The voice of dissent (again).
Yes I saw quite a bit of it and enjoyed much of the music on offer, simply for what it was. The Who were the Who, but then again I was never into them until after Moon had died and Kenny Jones had taken over on the drums. And yes, The Floyd were tight as a torniquet.
But at the end of the day, Live 8 fed nothing more than a handful of has-been pop stars' egos. Sad but true, and I'm no expert, but it seems to me only a change of attitude, politics and regime will ever release the huge latent energies now straining for expression in sub-Saharan Africa. All that is happening at the moment is the poor of rich countries are being taxed to further line the pockets of the rich people from poor countries. As that old, up-tight, reactionary Tory sour puss Simon Heffer wrote yesterday (and much as I hate to agree with him): Live 8 was nothing more than a "massive exercise in well-meaning, albeit ultimately mindless, sentimentality." And I do not need to take condescending lectures on poverty from hair-brained, muddle headed, multi-millionaires with their conspicuous consumption, extravegant lifestyles and who fly around the world in private jets.
Far more appropriate for me would have been to have a concert of contemporary African music, along with some Afro-inspired drum & bass, rather than the whiteman inspired has-beenism of the Live 8 acts.
That's what I reckon anyhow.
PS did anyone else think poor old Macca looks like he's being driven into an early grave by his domineering one-legged wife?