Jovitalk - Bon Jovi Fan Community - A few Live 8 articles

Here are some articles I'm sending out on my e-mail lists. You might find something interesting in them, or maybe not. There's a quote from Jon in one of them and a few comments on their performance.

Becky

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...05-510135.html

Rocking from beginning to end
By ANDY VINEBERG
Bucks County Courier Times
PHILADELPHIA - It began with an energetic performance from a young British rock band unfamiliar to most people in the crowd and ended more than seven hours later with an emotionally stirring set from a living legend.

Along the way, perhaps the largest crowd to ever attend a concert in Philadelphia - an estimated several hundred thousand people - were treated to spirited performances by some of the biggest music stars in the world.

While Philadelphia's Live 8 concert in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum steps Saturday might have lacked one defining musical moment, surprise guests or a star-studded grand finale, the show provided enough diversity to satisfy all pop music tastes.

And really, how can you complain about a concert that ends with Stevie Wonder belting out "Superstition."

Before Wonder's 30-minute finale, which featured duets with earlier performers Rob Thomas and Maroon 5's Adam Levine, 17 acts played sets of between 10 and 20 minutes. They began with England's The Kaiser Chiefs at 11:40 a.m. There were also occasional feeds on the Jumbotron screens from Live 8 concerts in London, Rome and Berlin. (Save for a few hundred lucky fans directly in front of the stage, nearly everybody in the crowd was limited to watching even the Philly concert on the video screens.)

Host and Philly native Will Smith greeted the crowd at noon and immediately reminded them why they were there, snapping his finger at three-second intervals to indicate how often a child in Africa dies.

Smith returned to perform at 1:35 p.m. on a considerably more upbeat note. Carried out on a throne as the theme from "Rocky" blared and pyrotechnics shot from the stage, Smith declared, "The champ is here" and "Philly is my house" before launching into an entertaining five-song set with former partner DJ Jazzy Jeff. The pair led the crowd in a sing-along of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" theme song and ended with a rousing "Summertime" and more fireworks.

Hip-hop and R&B artists dominated the early hours of the concert. The Black Eyed Peas, who took the stage shortly after noon, set a high bar for the rest of the acts, with a powerful set that was capped by a fitting performance of Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up," with Marley's wife, Rita, and son, Ziggy and Stephen.

Other early highlights included a crowd-pleasing set by Destiny's Child and a mesmerizing performance by young hip-hop star Kanye West, who offered the day's most pointed political statement. West bemoaned the loss of lives that aren't as "important as the politicians driving home in their Bentleys every night."

It wasn't until 2:30 that rock fans got their first real music fix, courtesy of a solid four-song set from the Dave Matthews Band capped by a funky version of "Too Much." (Earlier in the day, Bon Jovi seemed to go through the motions during its three-song performance.)

Reigning R&B queen Alicia Keys followed Matthews with just one song, a beautiful version of "For All We Know" on piano in memory of Luther Vandross, who died Friday.

Then came one of the concert's biggest crowd pleasers, a 30-minute set by rap/metal band Linkin Park. That ended with a four-song collaboration with hip-hop star Jay-Z.

Among the late-afternoon acts, '80s hair-band kings Def Leppard sounded surprisingly good. Sarah MacLachlan performed a beautiful duet with Josh Groban. Maroon 5 showed its rock chops with a stirring version of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" and Australian country star Keith Urban earned at least one new fan with an infectiously upbeat set. (Urban's performance was far superior to Toby Keith's among the day's two country acts.)

Rob Thomas followed Urban with a solid four-song set before Wonder, introduced by actor Richard Gere as a "true wonder of soul and genuine conscious," deservedly held court for the finale.

"We're going to change the world. We're going to make it better," Wonder told the crowd.

****************

Politics Meets Rock, Rap at U.S. Leg of Live 8
Sunday, July 03, 2005
By Jane Roh

PHILADELPHIA — With 10 concerts around the globe designed to push Africa to the top of the agenda of next week's Group of Eight (search) summit, it may be fitting that the largest turnout by far was in the United States.

Live 8's (search) American leg was held in Philadelphia, the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed more than 200 years ago. The all-day event on the Saturday of the Fourth of July weekend officially kicked off at noon, with many attendees staking out spots on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway (search) hours beforehand, expecting to watch live feeds from host cities including London and Paris.

Due to technical glitches, that didn't happen. But even those who feared disaster and embarrassment for the "City of Brotherly Love" agreed the event was largely a success.

"I was really pleasantly surprised," said Joey Sweeney, who runs the Philebrity blog. "For all the ... kvetching and hand-wringing that we did, I'm kind of proud. It seemed by all accounts to go without a hitch."

Washington, D.C., lawyer Edmund Burke, 35, who drove up Saturday morning for the event, also had high praise for Philly's leg of Live 8.

"It was really impressive. It was brilliant. So incredible. I think the people of Philadelphia were wonderful to all show up and come out," he said.

Though the city's claim that more than 1 million people were in attendance is probably a gross overestimation — according to an analysis by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Parkway can hold 400,000 people max — the actual figure will likely beat those in the other nine cities: London; Eden Project, Britain; Moscow; Paris; Berlin, Rome; Barrie, Canada; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Tokyo. The Japanese festival saw a paltry 10,000-person turnout.

But enthusiasm was high in Philly. After the lineup's least-known band and sole indie-rock contribution, Kaiser Chiefs, warmed up the crowd with a three-song set, host and native Philadelphian Will Smith (search) led a live video shout-out to the other Live 8 cities. Then, in what would be one of the few sobering moments of the day, he informed the audience that a child in Africa dies every three seconds and snapped his fingers every three beats to drive the point home. The silent crowds in Philly and other Live 8 cities were soon snapping their fingers, too.

Shortly after noon, the nearly seven-hour tour of current American pop officially kicked off with the bouncy hip-hop act the Black Eyed Peas (search), which performed two of its best-known songs and its latest release.

Despite the somber message of event, the performances were mostly upbeat, hip-shaking party acts — save Sarah McLachlan (search) and Stevie Wonder. Ironically, advertisements for a luxury hotel-casino played on giant screens between acts.

Such incongruities were par for the course and probably unavoidable. After all, the point of Live 8 was to wake up the G8, which represents the world's wealthiest and most powerful nations, to the myriad problems in Africa, a continent of largely underdeveloped nations marred by poverty, disease and corruption.

"The commitments made this week at the G8 Summit could make a world of difference to the people of Africa," actress Jennifer Connelly told the crowd, encouraging them to sign a petition urging the G8 to commit to canceling Africa's staggering debt, doubling foreign aid and tamping down domestic subsidies to boost African farmers and manufacturers ability to compete in the global marketplace.

More pointed political statements were rare. Performers reportedly had to agree to keep any sharp criticisms about the war in Iraq the G8's leaders to themselves. But leave it to rap heavyweight Jay-Z (search) to get his digs in anyway.

"We're spending billions and billions of dollars to kill people, when we should we spending billions and billions of dollars to help people live," Jay-Z said to enthusiastic applause.

It may have been the lone reference to the war in Iraq all day.

A blazing sun and sardine-like conditions on the ground had attendees wilting by early afternoon and Jay-Z's performance with Chicago rap-rockers Linkin Park was the energy booster the Philly crowd needed. "Numb/Encore" and "Big Pimpin'/Papercut," from their "Collision Course" collaboration, were among the strongest performances of the day.

Another highlight of the show was also the briefest. While many younger attendees shrugged off aging '80s hair band Def Leppard during their 20-minute set, songbird Alicia Keys (search) had hundreds of thousands swaying to jazz classic "For All We Know." She got up and left abruptly after the number.

Aussie country star Keith Urban wisely opened his set with the chorus "Philadelphia Freedom," before launching into his hit "Days Go By." After a cover of Phil Collins' late-'80s hit "Another Day in Paradise" — another reminder to the mostly young crowd that the day belonged to a serious cause — Urban closed with a rocking, reverb-heavy version of "Somebody Like You." For a town that isn't known for a fondness of country music, Urban handily won the crowd over.

Producer-turned-rapper Kanye West (search) also delivered a political number with "Diamonds From Sierra Leone." His mini-orchestra — whose female players apparently took their fashion cues from a Robert Palmer video — along with some arresting visual graphics made his the most dramatic set of the day. West performed his rap confessional, "Jesus Walks," with an enormous digital crosses blazing in the background.

Whether the drama onstage or the symbolism of Saturday's huge turnouts will translate to real change in the developed world's aid and trade policies toward Africa remains to be seen. Some attendees said that it would be hard for President Bush and the rest of the G8 to ignore the will of so many newly emboldened citizens.

"Everyone feels compassion toward other people, especially those who are less privileged than the rest of us, but a lot of us feel powerless," Burke said. "Now with the One movement people have gone under one umbrella and they've realized ... we can achieve our goals by going to these eight men and saying ... 'You guys have the money to go to war. We're just asking for a little bit to help make the world a better place."

Philadelphian Cedric White, 28, said he was optimistic Live 8's impact would be felt beyond Saturday's concerts.

"Hopefully everybody can come together and make a difference in the world. That's something I'm about and that's why I'm here. You just have to put a full effort in," he said.

Paul Normandeau, 52, who was in town from Toronto visiting family, said that what he and hundreds of thousands of others were asking of their leaders was relatively painless.

"The idea of the constant deaths is just unsustainable. And the idea of not having retroviral drugs at a reasonable price is just shameful," he said. "That's something the G8 countries can afford very cheaply, to stop the AIDS (search) crisis and at least treat people with HIV. Water for a whole continent is a little difficult, but HIV drugs, that should not be difficult."

Still others kept their expectations in check.

"I think ultimately they're going to do whatever they want to do," said Philebrity's Sweeney. "They may decide to do the right thing. But if however many thousands of years of human history can't convince these guys to do the right thing, I don't think a concert will."

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http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/ent...8/12045794.htm

Starr food, comfort backstage

By Michael Klein and Annette John-Hall

Inquirer Staff Writers

The stars made the scene at Live 8 yesterday, arriving in black SUVs with tinted windows, escorted by motorcycle cops with sirens wailing.

Backstage, on the side of the Art Museum not visible to the millions watching, a celebrity street festival unfolded.

It was the artists' compound, their VIP area for the day. Performers, their handlers and their friends milled about outside lines of trailers just like the sales offices at housing developments.

Down the row, on the museum's Kelly Drive parking apron: Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Will Smith, Jazzy Jeff.

Jay-Z, in a white jacket, rolled into his dressing room, next to Destiny's Child's, guarded by the biggest guy you've ever seen. Linkin Park, distinctive in tattoos and black T-shirts, sat with Black Eyed Peas at picnic tables livened up by fake palm trees and green and silver streamers.

Toby Keith, a mountain of a man, gave a hello to Jimmy Smits, grinning behind shades, headphones over his ears. Jon Bon Jovi had a trailer but elected to hang in his tour bus, parked nearby. {I wonder whose bus he was actually hanging out at? I know it wasn't his nonexistant tour bus.}

Jennifer Connelly, pixie-ish in a short jacket, jeans and purple sneaks, autographed posters, which will later be sold for charity.

One of the more surreal moments came in the person of pin-up queen Anna Nicole Smith - who, clad in skintight jeans and a clingy pink top that barely contained her bosom, posed in the press tent without saying a word.

Grammy winner West said he was risking missing his Essence Music Festival gig in New Orleans last night to be here. He was one of several celebrities who spoke about the Live 8 cause. "I know that African people are dying," he said. "So if I can bring some awareness, that's good."

Another Grammy winner, Alicia Keys, took the opportunity after her one-song performance to promote her favorite charity, Keep a Child Alive, which provides medicine directly to HIV-positive African children and their families.

Keys said it was important that she perform in Philadelphia "because it seems America has a disconnect when it comes to Africa. ... We feel empathy, but it's like ... 'What can I do?' As an American, I want to say that it's not that hard."

Keys also noted the passing Friday of rhythm-and-blues crooner Luther Vandross, 54, whom she called an inspiration, as did Al Sharpton.

"We used to eat fried chicken up in Harlem and pretend it was diet chicken," Sharpton said, laughing.

Impresario Russell Simmons, who helped produce the hip-hop-heavy show, said: "No big idea carries in America without hip-hop. ... It's the best brand-building community in the country."

Simmons attended with a staff that included Tony Austin, president of Russell Simmons Music Group, and Benjamin Chavis, executive director of Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.

Some artists, such as presenter Don Cheadle, have found themselves in the role of "actor-vist." Because of his Oscar-nominated role in the film Hotel Rwanda, he said, he has been asked to help various African causes. "Once you open yourself up to that, it's hard to say no," he said.

"We're here in the moment, but this energy can dissipate," Cheadle added. "Hopefully this will light a fuse that will continue to go for years and years."

But Dave Matthews has always lent his band and his voice to social causes. He hopes the voices of Live 8 will still be reverberating on July 6 when the G-8 leaders meet in Scotland.

"Hopefully this can be a movement [in which] citizens of the world say that we can't live with an injustice that we can solve effortlessly," Matthews said. "Let's clean the slate and let Africa invest in its own future."

With temperatures in the mid-80s, many artists, including Will Smith, chose to have meals delivered to their trailers. For several hours, this area was the most exclusive free restaurant in the country.

In an air-conditioned tent across from the trailer for Destiny's Child, Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr and a staff of 60 recreated his restaurants Buddakan and Morimoto. A 10-foot Buddha, similar to the showpiece at Buddakan, dominated one wall. Next door, the Borgata casino set up a swank area.

Anna Nicole dropped in with her two lapdogs, snuggled in leopard-print carriers. Chris Tucker and his family were also there, among the celebrities who ate crab spring rolls, dumplings, calamari salad, and sushi. Chefs Scott Swiderski and Michael Schulson, working in a field kitchen, brought in tons of food. Starr brought in chef Masaharu Morimoto, famous from his appearances on TV's Iron Chef.

Starr got to catch up with Rita Marley, widow of reggae great Bob Marley. In Starr's past life, he booked Bob Marley's final appearance here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...05-510140.html
Party on parkway started at 6 a.m.
By BRIAN SCHEID
The Intelligencer
PHILADELPHIA - A tidal wave of blaring music, crushing crowds and sweltering heat hit the Ben Franklin Parkway on Saturday for the highly anticipated Live 8 concert.

People braved long bathroom lines, body odor, $3 bottles of water and a marathon commute on packed trains and buses to take part in the historic event.

6 a.m.: The parkway opened to the public.

7:46: John Gallagher, 22, and Steve Bottoms, 21, of Havertown, found a parking spot on 19th Street just steps from the Parkway about 4 a.m. After a sleepless night, they hoped to catch a nap before the concert started.

"We didn't sleep all night," said Bottoms. "We're already tired."

8:32: More than three hours before the concert was scheduled to begin, the Ben Franklin Parkway was teeming with people, most well under the age of 30. Some drank beers and vodka from water bottles, while others sipped coffee. All tried to find a good spot.

In the midst the fray, Rick Massott, 41, a construction worker from Bensalem, his daughter Haley, 12, and his nephew, Tyler Brennan, 12, found a spot about 50 yards from the stage.

"It's a wonderful day, why stay in?" asked Massott, who drove into Philadelphia at 5 a.m. for the concert.

9:27: "This is going to be amazing," 43-year-old engineer Lucas Kunz, from San Paulo, Brazil, said as thousands upon thousands of people filled the parkway. "This is happening all over the world and I'm part of it."

10:15: Joe Napolitano, 31, and Chris Dougherty, 32, both social workers from New York City, couldn't believe they had made it to Live 8.

"We wanted to be part of this," said Dougherty.

"This is monumental," said Napolitano. "It's like We Are The World, Hands Across America, all rolled into one."

11:37: With the noon start of the concert just minutes away, it seemed like every inch of space within a mile of the Philadelphia Art Museum was taken by somebody. Walking 20 feet could take 20 minutes, but Ken Correll, 41, director of planning and events for a Bensalem catering company, didn't seem to mind.

"Everybody really has a good attitude," said Correll who hoped the mammoth event would end poverty and hunger in Africa. "A lot of kids are here to hear the music - hopefully they'll listen to the message."

12:02 p.m.: "Philly!" shouted rapper and movie star Will Smith. "I can't hear you!" The crowd roared back at him.

The much-anticipated show had started, but Christian Hudson, 22, of Laurel Springs in South Jersey, had other things on his mind. "They should be handing out deodorant," he said. "You stink, I stink, we all stink."

12:41: Hundreds of thousands of people sang along as Bon Jovi erupted into its classic hit "Livin' On A Prayer."

In the midst of a group of 20-somethings singing along, Mike Sullivan, 56, of Philadelphia laughed. "This is so nice," he said. "Everybody's having a good time."

1:22: Rapper Kanye West was on stage and everyone was trying to get a better view by sitting on someone else's shoulders, hanging from tree limbs, climbing atop trucks and even risking a foul fall by crawling onto rows of portable toilets that lined the Parkway.

"I've been waiting forever," said James Martin, 16, of Morrisville as he stood in a winding line for the bathroom. "The wait stinks, but otherwise I'm having a great time."

2:19: When country star Toby Keith took the stage, Ray Johnson, 25, of Norristown, couldn't move an inch in any direction without bumping into someone. "It's hot and crowded, but you know what? I'm glad I came," he said. "This is history."

3:18: As Alicia Keys played on the stage 100 yards away, John Westfall of Northeast Philadelphia held his 3-year-old daughter, Asia, in his arms. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Westfall said. "Just to be here is overwhelming."

4:01: Rapper Jay-Z and heavy metal band Linkin Park tore up the city in arguably the most electric performance of the afternoon.

Nearly a quarter-mile away, Kesia Arrianga, 23, of Camden, watched on one of the Jumbotron screens that lined the parkway and loudly sang along like she was in the front row. "That was awesome," she said. "This whole concert's been amazing, but that was the best."

5:18: With the concert winding down, Samantha Story, 20, was headed to Suburban Station to catch a train back to her home in Bryn Mawr. With a sunburn and a bevy of memories, she said she was glad she came. "There were so many people, it was so massive," said Story, a Temple University junior. "It was amazing."

7:03: After an emotional finale by Stevie Wonder, Live 8 ended and the nearly 1 million people who took over the parkway for the day headed home.

***************************

In a tent with no answers
Bucks County Courier Times

PHILADELPHIA — I was held hostage in the media tent at Live 8 Saturday.

Several times, I tried to escape the celebrities and their vapid statements and the silly questions from the international press. But each time, I was confronted by security goons who surrounded me and squealed like those flying monkeys in the “Wizard of Oz.”

“Back in the tent or I will remove your press credentials and escort you from the premises,” one of them hissed at me.

I didn’t think it would turn out this way.

After best-selling author Rick Warren (“The Purpose Driven Life”) lectured us that most of what reporters cover is junk, and that “Live 8 really matters,” I thought, “Huh, maybe I will hear thoughtful commentary from the bands and the Hollywood luminaries who were scheduled to speak on the grave plight that afflicts sub-Sahara Africa.”

This hope was swiftly bashed when the first celebrity to be escorted before us was Anna Nicole Smith who, we were told, would not take any questions, but instead would pose for us.

“What are you drinking?” a reporter asked.

“Anything you got,” said one of the Chiefs.

Jon Bon Jovi was asked what he thought the meaning of Live 8 is.

“Volunteerism is the new black,” he said. What? Someone named “Green Lantern” was brought before the press and introduced as “the official DJ of Live 8.” “Have you ever been to Africa?” he was asked. “I’ve flown over it,” he said, quickly adding he’d like to visit, perhaps Nigeria. “Why Nigeria?” he was asked. “I hear so many good things about it,” he said. Rita Marley, wife of the late singer Bob Marley, was asked: If your husband were here today, what would his message be. “Stand up for your rights,” she said.

Well, I guess. But it’s kind of hard to stand up for anything when you’re starving and dying of AIDS as so many Africans are doing, isn’t it?

Turning to leave, Rita Marley had a message of her own on the back of her T-shirt: “Sixty and still smokin’.”

All of this gave me the impression that few of these acts and celebrities had any real grasp of the African cause they champion.

Maybe the most informed comment of the day came from actor Don Cheadle, star of the film “Hotel Rowanda.”

Live 8, in its high hopes of pressuring world leaders this week to bail out Africa, is a “nascent step,” he said.

“It will be years and years and years before it gets done. It’s good that we’re feeling all this energy now. This energy can dissipate … and Africa will be left behind.”

Does Anna Nicole Smith know this?

She did, too, in a pink top that barely covered her chest. She shook for us, stripper-like, and smiled with flaky white teeth.

“What do you know about Africa, Anna?” I asked her.

“Can you even spell Africa?” I shouted.

She tossed me a look captured by a British photographer who said he could probably sell it to People magazine since her gaze of surprise/disgust was priceless.

And so it went the rest of the afternoon. Hip-hop artist Kanye West wondered aloud if there might be an international conspiracy, given all the great plagues and floods that have afflicted poor countries around the world.

The British group The Kaiser Chiefs stepped to the microphones, beers in hand.

*****************

It began with the American Declaration of Independence. After seven hours of music and 24 million text messages of support, it ended with a declaration of interdependence.

The Philadelphia concert of Live 8 was the largest of the gatherings around the world - organisers said about a million people attended. For the city of brotherly love, which also hosted one of the original Live Aid concerts 20 years ago, it was the biggest party it had ever seen.

Rapper-turned-actor Will Smith opened the show, carrying a framed copy of the Declaration of Independence onto the stage.

"Today we are gathered here to make our declaration of interdependence," Smith said. "We are all in this together."

The crowd came to watch a roster including Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, pop divas Destiny's Child and rapper Jay-Z on a stage set up on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and to hear demands that rich countries such as the United States, Britain and Japan relieve African debts.

"America has a sense of disconnect when it comes to Africa or places that are very far away because many of us, most of us, won't get the opportunity to see those places," Keys said.

For the artists, it was about doing their bit and following the script.

Star after star talked about 6000 people dying every day, although one claimed that 6 million people were dying every day.

Some were well-informed, such as Jars of Clay, who run their own charity, which provides clean drinking water for African communities.

There was the occasional flat spot, such as the local DJ who, asked if he had visited Africa, said: "I've travelled over it, but I haven't had the privilege of stopping on it."

Australian country music star Keith Urban, who "whipped up" a hand-written anti-poverty T-shirt, said it was a "bittersweet moment" to be involved 20 years after Live Aid.

"It's a shame we have to do it again...hopefully it will be more effective this time."

He said Australia was not a G8 country, but he urged everyone to "log on and get involved. It's a global problem."

After protests about the lack of black and African artists in the event, the Philadelphia concert was stacked with R&B and hip-hop artists, marking a contrast with the ageing baby boomer acts in London.

For the massive crowd in Philadelphia - which one organiser said was "bigger than a bread box and smaller than a million five (hundred thousand)" - it was as much about the party as the music.

July 02, 2005
Live 8 Live
8:02 a.m. Unbelievable. Septa was 15-20 late, the R1 standing-room only with people who should have been sleeping, or were. But at Suburban Station, all is good -- fresh-faced candystripers offering free cascade-blackberry sparkling juice drinks, police cheerfully pointing lost explorers toward the Art Museum, newspaper hawkers ($1. Cheap!) water suddenly getting more expensive, from $1 to $2 and now to $3 as the music, canned Hootie?, blares. We must be in Milton Street country.

The mayor's brother has, what, a 17 percent grip on the concessions? My guess is the Kind Cafe veggie wraps are not his. Go there. Alex's Lemonade has a stand. Chicken and sausage is grilling. Pretzels. Sodas. Bean pies. There are some strong T-shirts, the iconic LOVE statue logo refigured to say Live8. An "I was there" model.

A guy with wicked spikes of gelled black hair stands in the swarm, hopefully holding up a sign: "Free hugs."

Says he's Chuck Bodner, 19, from Warminster. He's been there since 5 a.m. So far 20 hugs. Two I witness. Lotta love in the air.

We're in place. The grass is soggy from the soaking, but the sun is strong. The day is perfect, actually. I'm hearing screams, so either people have found out Milton Street's prices, or the shows abroad are about to start. I'm gonna check it out. Be back in a few.

False alarm. The stage is rotating. I'm in the front row of the VIP section until someone kicks me out. The kid next to me says he got his seat through the father of a friend of a friend. So I'm guessing I get tossed first. Someone's slapping a bass onstage. Lots of dudes moving things hanging around, broad Vs of sweat expanding from their sternums.

Now a searing church organ chord. Soon.

8:45 a.m. Still no live feed from the concerts abroad. Must be making sure the sound is right here. Right? It's 2:46 p.m. in Paris and Rome and Berlin, an hour earlier in London. Show's got to be on. If you're sitting at home in the a/c with a fridge of beer and checking it out on the computer or the home theater, you win so far.

8:50 a.m. Busted. Some guy in a yellow NES security shirt just kicked me out of the first row. Guys next to me, friends of the father of the friends, get to stay.

Will find another shell to crawl into.

8:53 a.m. Found one. Laptop on my lap, hello Philadelphia! some guy with a British accent says. In five we're to scream, and they will beam that scream to London. I'd like a little Killers/Pink Floyd/McCartney/Velvet Revolver/Coldplay in return.

9:30 a.m. No shout out to London yet. Just a lot of bass drum thumping and a couple rappers battling politely. Kaiser Chiefs equipment on stage. Looks like the band, actually, or very talented roadies. Must be them. Doing a vocal check. Guitarist dressed on wool cap, at least two layers, long sleeves. More lead vocal, please. I've been here nearly two hours. That 30 seconds was the entertainment of the day, so far.

9:49 a.m. A sighting. Crowd roars. Heads turn. Very cool man of color in a white suit and shades, walking with a little boy. Waves. Chris Tucker.

11 a.m. Battle station. A nice man from the school board named Vincent Thompson (Hello, Mrs. McCann - said I'd mention his grandma) gave Dan Deluca and me the Ok to set up at the corner of radio area, stage, right, where I've got one of those $11 camping chairs, and it's got a view of the stage. It's also got an ambulance humming about four feet from my ear and three sweaty horses behind that. This is the police staging area. Perfect. Something happened to the live feeds from across the sea, so we've been treated to shows of the crowd -- an American flag, a pair of breasts. Apple pie and motherhood.

For a second the jumbo screen next to me showed Joss Stone from London, but with no volume, so I might be best served plugging in my headphones and listening to London on AOL.com.

11:41 a.m. "Hey, hey, hey. Philadelphia, are you ready?" .... "We're a live around the world." "Please welcome, the Kaiser Chiefs.... "People of the world, are you ready? Come on, are you ready?"

Yes.

They start off with "I Predict a Riot." Lead singer's dressed for a yacht. Sunglasses. Ascot. Cracking a cowbell. The place is packed. VIP section probably has some real VIPs by now. The front pit is filled with ACTUAL YOUNG PEOPLE, most wearing One.org T-shirt, so when the cameras pan, there they are looking vibrant and into it .

There's a young woman on a stretcher in front of me, a cop sprinking her with water. Heat? Into the ambulance.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it, never been this far away," they sing, this break-out, bright-pop British band, playing the largest show of their lives.

11:56 a.m. Three-song set is done. Jumbo switches to London, Paulie and Bono singing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, while mop-topped horn players dress in those Summer of Love circus suits. Short and sweet.

Noon - Geldof on TV. "Over three billion people watching you right this minute." Will Smith introduced.

Phillllllllllyyyyyyy!

Philadelphia can you shout out to London, Hyde Park? Hyde Park, can you say top of the morning to everybody a Circus Maximus in Rome. Circus Maximus, can you say hello to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin,? Brandenburg Gate, can you say hello to the Palace of Versailles outside Paris. and on and on.

Then he turns serious. Every three seconds a child dies in African for want of medicine. Every three seconds. Every three seconds. Snaps fingers between each count.

Three seconds.

Jumbo shows quick video. Celebrity snapping. Then shots of Rome, Berlin, Canada. All snapping fingers.

12:10 a.m. "One finger up in the air" - this time it's the Black Eyed Peas calling out, the crowd jumping, arms soaring, moving from the hips. "Where is the Love?" Right here. Crowd electric. "Let's Get it Started." They have.

"Get Up, Stand Up" -- The Marleys on stage with the Peas. Ah, yo, yo yo, the sound of Reggaedelphia.

12:40 p.m. Bon Jovi, "Living on a Prayer." Hometown welcome for a homeboy of sorts. I'm in the radio tent, having loaned the beach chair to some guy who knows Tiffany Bacon from Power99. I need juice for the laptop, so this is a pit stop. Cooler here. Three big beefy cops just escorted some poor guy past this row of reporters and shooters. A perp walk, Philadelphia style. Probably get his car towed, too.

1:10 p.m. Back in the heat for Destinys Child followed by Kanye West. Lots of lovely looking people on stage. Kanye's got a gorgeous orchestra behind him.

1:30 p.m. We interrupt this blog to bring you Annette John-Hall's sighting. My colleague was inside the media tent, when who should walk in but Anna Nicole Smith. The bombshell/pin-up/tab fodder fatale approaches the peanut gallery and rolls her butt at them. Doesn't say a word. Then she flashes the fortunate with her black pasties.

To quote Dan Deluca, "Nothing says make poverty history more than that."

Will Smith is on, and Deluca's got it covered. Thought i'd duck inside and see what people are writing.

First, an email:

Mrs. Marianne Nugent writes Blinq. Not sure from where, though it is via the AOL UK site. Hi there i think its fantastic all the hard work everyone is putting into this event, it is a well deserved cause. Me and my husband have recently experienced africa as we chose to go over and help on our HONEYMOON! some people said we were crazy but to us it was a greatest achievement of our lives and cannot explain how we feel about our experience over there. I'm 21 and my husband is 25 and not many people can even understand all we cant stop talking about. Since we have came home we are still in contact with a few african families over there and have sent packages for them, but unfortunately they need more we can offer, if only more people can contribute we really CAN make difference. While we were there i gave my poverty band to an african lady and she was so appreciative it was lovely as i explained the reason behind it. so keep up the good work everyone i could cry just at the thought of the love and support behind all this.

How does she get that cool color?

2 p.m. Waiting for Toby Keith. Meanwhile, at Technorati's Live 8 site, 10,421 blog posts about the day are logged.

Since they're playing Coldplay from London right now, thought we'd switch to The Guardian's blog:

4.20pm The Vulture pod is split in its reaction to REM's Michael Stipe, and the wide blue stripe he habitually paints around his eyes these days. One Vulture insists he "just does it to look a bit weird", while another is sure it's intended to scare children - who, in any case, will be fidgeting through REM's set as they await Snoop Dogg.

It takes a bit of life experience to appreciate the 'EM, of course, and they're acquitting themselves impressively as we speak, with Man on the Moon and Everybody Hurts. Full marks to Stipe, too, for his suit-and-tie combo, and his freaky-bar-mitzvah dancing.

4pm: Stereophonics are used to being greeted by a sea of Welsh flags whenever they play live, but were confronted here by a solitary flag and, rather poignantly, a beermat.

They rose to the occasion, though: Local Boy in the Photograph and Dakota were excellent examples of a band who make most sense on stage. If you've never grasped the point of their bluff Valleysrock, have a look at them in front of a crowd, when their sound acquires a plainspoken majesty.

The Verve's Richard Ashcroft, who has been a virtual recluse for the last few years, supplied the day's first shot of charisma when he duetted with Coldplay on Bitter Sweet Symphony. Interviewed afterwards, he conceded that it had been a "fantastic" moment - which, for Ashcroft, amounts to gushing euphoria.

His glowering presence was, inevitably, a contrast to Chris Martin's housewifely wholesomeness, but wholesomeness is what keeps Coldplay's engine stoked.

Elton John - or "Lieutenant Pigeon", as Jonathan Ross dubbed him - has still got it going on, whatever "it" might be. In this case, it was sparkly versions of Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting and The Bitch is Back. But for quite a few nubiles at the front, the big moment was his duet with Wobbling Pete Doherty, who excelled himself by remembering the words to T-Rex's Children of the Revolution.

"Here's The Boss!" said Jonathan Ross after John's set. The Boss? Was Bruce Springsteen booked? But no - said Boss turned out to be Bob Geldof, who strode on to introduce yet another guest, Bill Gates of Microsoft. Ah - there to give us his very own version of Pink Floyd's Money, no doubt. Er, no. He was there to introduce Dido, and there was a certain symmetry there: Geekguy asking us to give it up for Beigegirl.

Dido did, however, duet with Youssou N'Dour, the first black artist of the day to set foot on stage. And even she couldn't dilute the shivery impact of the beautiful Seven Seconds.

See Dave Matthews drums and Bon Jovi's guitars. I certaintly don't have time to, but this video from the Live 8 Insider blog might have something going for it other than a promising name.

Albert Yee, who is blogging the event for Philly Future is finding that the great, free Wi-Fi is a bit of a dud. Meanwhile, Philly Future honcho Karl Martino tried to watch the event on TV.

Where is the local TV coverage? he asks.

We have none. None. You would expect TV news coverage to be all over this. My bet is local TV, not being able to get rights to show video from Live 8, has opted out of covering it entirely. And what of the kids who don't have cable? What - is that blasphemy?

The only place to catch this is at AOL. So if you don't have broadband - you're shit outta luck bud. At least there you are getting this unfiltered. Including a few E-A-G-L-E-S chants I heard loud and clear. Looks like it's time for an afternoon drink. Heh.

Look, seriously, poorer kids ALL OVER PHILLY will not see Live 8.

If I was in the same situation I was as a kid - I would have missed this. It would have been an event I would have viewed as for rich people, by rich people. Even if it was free - you need some resources and time to go to a concert at a minimum.

How ironic is this?

I am not entirely sure, but it seems licensing has killed getting the message out to the largest amount of people possible.

2:35 p.m. Dave Matthews Band gets it going. Nice men from the National of Islam are watching over me as I type under a tree. This must be unity day. A breeze works its way through the crowd, which is officially on the far side of one million. The sound is surprisingly good for such a massive space. There's little echo or repeating off buildings. The bass jars fillings.

Oh great, that reporter from Fox News quoted me about Philadelphia. Payback's a bitch.

Philly Blogger The West End observes, "The crowd in London looks really white. The crowd in Philadelphia less so. Just saying. Anybody agree or disagree?"

From my perspective, right near the ambulances, the folks needing a little time out, IV line or oxygen are coming in all sizes, shapes and colors.

3:00 p.m. DMB jamming. The jumbotron by the stage, the one I can see from under my tree, shows some groovy light show, not the band. A post by Frank at PhillyFuture gets right to this point:

The place is packed and I haven't really been able to see anything. I am practically cooked...and in some places the crowd is a crush. Crazy. I'm not sure I'll be able to stay until the end...nothing to see...and I'm definitely not crawling on the Port-a-Potties. I'm just not that into a marginal view with aroma therapy.

3:10 p.m. Alicia Keys is talking. From the heart. I can't type, I can only stare. Lordy. Taking us to church for one of her favorite songs, "For All We Know."

4:16 p.m. It's been a while. Was watching Linkin Park extenda-set, four songs then Jay-Z jacked it up even more. First real surprise was that this band seemed perfect for the show. LP got my sons through the testosterone-fueled early teens, and I'd found them boring and gimmicky. I'm getting heavily tatooed as we speak.

Surprise No 2. Why is Def Leppard playing Badfinger? Never mind. Must be great playing to a million at their age.

4:19 p.m. Albert Yee is in the house and online! The Philly blogger who scored a press pass to cover the event first had to pick it up by Love Park at 11 a.m., making the move to the Art Museum steps a bit of a drudge. Then the free city Wi-Fi turned out to be unreliable. Now he's on:

Our passes, err, wrist bands, worked like the Jedi Mind Trick. We waved it to the security guards, didn't say a word, and we were in. We got more access than we were supposed to. We were in the VIP secion. We were past them. We got to the main pit. And then I was front and center. You probably saw my mug on the TV or on AOL. I was leaning over the front gate separating us from the stage about 10' from the performers. I just pushed my way through the crowd before Toby Keith came on and Dave Matthew's followed, well, they're still on right now actually. They came on to chants of "DMB! DMB! From the front row of the masses on the Parkway.

I've just stared to stream my photos, hundreds more on the way.

I've also finally found a solid internet connection as well as you can see. More to come.

4:50 p.m. Chris Bowers from MyDD has figured out how to get all his pics posted, and provides some running commentary as well. the Philly blogger is one of about 50 picked to report from the world's stages.

At BOPnews, Matt Bowers has done the same. And he's found a very useful link to what African bloggers are saying about the day's events.

4:54 p.m. Josh Groban has joined Sarah McLachlan on stage for some purdy singing. Harmonies soaring around each other, accompanied by slow releases of oooohs and We Love Yous from behaved pockets of the crowd.

Photo opp: The Philebrity hummer seems to have been parked in Milton Street's spot.

5:27 p.m. Maroon 5 played hard, but were't moving the crowd closest to me. Wonder who they're here for. They didn't even seen to know Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World," which the M5s rode out of town.

5:30 p.m. Excellent. Already have bittorrent versions of the shows available for download.

6:11 p.m. Rob Thomas channelling Stevie Guitar Miller. Gonna run 40 or so minutes late, the press guy tells me, and this has been some serious carpentry. There have been flubs -- the wireless that wasn't, the crooked lines of sight, the apparent lack of live television coverage of music. To watch it work, however, is something. The set is a lazy susan divided in half, allowing upcoming acts to get their gear in place while the performer before them is on stage.

I'm thinking back to Keith Urban. I helped diss him by quoting a drinking game of a clever fellow, the one that had you drink if you figured out who Keith Urban is. Well, he's a guitar-playing good ol' boy with dirty blonde hair, a body that was featured in Playgirl, says Deluca, who must know, and he was providing some anthemic guitar-driven rock.

6:16 p.m. Announcements from stage. Goodbyes, thank-yous, pleadings to sign petitions. We're wonderful, we're told.

Oddball alert. Some guy on the screen with a painted blue bad guy's mask, cartoon villain-style. Oh, boy, it's Michael Stipe of REM.

One more to go: Stevie Wonder.

6:23 Richard Gere, shaggy and white-haired, Hellos Philadelphia. Gives us a little history, talking about liberty and justice.

And now, at 6:26 p.m., Stevie. Flashing peace sign, swinging head, sitting down at the keys.

"2005. We're going change the world."

Jammin', Higher Ground, pretty unbeatable so far.

A new ballad. Then Signed Sealed Delivered. And Superstition!to close. No surprises. No cameos. No emsembles, Jacko, Dylan, Prince or any of the other rumors of pop stars. Just Stevie delivering.

6:50: Peace out, and please pick up your trash.

Posted by Daniel Rubin at 08:10 AM in Music
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