Live Earth on the Mall in D.C.

[anitram]

We had awesome coverage in Canada on 5 channels, so you could see all the shows in their entirety.

Madonna was the best. The best! So damn entertaining. I was surprised by how little I cared for The Smashing Pumpkins, especially since they were so huge when I was a teenager. But I think they're a good example of a band whose time has come and gone. James Blunt is genuinely ugly and makes awful faces when he sings. So does John Mayer. He looks like he's in pain on stage. Richie Sambora is so damn nasty. Those are my thoughts.

 

[Slapnutz]

Aside from the Pumpkins (there was a real sense of danger there) and Foo Fighters, I thought it was incredibly boring.

I actually felt a little embarrassed watching Madonna prancing around like a drunken aunt at a wedding. She tries so hard to remain "hip" and "relevant" that it reeks of desperation.

I think this mini review from the New York Times hits the nail on the head:

July 7, 2007, 10:05 pm
Live Earth: First Politeness, Then Came an Elemental Force
By Jon Pareles

EAST RUTHERFORD,N.J. — Until the Smashing Pumpkins came on, everything was polite at Live Earth. The strutting rappers, the heartsick but revved up emo guys, soul-belting Alicia Keys, brooding, bluesy john Mayer — they all dug into their songs the way they were supposed to. But in a day when the speeches invoked impending doom, only Dave Matthews’s deep drone version of “Don’t Drink the Water” started to sound truly ominous. Then the new Smashing Pumpkins arrived, dressed in white, and charged into a barreling, pummeling triplet beat as Billy Corgan unleashed a landscape-leveling power-chord drone and yowled words that may well have been “Air pollution!” He worked over his guitar, and the only posturing came when he briefly and gratuitously played part of “The Star-Spangled Banner” within a solo. It was the sound itself that crashed through the decorum, and it arrived with elemental force.

 

[corianderstem]

I actually felt a little embarrassed watching Madonna prancing around like a drunken aunt at a wedding. She tries so hard to remain "hip" and "relevant" that it reeks of desperation.

I disagree with that paragraph so much, I don't even know where to start.

 

[Lila64]

The few songs of Madonna I caught I enjoyed
I'm with you on that corianderstem

 

[dr. zooeuss]

not trying to provoke a fight, but i found it kind of repulsive that the "official video//song" (??) for the event was by madonna... i'll admit i didn't see her performance, but i couldn't make it through that video.. since when has environmental awareness been something she advocated?

 

[corianderstem]

I don't think it's a very good song, but I don't find anything repulsive about it.

Since when does someone have to be a lifelong advocate for something to say something about it now?

 

[dr. zooeuss]

...granted, it's not required, but it lends a great deal more credibility, when it's the "official song" of the event.

I wouldn't deny madonna the opportunity to be involved, but there are any number of bands out there that have been concerned about the issue for a long time- Joni Mitchell, Neville Brothers, Don Henley, Crosby Stills, Nash (& Young), Michael Franti, REM (among many others, not to mention U2, but that's another topic)... who've been dedicated to this cause for years.

sure there's the risk of them being called "old hippies" or whatever, but madonna's not so "young" either.

I think a lot of U2//Geldof success with Live 8// Live Aid come from the fact that they've been concerned about it for so long.

The same goes for Al Gore. He's been concerned about this cause for years, despite whatever momentary criticisms or ulterior motivation his political opponents attempt to pin on him.

I'm not saying this to be arbitrarily critical, but out of concern for the cause. I think there were better choices for "official song" or the artist to have come up with it.

anyway.

 

[LemonMelon]

I did NOT enjoy the official Live Earth song she did, but Ray of Light was great, and Hung Up was quite good.

 

[corianderstem]

Not to pick on you, dr. zooeuss, but you're not the only one whose made some kind of comment about Madonna "not being young," and it's driving me batty.

Who cares? She's nearing 50 and put a lot of those other performers to shame yesterday. She commanded that stage with her energy, dancing, and just the all-out performance she gave. And hey, if I can look half that good when I'm her age, I will have nothing to complain about in that department.

And as for the comments about how she's "desperate" to be relevant or hip or whatever ... how so? She set out to record a dance record with her last release, and she did. It was a damn good one, too. If dance music (or Madonna) isn't your thing, fine. But to just dismiss her because it's not your thing or because she's old? Come on.

As for the official song, who knows? Was she the only one approached? Did she volunteer? Did others who were approached to write something first turn it down for one reason or another? Hard to say.

 

[LMP]

I'm surprised Melissa Etheridge didn't sing it, but I guess it would've interrupted her story-time between every song.

 

[corianderstem]

She already has her Oscar-winning song from "An Inconvenient Truth." That's plenty.

 

[LemonMelon]

I'm surprised Melissa Etheridge didn't sing it, but I guess it would've interrupted her story-time between every song.

She wins for post boring performance of the day. (The Police put up a good fight, but not even an 8 minute version of Roxanne can beat her)

Taking Back Sunday wins for most paint-peelingly bad performance of the day.

And the Antarctica Psychedelic Penguin Posse Band wins for most indietastic.

 

[LMP]

She already has her Oscar-winning song from "An Inconvenient Truth." That's plenty.

Even that one was a bore. Eminem won an Oscar, too, so I take that category with a grain of salt.

 

[corianderstem]

Seriously. I was so disappointed that song won. And I don't even remember what it was up against.

 

[LMP]

Every song from Dreamgirls and a Randy Newman song.

"I could be wrong now... BUT I DON'T TINK SO!"

 

[corianderstem]

Oh, that's right. So yeah! Dull, dull song.

 

[LMP]

Every Melissa Etheridge song is dull. I'd rather hear the sound of my hand being slammed in the car door than listen to her.

The subsequent ER trip is more entertaining than her shit.

 

[phillyfan26]

I don't feel like sifting through this thread, but did anyone else think The Police butchered Roxanne?

 

[dr. zooeuss]

Hey CoriA,

"Not to pick on you, dr. zooeuss, but you're not the only one whose made some kind of comment about Madonna "not being young," and it's driving me batty."

The "not being young" doesn't bother me at all, an was not part of my original point at all, I was just anticipating criticism of some of the alternatives I presented based on what I've heard people say about them in the past...

"Who cares? She's nearing 50 and put a lot of those other performers to shame yesterday. She commanded that stage with her energy, dancing, and just the all-out performance she gave. And hey, if I can look half that good when I'm her age, I will have nothing to complain about in that department."

Fair enough. As I said, I didn't watch it.

"And as for the comments about how she's "desperate" to be relevant or hip or whatever ... how so? She set out to record a dance record with her last release, and she did. It was a damn good one, too. If dance music (or Madonna) isn't your thing, fine. But to just dismiss her because it's not your thing or because she's old? Come on."

I didn't make those comments, and don't begrudge her the effort to stay relevant. U2 have always made that effort and are still my favorite band as a result. I've never much cared for madonna, and so have usually just ignored her, as you suggest. My main gripe is that i do care about the cause and don't think she was the best choice for 'official song,' just because i'm not convinced she cares so much about the issue. i may be wrong, but i've yet to see the evidence to the contrary, a main reason i bring it up here: to learn more...

"As for the official song, who knows? Was she the only one approached? Did she volunteer? Did others who were approached to write something first turn it down for one reason or another? Hard to say."

Good questions, don't know the answers... may have to go look... anyone else know?

 

[VintagePunk]

I don't feel like sifting through this thread, but did anyone else think The Police butchered Roxanne?

I didn't think it was butchered, but I did think it probably went on two or three minutes too long.

 

[corianderstem]

I'm sorry if it did seem I was picking on you, I just took your Madonna comment from your post and ran with it, combining all the other anti-Madonna comments I've read in the various threads.

I did end up going on a bit of a rant, but it had been building up a bit. So again - sorry to seem like I was piling on you.

 

[phillyfan26]

I didn't think it was butchered, but I did think it probably went on two or three minutes too long.

Roxanne-o!

 

[dr. zooeuss]

no worries at all... as Bono has said "we're only as good as the arguments we get"

but I would like to see any answers to how she ended up getting to provide the official song (not letting that go yet)

 

[phillyfan26]

What the hell was Anthony Kiedes wearing anyway?

 

[corianderstem]

but I would like to see any answers to how she ended up getting to provide the official song (not letting that go yet)

Yeah, I'm curious about that as well, but I doubt an answer is floating around for public consumption.

Ditto U2's participation. Unless they talk about it in an interview in the future, it'll all just stay as speculation.

 

[LemonMelon]

What the hell was Anthony Kiedes wearing anyway?

Whatever it was, it wasn't able to distract from the mediocrity of his band.

OMG PWNED!

 

[corianderstem]

I was really underwhelmed by the Chili Peppers, as I have been for years now.

 

[dr. zooeuss]

you mean that poncho?

with weird late '80s style collage print on it. yay.

funny how bands like U2 and RHCP are getting mileage out of revisiting their early look at the moment.

re: the Police... I don't see anything wrong with every band that played getting their own Live Earth performance thread on here...

 

[xaviMF22]

did anyone see bloc party?

how here they?

I missed them

 

[dr. zooeuss]

missed them... there's a 90 sec clip of "The Prayer" on youtube that seems like a good performance, tho' the clip quality is not the best.