Later today the Live 8 concerts will be held as part of the G8 summit. These concerts are free, and while most people won't be able to attend them due to their location, the concerts will be broadcast on T.V. and the internet free of charge. I ask and urge everyone to tune in and watch at least part of these performances, as the rating percentages will show the world's awareness to the cause (the cause being trying to solve poverty and hunger problems in Africa). Bands like U2, Madonna, and the legendary Pink Floyd in a once-in-a-lifetime reunion will be playing, and it is very important that as many people as possible watch them.

Also, it isn't too late to further show your support by signing The ONE Declaration. and the Live 8 List.

I am definatly tuning in at 1:00 to watch them. I may even tune in and watch the US concert. Well, if I am then I best be off, nearly 1:00.

I always like to show my support for this kind of thing.

im watching some now

yep, im listening to it on the radio right now. Great cause, and a very special moment in our generations history. I wish I could be there.

i think its really nice what theyre trying to do for people. africa does have to much poverty. i think everyone has a part to do in helping them. no matter how small a difference you make its a difference nonetheless.

yah i saw this just this morning on itunes music store 8)

i think its a good cause to end poverty in third-world countries in africa, but i do have some concern over the way they aim to achieve this noble goal. sure, debt relief is a great way to channel funds into the poorer countries, but without infrastructure reform, debt relief is useless and poverty in african nations will maintain the status quo. i think that before we annul all the debts or even simultaneously, voluntary efforts by african leaders must show progress in reforming gov't corruption, distribution of wealth, etc. Transparency to int'l orgs like the IBRD and the IMF must be observed and periodically inspected in the third-world. often times, the problem is not that african nations are simply POOR.

the problem is that the nations' leaders operate under a corrupt system of government and economic class structure that allows warlords and those in power to possess a majority of the nations' wealth while the majority of PEOPLE starve under circumstances of extreme poverty. i think the focus of the G8 summit and the subsequent meetings of the IBRD in D.C. should be to create a self-sufficient, autonomous Africa with economies that will promote its citizens' wealth and a fair system of government that will ensure the majority's welfare. cancelling debt without serious reform will have an adverse effect on this goal by promoting African reliance on wealthier nations for its very sustenance.

Let me just say a few things:
U2 rule.
Bjork is REALLY weird.
Madonna is still herself
So is Mariah Carey.
Dido's quite alright.
Elton John's still (and always has been) great.
Travis ain't bad.
Rob Thomas ain't bad.
Coldplay ain't bad.
Keane are pretty good.
Bon Jovi's good.
Dave Matthews Band are cool.
Annie Lennox has a GREAT voice.
R.E.M. are GREAT.
Def Leppard can still rock.
Deep Purple rock, hard.
Sting is the king.
Green Day aren't too bad.
Maroon 5 rule.
Scissor Sisters are weird, but cool
Black Eyed Peas are cool.
Stevie Wonder is amazing.
Velvet Revolver rock!
Paul McCartney rules the world.
The Who still have it in them. They were GREAT.
Joss Stone can SING.
And of course...
Pink Floyd are the eternal Gods of Earth.

I still can't grasp the incredible scope of these performances, and their importance. Bono said it quite well. We are a generation who will be remembered for the internet, and for the war on terrorism. Why not also be the generation remembered for defeating poverty? I can't thank enough the people who organized the Live 8, even if they can't hear my thanks. Bob Geldof is an amazing human being, truly amazing.

yah the all-star finale with Paul McCartney singin "Hey Jude" was amazing and dave matthews band was pretty cool too.

The Who were brilliant and the only band I really cared for at London.

I don't think that Paul McCartney should have opened closed proceedings.

The Who were awesome.

Although the opening was quite good, I dont think McCartney (the least politically orientated beatles, besides ringo) should have closed the show. Would have been a lot more appropriate if it were left to U2, no matter how much people think Bono is a tool.

And yet, the finale on the Hyde Park stage was very powerful. Bringing everybody (including the bunch of African kids) out to sing "Hey Jude" was a great ending to the entire event. Also, Paul McCartney's performance was great anyways. I agree, The Who gave one heck of a performance, but Pink Floyd were above everybody. Their performance was just... amazing. Stevie Wonder also gave one heck of a performance on the Philadelphia stage.

What you all realise is that the concert didn't help Africa all that well as what they thought it would. Are you guys serious? Africa will NEVER be able to pay off all of it's debts. All countrys know, but they still ask to be repaid. If those concerts really did get through to some government officials (US majorly speaking), you would have noticed an action by now.

However the concert was good.

Antigua, did you pay attention to the concerts at all? The whole point of them was to show the Group of 8 that the world supports their upcomming meeting at which they will decide if they want to forgive massive amounts of debt owed by these countries. Those concerts haven't done anything yet, no, because the meeting hasn't happened yet. Rest assured that they have run their course and have served their purpose; that paper's going to be signed.

hey i just realized is it good here or should this be in the music section?

well i think we should really consider what that piece of legislation will entail before supporting it to the fullest of our intellectual and emotional capabilities. a mistake many people fall into when faced with a black/white decision to voice a "ye" or "nay" is equate the issue with an absolute without considering its ramifications. in this case, it seems to me that people equate the G8 summit and its decision to relieve the poorest african nations of all its debt with "ending poverty in Africa." Although that may be a worthy goal and forgiving the debt seems a viable solution in the short run, there doesn't seem to be ANY G8 fan voicing their concern for corruption in the majority of these African nations or in favor of hard-line policy that will curtail government embezzlement, and ensure transparency (read my previous post to see why the enforcement of such policies is a far greater weapon against poverty than cash).

this november, i will represent the United States in the IBRD of the Rutgers Model United Nations, and this is one of the key issues in debate. it just seems to me that america and a lot of first-world nations are pouring funds into Africa to "fight poverty," "treat aids," etc. etc. and Africa isnt doing ANYTHING to help itself. when was the last time that an African leader/warlord/selfish, corrupt aristocrat DONATED money from his fat pockets to aid his own people? When was the last time a third-world African country PASSED LEGISLATION diminishing the power of its executive and mitigating the economic divide between leader and people? Heres my guess: NEVER.

thats why i can safely say that not ONE ordinary citizen in the "pardoned" countries will have more bread on the table (or ground actually since they don't have anything close to a table) because of the debt relief. not one. but hey guess what great news! the warlords can buy more weapons to terrorize their respective nations and maintain a stranglehold on power. YAY!!

Did you even watch the concerts? That's what they were talking about ALL day! Seriously, it's a good point, but that's why it's already been addressed. They're not just going to sign a piece of paper and say "don't worry about paying us back now, just keep that money for youself" or anything. The whole point of the Group of 8 is to get Africa stabilized, out from under corrupt governments. Check it out some time; it's a good, legitimate cause, and it's definitely going to make an impact. It's not an overnight fix by any means, but it's definitely a step in the right direction for them.

Here's some good news I found out today:

Campaigning rocker Sir Bob Geldof has been nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless campaigning to save the African continent. The former Boomtown Rat, 53, has devoted most of the past 20 years to raising awareness of poverty in Africa, which included arranging the Band Aid fundraising single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and the Live Aid concert in 1985. On Saturday, Geldof celebrated the success of his Live 8 concerts in 10 cities across the world, which aimed to put pressure on the G8 leaders to make trade fair and eradicate poverty as they meet in Scotland yesterday. Norwegian member of parliament Jan Simonsen nominated Geldof because he "took the initiative in July 2005 to arrange a string of rock concerts to focus on the problems of poor nations, and pressure the world's leading politicians to take actions in fighting poverty." The Peace Prize is awarded every year by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

And rightfully so. I think he deserves to win the prize for his efforts. What an amazing person he is.

And here's some good news that I found out today. Tomorrow, VH1 and MTV are re-airing Live 8. But, there will be 2 more hours of concerts. Oh, and there's no commercials. Oh yeah, none of those stupid hosts and the dumb gimicks either! It's 10 solid hours of the actual performances!

My DVR is all set.

Somehow they will find a way to screw this up even more and make the rest of their viewers that actually like music stop watching those two channels. As for me, I have AOL's clips that I can watch, so no need to watch MTV when they will be focusing mostly on the bands/artists that the majority of MTV watchers like.