ALWAYS HARD TO FIND THE TOILET AT A LIVE 8 GIG

Unless you're at the Philly concert, where they kindly raised these "toilet here" balloons.

I feel like crap today, starting to get the flu I think and I probably didn't help things all that much by staying up till 4 am watching the Live 8 feed at Chris's house. I put in a good effort I think, but the prospect of seeing it through to the end (10am) was just a little too much.

So what was it like? Hmmm I so keep comparing it to Live Aid in 85 and this probably isn't fair. As linked as these two concerts are they are pretty different in many ways, however I'm gonna. Keep in mind that I am not comparing humanitarian issues here. Both were for extremely good causes in my mind. Effective? Well time will tell, I'm just talking about the music, because face it, for most people that's all this was, sure they were aware of the issues and this gave them a very easy way to express their outrage/despair/guilt and still have a good time!

Michael Stipe of course looked cool.

Live Aid shat all over Live 8, simple as that! Why? Well for starters the line up for Live 8 was fairly limp wasn't it? Lets do a comparison of the London and Philly lineups:

1985

Show opens at Wembley Stadium

Status Quo, Style Council, Boomtown Rats, Adam Ant, INXS (video from Melbourne), Ultravox, Loudness (video from Japan), Spandau Ballet, Bernard Watson, Joan Baez , Elvis Costello, The Hooters, Opus (video from Austria), Nik Kershaw, The Four Tops, B.B. King (video from The Hague), Billy Ocean, Black Sabbath, Sade, Run DMC, Sting, Rick Springfield, Phil Collins, REO Speedwagon, Howard Jones, Autograph (video from Moscow), Bryan Ferry, Crosby, Still & Nash, Udo Lindenberg (video from Cologne), Judas Priest, Paul Young + Alison Moyet

Linkup between Wembley in the UK and JFK stadium in the US

Bryan Adams, U2, The Beach Boys, Dire Straits & Sting, George Thorogood & the Destroyers + Bo Diddley + Albert Collins, Queen, David Bowie + Mick Jagger ( video), Simple Minds, David Bowie, The Pretenders, The Who, Santana + Pat Metheny, Elton John, Ashford & Simpson + Teddy Pendergrass, Elton John + Kiki Dee + Wham, Madonna, Freddie Mercury + Brian May, Paul McCartney, McCartney + Bowie + Pete Townshend + Alison Moyet + Bob Geldof, - UK Finale from Wembley

Show finishes in Philly

Tom Petty, Kenny Loggins, The Cars, Neil Young, The Power Station, The Thompson Twins, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Robert Plant + Jimmy Page + John Paul Jones, Duran Duran, Patti LaBelle, Hall & Oates + Eddie Kendricks + David Ruffin, Mick Jagger, Mick Jagger + Tina Turner, Bob Dylan + Keith Richards + Ron Wood, - US Finale

2005

LONDON, HYDE PARK

African Children's Choir, Annie Lennox, Bob Geldof, Coldplay, Dido, Elton John, Joss Stone, Keane, Killers,The, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Ms. Dynamite, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Razorlight, REM, Robbie Williams, Scissor Sisters, Snoop Dogg, Snow Patrol, Stereophonics, Sting, Travis, U2, UB40, Velvet Revolver

PHILADELPHIA

Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Def Leppard, Destiny's Child, Jay-Z, Josh Groban, Kaiser Chiefs, Keith Urban, Linkin Park, Maroon 5, P Diddy, Rob Thomas, Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Wonder, Toby Keith

I guess you can argue it's an unfair comparison, as music is different now and artists once popular, are no longer. But for me it was the diversity that made Live Aid that bit better, to put it bluntly a lot of last nights acts are just crap. So were a lot of bands at Live Aids, but I guess they were the type of crap bands I liked and the crap bands I like now simply weren't there : Oh and way too many old farts dragged out for this, time to hang up the leather pants dudes.

At least the organisers got one thing sorted, back in 85 they got Duran Duran out of the Wembley show and had em play in the US, this time round they shoved em onto the Rome stage!! Man I felt sorry for the Italians, everytime the telecast crossed to their show the crowd was just standing still, staring at the stage wondering why they got so much crap dumped on their bill. Apart from Duran Duran they also got Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, poor bastards.

Highlights for me. Snow Patrol, Keane, Annie Lennox, U2, the tear jerker moment when Geldof introduced the girl who had been saved by Live Aid, perhaps even the Black Eyed Peas. Lowlights, McFly (yeah who?) Romes' suffering, the Pet Shop Boys in Moscow - let it go guys - and I will say it now even though I haven't seen it yet, Pink Floyd. I can guarantee those 15 minute guitar solos are gonna be painful.

So now for some now and then pics from both gigs

I could never say a bad thing about Bono,

Duran Duran, poor bastards,Simon LeBon couldn't sing then and he can't now. Done okay though hasn't he?!

"Ethel" was, well Ethel really, the poor Ethiopian survivor just wanted to get off the stage but Ethel dragged her along with her!! But what's with the "are you ready to fucking rock London" shout out?

I didn't pay attention to Elton, I was eating curry, the curry was good, I don't think Elton was good, and who was that singing with him?

Ah poor Macca, he could barely hold a note, nuff said!

It really wasn't all that good was it? I hope they at least raised lots of money