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Aardvark Jim's Magical Mystery Tour
An insight into the mind of a megalomaniac.
Live 8
If you missed it then you missed out.

Here is what you missed if you didn't find yourself in Hyde Park or glued to the TV (and for those of you who did see it, perhaps this will refresh your memory):

2:00pm: Paul McCartney and U2 - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.

What The Beeb Had To Say: One of the most super of supergroups of all time, and Sergeant Pepper was a suitable opening, even if the song has dated a bit. 9/10 for wow factor.

2:05pm: U2 - Beautiful Day/Vertigo/One.

What The Beeb Had To Say: They still have so much passion that it was impossible not to get swept up in their blockbuster anthems. They had the park singing and clapping and set the tone for the day. 10/10

2:25pm: Coldplay - In My Place/Fix You/Bittersweet Symphony (with Richard Ashcroft).

What The Beeb Had To Say: Powerful and popular. The peak of their rousing set came when Richard Ashcroft came on for a rendition of Bittersweet Symphony. But they are not ready take over U2's mantle as biggest band in world quite yet. 8/10

3:00pm: Elton John - The b***h is Back/Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting/Children Of The Revolution (with Pete Doherty).

What The Beeb Had To Say: Posing and pouting at every opportunity, he was another to prove that the veterans can still outperform younger rivals. He wheeled out a couple of classics before being joined by Pete Doherty who, with his gothic get-up and dazed look, resembled Adam Ant at the first Live Aid. 10/10 for Elton, 5/10 for Pete.

3:40pm: Dido - White Flag/Thank You/Seven Seconds (with Youssou N'Douir).

What The Beeb Had To Say: Youssou stole the show from Dido during their spot together. She may have the hits, but he has more charisma and a more haunting voice. Their duet of 7 Seconds was warmly received. 7/10

4:05pm: Stereophonics - Bartender And The Thief/Dakota/Maybe Tomorrow/Local Boy In The Photograph.

What The Beeb Had To Say: They may be too cool to show much emotion, but Stereophonics rock in a Rod Stewart kind of way. The crowd responded better to things with some oomph and they went down well. 7/10

4:30pm: REM - Imitation Of Life/Everybody Hurts/Man On The Moon.

What The Beeb Had To Say: It was arms in the air time as heart-wrenching song Everybody Hurts had the crowd spellbound. Michael Stipe's eerie blue face paint and freaky dancing sent a collective tingle through the whole crowd. 9/10

5:00pm: Keane - Somewhere Only We Know/Bedshaped.

What The Beeb Had To Say: They may be nice boys with nice songs, but Keane can sure belt 'em out. They are about as rock 'n' roll as you can be without a guitarist, and imposed themselves with a big presence. 8/10

5:15pm: Miss Dynamite - Dy-Na-Mi-Tee/Redemption Song.

What The Beeb Had To Say: She buried any suspicions of tokenism with an emotional rendition of Redemption Song. 6/10

5:30pm: Travis - Sing/Side/Stayin' Alive.

What The Beeb Had To Say: Fran Healy's affable bonhomie and catchy hits caught the mood, and they did not even make it rain when they sang Why Does It Always Rain on Me? The brave version of Staying Alive must have been for a bet - but kind of worked. 8/10

6:00pm: Bob Geldof - I Don't Like Mondays.

What The Beeb Had To Say: Despite promising not to play, he could not resist. He suddenly reverted back to straggly, straining old rock star - but the crowd was generous. 5/10

6:05pm: Annie Lennox - Why/Little Bird/Sweet Dreams.

What The Beeb Had To Say: Despite having been out of the spotlight for a while, she was another veteran to show the young stars a thing or two. Starting with a poignant version of Why?, she ended with a storming performance of Eurythmics classic Sweet Dreams. 8/10

6:25pm: UB40 - Food For Thought/Who You Fighting For/Reasons/Red, Red Wine/Can't Help Falling In Love With You.

What The Beeb Had To Say: Their appearance seemed like an attempt to represent multi-cultural Britain, but was a good soundtrack for a trip to the toilet or burger stall. 6/10

6:55pm: Snoop Dogg - Ups And Downs/Who Am I/Drop It/It's A G Thang.

What The Beeb Had To Say: He raised the temperature with a racy rendition of his hip-hop hits and got one of the most energetic responses of the concert so far. Fans were waving their hands in the air like they just didn't care. 9/10

7:10pm: Razorlight - Somewhere Else/Golden Touch/Vice.

What The Beeb Had To Say: This band grabbed the chance to shine on a world stage with their upbeat rock tunes and singer Johnny Borrell's theatrical antics. He jumped off the stage and ripped his shirt off - he has learnt the lessons of 1985. 9/10

7:20pm: Madonna - Like A Prayer/Ray Of Light/Music.

What The Beeb Had To Say: She's not the queen of pop for nothing. During Music, she got everyone clapping in unison the way Freddie Mercury did in 1985. This will be remembered as one of the Live 8 moments, with the crowd desperate to worship her regal presence. 10/10

7:40pm: Snow Patrol - Chocolate/Run.

What The Beeb Had To Say: Another band with good songs - but little of the power or passion this crowd really needed. 7/10

7:50pm: Joss Stone - Super Duper Love/I Had A Dream/Some Kind Of Wonderful.

What The Beeb Had To Say: She took to the stage barefoot and sang with a confidence that belies her age. Her trademark vocals soared, and she lifted the crowd as it entered the seventh hour of the concert. 8/10

8:15pm: Scissor Sisters - Laura/Take Your Mama/Everybody Wants The Same Thing.

What The Beeb Had To Say: They put on a fun spectacle and evoked the spirit of the '80s with their unashamedly spangly pop. They spoilt it a little by playing a new song at the end - it was good, but we just wanted the hits. 8/10

8:55pm: Velvet Revolver - Do It For The Kids/Fall To Pieces/Slither.

What The Beeb Had To Say: They kept the metal fans happy, but let's face it, there weren't many of those. The rest of the crowd were rather bemused by the high-voltage heavy rock and amount of leather. 6/10

9:10pm: Sting - Message In A Bottle/Driven To Tears/Every Breath You Take.

What The Beeb Had To Say: Another old pro proved to be a crowd-pleaser. He rallied fans with favourites like Every Breath You Take. 9/10

9:50pm: Mariah Carey - Make It Happen/Hero/We Belong Together.

What The Beeb Had To Say: She may have thought she was bringing some glamour to the show with her micro-dress and personal water carrier, but it just came across as ego. As such, she got short shrift from the crowd. 5/10

10:15pm: The Killers - All These Things That I've Done.

What The Beeb Had To Say: This white-suited band went to so much trouble for just one song. But the Vegas electro-pop kings made good use of their time. 7/10

10:25pm: Robbie Williams - We Will Rock You/Let Me Entertain You/Feel/Angels.

What The Beeb Had To Say: He had the fans in the palm of his hand, making a triumphant return to the stage with a set that had everyone joining in. The crowd would not have minded if he had stayed on all night. 10/10

10:55pm: The Who - Who Are You/Won't Get Fooled Again.

What The Beeb Had To Say: Classic bombastic brilliance from a band who refuse to slow down. With Roger Daltrey flinging his microphone around and Pete Townshend wrestling his guitar, they were on top form. 9/10

11:10pm: Pink Floyd - Breathe/Money/Wish You Were Here/Comfortably Numb.

What The Beeb Had To Say: If there was one historic musical moment, this was it - the reconciliation of Dave Gilmour and Roger Waters. They looked like they had never been away and the sublime magnificence of their songs swept across the audience. 10/10

11:35pm: Paul McCartney - Get Back/Drive My Car (with George Michael)/Helter Skelter/Long And Winding Road.

12:00am: Grand Finale - Hey Jude.

What The Beeb Had To Say: He opened and closed the show, the biggest name on a day of legends. And he lived up to his billing, belting out a couple of rockier Beatles classics before settling down at the piano for The Long and Winding Road and the finale, Hey Jude. 10/10

I think it's safe to say that England had the best line up... The Floyd reformed especially for it, you can't get better then that and they were AWESOME!


I have no idea whether Live 8 will have much political impact, but surely the fact that 1 billion people world wide took the time to watch it has to count for something? Either way it was a spectacular show.






User Comments: [1] [add]
+Voodoo_Gypsy+
Community Member
avatar
commentCommented on: Tue Jul 12, 2005 @ 08:54pm
I couldn't read it. It was too long, dude.


User Comments: [1] [add]
 
 
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