A few Bon Jovi mentions, but the last line is what I find interesting. Maybe we need to watch for Jovi throughout the day... just in case they're among those who might collaborate or if the whole lot of them get together and sing at the end or something.

Becky


Philly preps for crowds expected for Live 8 concert

GENARO C. ARMAS

Associated Press


PHILADELPHIA - Kristin Mazur ran down a grassy hill toward the front of the stage after hearing the first bars of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" blare out of the giant speakers during a sound check Friday for Saturday's Live 8 concert.

With hundreds of thousands of people expected to descend on blue-collar, workaday Philadelphia for the real event, Mazur said she knew Friday's chance encounter might be as close as she'll get.

"I'm not liking the humidity either," said Mazur, 19, of Valley Forge, as beads of sweat ran down her neck on a sticky summer afternoon. "But it's not going to stop me."

Organizers say they'll be ready.

"Things are going smoothly, exceedingly well," said Nancy Farbman, a spokeswoman for Electric Factory Concerts, which is co-producing the event.

The Philadelphia show is one of ten Live 8 shows being held worldwide Saturday to raise awareness about the victims of poverty in Africa. Other concerts are being held in London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Moscow, Johannesburg, Tokyo and Toronto, with a related all-African concert in southwest England.

In Philadelphia, sweat-soaked workers milled around the stage set on the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps made famous in "Rocky," wheeling around sound and video equipment and shuttling artists back and forth from the microphone during sound checks.

On the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the eight-lane boulevard stretching out from the museum where most concertgoers will gather, Kim Baker concentrated on organizing the dozens of boxes filled with official $20 Live 8 T-shirts.

"I couldn't even tell you who is on the lineup tomorrow," Baker said.

Headliners in Philadelphia besides Bon Jovi include the Dave Matthews Band, Destiny's Child, Toby Keith, Alicia Keys and Sarah McLachlan. Actor/singer and Philadelphia native Will Smith will host the show, which will be broadcast live on television, radio and the Internet.

The concerts come four days before leaders of the world's richest nations meet in Gleneagles, Scotland, for a Group of Eight summit - and 20 years after the twin Live Aid shows in London and Philadelphia. Organizers want the G-8 leaders to double aid, cancel debt and rework trade laws to help lift African nations out of poverty.

Many acts such as Bon Jovi gave fans an unexpected treat during a daylong sound check in Philadelphia that had workers sneaking away from their offices during lunch hour to catch a song or snap a picture.

Andrew Zech, 20, of Washington, D.C., taking a break from his bike ride to catch a glimpse, said he plans to get to the parkway early on Saturday.

"More than anything else, I'm excited to see 1 million people here," Zech said, echoing an expected crowd estimate given earlier by organizers.

With his 3-year-old son in hand and his three other kids and his wife close by, John Fogliano, 47, said he came Friday to give his children "a glimpse of history."

"It's something for the kids to see what's it's like now," Fogliano said. "It's going to be tougher to come back tomorrow because of the crowds."

Some performers, like singer Josh Groban, were just as excited. Backstage after his sound check, Groban said he was anxious to perform his scheduled duet with McLachlan on Saturday.

"I had a poster on the wall in college. I had a huge crush on her growing up. I think she's just gorgeous and her music is so inspiring," Groban said.

Groban and country singer Keith Urban hinted that there might be other collaborations in the works, too. Twenty years ago, performers at the Live Aid concert gathered together to sing "We Are the World."