World
The greatest show on Earth
By Ben Davey and Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-07-07 07:20
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A Western opera diva, a Hong Kong crooner and composer, a prolific hit artist who doubles as a movie star and a band formed by brothers originally hailing from Italy are among the acts that will perform on the steps of the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai as part of the series of Live Earth concerts today.
Former Phantom of the Opera star Sarah Brightman and Hong Kong singers-slash-actors Anthony Wong and Eason Chan are just a few of the names on the bill for the Chinese leg of this gargantuan global green gig.
Julio Acconci, one of two Italian-born twins in Hong Kong-based rock band Soler, who will perform four songs in Shanghai, says China has the capacity to take a leading role fighting climate change. So do artists, he says.
"Music has been used to raise the awareness of everything important such as the Live 8 concert to fight poverty in Africa," he says. "As artists, we do have our advantage in raising the awareness. More than that, it comes down to how we live our lives. Knowing is not enough. We have to create action."
Only 3,000 concertgoers were fortunate enough to snap up tickets for the Chinese leg, worth 200-1,100 yuan ($25- $142). Others to play in Shanghai are Evonne Hsu, Huang Xiaoming, Joey Yung, Winnie Shin, violin troupe The 12 Girls Band as well as stars from the TV shows My Hero and My Show.
Live Earth is the brainchild of former Vice President of the United States (and recent
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Live Earth concerts feature some of the world's biggest pop and rock stars such as (clockwise) Bon Jovi, Madonna, The Police and Black Eyed Peas. File photos |
"Live Earth will use the power of music to transcend borders and language and unite the world against the climate crisis on July 7," Wall says. "This show will not only engage people in China and Asia, and Shanghai is a world capital that provides us with a global platform."
Khalid Malik, UN Resident Coordinator and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in China says the event's message is particularly poignant here.
"With its rapid economic growth and soaring carbon emissions, China is regarded as a crucial target for this message," Malik says.
Held simultaneously in eight cities, including New York, Sydney, Tokyo, London and Johannesburg, the concerts feature some of the world's biggest pop and rock acts, including The Police, Madonna, Black Eyed Peas, The Beastie Boys, Bon Jovi, The Foo Fighters, Kanye West and Snoop Dogg.
The Brazil leg of the event, which was to be staged in Rio, was cancelled due to safety concerns. Despite this setback, hundreds of thousands are expected to attend the various shows, and organizers predict that the worldwide viewing audience will top 2 billion.
Building on the environmental credibility he generated through An Inconvenient Truth and with murmurs abound that he still yet may join the race for the White House in next year's US elections, Gore says that the massive event is about much more than simply providing a good excuse to rock out.
"The climate crisis affects us all. Live Earth is about uniting all of us to be a part of the solution," Gore says. "Live Earth is taking the unprecedented step of spanning all
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Live Earth concerts will be held in major cities across the world including Tokyo (top) and Shanghai (right) to raise awareness about global warming. |
"Live Earth will ask people across the world to commit to changes in their lives and to move other people, communities, companies and governments to reduce our carbon output by 90 percent by 2050 and ensure there's a new, global treaty on climate change by 2009."
But not everyone has gleefully jumped aboard the Live Earth bandwagon. Among the skeptics is Sir Bob Geldof, the architect of the original socially-conscience pop event, Live Aid. Sir Geldof, whose mass-gig helped raise $245 million for starving Ethiopians in 1985, recently said that he was unsure about the real intentions of Live Earth organizers.
"I would only organize Live Earth if I could go onstage and announce concrete environmental measures from the American presidential candidates, Congress or major corporations," Geldof says. "I hope they're a success. But why is Gore actually organizing them? To make us aware of the greenhouse effect? We are all conscious of global warming."
Others, such as rockers Arctic Monkeys and The Who's Roger Daltrey, have suggested that the sheer waste generated by these huge concerts contradicts the event's ecological theme.
In response, Live Earth officials say they will adhere to certain green guidelines including recycling and the use of electricity from renewable sources during the shows. In Shanghai, concertgoers have been encouraged to use public transport, and a "green" team of experts and volunteers has been mobilized to ensure minimum environmental impact at the venue.
The collaborative event has attracted a slew of official partners including international and Chinese-based NGOs such as the United Nations Development Programme, WWF China, The Climate Group China, Global Village of Beijing, Friends of Nature, China Environmental Awareness Programme and Roots & Shoots.
The Shanghai Media Group will broadcast the Shanghai concert live on the Art & Entertainment channel, while Dragon TV will show a repeat viewing one week later.
Online, you can see the performances being streamed live by logging onto http://liveearth.cn.msn.com.
(China Daily 07/07/2007 page5)
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