock show.''
At other shows around the globe, an estimated 50,000 people grooved through a set by singer-guitarist Jack Johnson, while country stars Garth Brooks and Tricia Yearwood opened the Washington concert and Linkin Park entertained fans at a Tokyo concert.
On Rio's Copacabana Beach, more than 400,000 gathered as the sun set to hear Lenny Kravitz, Macy Gray, Pharrell Williams and Brazilian superstar Jorge Ben Jor. And in Johannesburg, the concert ended with the artists and audience clapping out SOS in morse code - a reference to the evening's theme of answering the call to save the planet.