Here's some info:
U2, McCartney, Coldplay Top Live 8 Lineup
by Josh Grossberg
May 31, 2005, 10:00 AM PT
Bob Geldof is at it again.
Two decades after he masterminded Live Aid, the largest charity concert ever mounted, to fight famine in Africa, the 58-year-old singer-activist has announced an encore.
On Tuesday, Geldof unveiled a Live Aid sequel, dubbed Live 8, that aims to be bigger than the original and will feature a who's-who of the top music acts in the world, including Paul McCartney, U2, the Rolling Stones, Madonna and a reunited Pink Floyd, participating in a series of mega-concerts.
The free gigs will be staged July 2 in London, Paris, Berlin, Philadelphia and Rome and simulcast on television and the Internet.
At a news conference, Geldof stated that the goal this time around will be to raise awareness of poverty in Third World countries, particularly in African nations, ahead of the annual G8 meeting in Britain attended by the leaders of the world's most powerful industrial nations, among them President George W. Bush.
"We don't want people's money. We want them," the Irish popster told a news conference Tuesday, adding that the July 6-8 G8 summit offered a "unique opportunity for Britain to do something unparalleled in the world...to tilt the world a little bit on its axis in favor of the poor."
Coldplay, R.E.M., Mariah Carey and the Cure are among those performing with McCartney, Madonna and U2 in London; Dave Matthews Band, Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Sarah McLachlan, Will Smith, Jay-Z and P. Diddy will take the stage in Philadelphia; Jamiroquai, Placebo, Andrea Bocelli and Youssou N'Dour are among the headliners in Paris; Lauryn Hill, Brian Wilson, A-ha and Crosby, Stills and Nash will lead the Berlin bill; and Duran Duran, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw will command the stage in Rome.
Meanwhile, several other A-list acts, including Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Usher, Snoop Dogg and Destiny's Child, have signed on to perform, but there's no immediate word on where they'll be playing.
Speculation of a pending Spice Girls reunion was quickly squashed by Victoria Beckham's publicist--not that the Girl Power group would have been welcomed. According to an account in London's Daily Mirror, Live 8 organizers rejected the quintet out of concern its inclusion might undercut the seriousness of the event.
The original Live Aid, held simultaneously in 1985 at London's Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia's RFK Stadium, featured an all-star lineup led by McCartney, David Bowie, Queen, Duran Duran, U2, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin.
Geldof says Live 8 should exceed its predecessor in terms of viewership--it will be beamed worldwide to more than 2 billion people over various cable and satellite channels. AOL will carry the shows live on the Internet.
Tickets for the London event, which will take place at Hyde Park, will be given out via a lottery on June 6. Tickets for the other venues--Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, Philly's Museum of Art, Rome's Circus Maximus, and a venue in Paris to be announced--will be distributed via a similar lottery system.
Live 8 organizers hope the massive turnout will help pressure G8 leaders to take immediate action to forgive Third World debt and establish programs to eradicate poverty and injustice in developing countries.
Organizers are also hoping to stage concerts in the three other G8 countries: Canada, Russia and Japan.
Here's a complete rundown of the acts and venues confirmed thus far.
LONDON: Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Dido, Keane, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, Muse, Razorlight, REM, Scissor Sisters, Snow Patrol, Stereophonics, Sting , Joss Stone, Robbie Williams, U2, Velvet Revolver, Bob Geldof, the Killers, Madonna, The Cure
BERLIN: A-ha, Bap, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Die Toten Hosen, Peter Maffay, Brian Wilson
PHILADELPHIA: Will Smith, Bon Jovi, Maroon 5, Dave Matthews Band, Sarah McLachlan, Rob Thomas, Keith Urban, Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, 50 Cent, Kaiser Chiefs, P. Diddy
PARIS: Andrea Bocelli, Craig David, Calo Gero, Jamiroqaui, Kyo, Yannick Noah, Youssou N'Dour, Placebo, Axelle Red, Johnny Halliday, Manu Chao, Renaud
ROME: Irene Grandi, Faith Hill, Jovanotti, Tim McGraw, Nek, Laura Pausini, Duran Duran, Vasco Rossi, Zucchero,
A REUNITED PINK FLOYD!!!!? Oh God, I'll die if that happens. Please!!