Live 8: The Long
Walk to Justice
A Presentation by Maggie Stohler
U.S. History II Mr. Greenberg period 2
Presentation Objective
• The objective of the
following presentation
is to inform you about
the 2005 worldwide
charity event known
as Live 8, as well as
its controversy, its
musical aspect, and
its political and
economical impact on
our global society.
The Long Walk to Justice
• Geldof said, “These
concerts are the starting
point for The Long Walk
to Justice, the one way
we can make our voices
heard in unison.”
• On May 31, 2005, Live
Aid organizer Bob
Geldof announced his
plans for holding
concerts on July 2,
2005 before the G8
conference, later known
as Live 8.
• Bob Geldof proposed
holding 9 concerts
worldwide in each of
the G8 countries as well
as an additional concert
in South Africa.
The Plan of Action
• These benefit concerts
were to precede the G8
Summit and Conference
held in Auchterarder,
Scotland from July 6th to
July 8th.
• Live 8 was not intended to
raise money, but rather
awareness and people’s
political interest as well
as overwhelm G8 leaders
with great public support.
• In support of Make
Poverty History and
Global Call for Action
Against Poverty, the
concerts planned to
pressure world leaders to:
– Drop the debt of the
world’s poorest countries
– Increase aid
– Negotiate fair trade rules
for poorer countries
Worldwide Concerts
• Planned to be held on
July 2, 2005, Geldof
announced 10 different
concerts:
– Johannesburg, South
Africa
– Tokyo, Japan
– Barrie, Canada
– Moscow, Russia
– Hyde Park, London,
England
– Philadelphia, United
States of America
– Berlin, Germany
– Cornwall, England
– Paris, France
– Rome, Italy
The Live 8 List
• Organizers presented the
"Live 8 List" to world
leaders at the G8 summit.
This is a list of over 38
million names compiled
from around the world of
people who support
politicians to "Make
Poverty History" on
www.live8list.com.
Names from the list
appeared at each concert
during the broadcast.
Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push
• The final event in the Live
8 concert series was in
Edinburgh on 6 July 2005,
called the Edinburgh
50,000 - The Final Push. It
featured performances
from artists from other
concerts, and was closest
to the location of the G8
summit.
• Geldof was criticized for
encouraging a crowd to
assemble in Edinburgh
with little notice and no
consultation with local
authorities.
The Live 8 Set List
Faith Hill
Tim McGraw
Björk
Good Charlotte
Brad Pitt
Coldplay
David Beckham
Elton John
Joss Stone
Keane
Kofi Annan
Madonna
Mariah Carey
Ms. Dynamite
Paul McCartney
George Clooney
James Brown
Midge Ure
Natasha
Bedingfield
Nelson Mandela
Snow Patrol
Bill Gates
George Michael
Pink Floyd
R.E.M.
Snoop Dogg
Snow Patrol
The Killers
The Who
U2
Shakira
The Cure
Alicia Keys
Black Eyed Peas
Bon Jovi
Dave Matthews
Band
Destiny's Child
Kanye West
Linkin Park
Maroon 5
Rob Thomas
Stevie Wonder
Will Smith
Barenaked Ladies
Celine Dion
Dan Aykroyd
Mötley Crüe
Simple Plan
Audioslave
Daniel Powter
Green Day
Angelina Jolie
Peter Gabriel
Youssou N'Dour
Annie Lennox
Bob Geldof
Bono
Duran Duran
World Wide Live 8 Concert Highlights
• Pink Floyd, reunited for the first time in over 24 years. The complete
foursome had not performed together since 17 June 1981. The band
performed "Speak to Me", "Breathe", "Money", "Wish You Were
Here" and "Comfortably Numb".
• Paul McCartney and U2 opened the concert playing "Sgt Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band". George Michael joined Paul McCartney
on the Beatles' "Drive My Car”.
• Before Madonna's set, Bob Geldof introduced Birhan Woldu, the
starving child in the BBC News report which prompted Geldof to
organise Live Aid. She held hands with Madonna while the singer
performed "Like a Prayer".
• Robbie Williams began with Queen's "We Will Rock You" Williams
stated that he "wanted to bring a bit of Freddie back from the original
Live Aid."
• The crowd joined in to sing the theme song to "The Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air" led by Will Smith during his appearance.
• Philadelphia's Mayor, John Street, announced on stage that there
were over 1 million spectators in the audience
Live 8’s Impact
• On 7 July the G8
leaders pledged to
double levels of aid
from $25 to $50 billion
by 2010. Half of the
money was to go to
Africa. G8 finance
ministers also agreed
to cancel the debt
owed by 18 of the
poorest countries.
Live 8 Criticism
• Many believed it was
hypocrisy that artists
had millions of "spare
cash" lying in their
bank accounts while
wanting to "Make
Poverty History".
Counter-critics point
out that celebrities are
not rich enough to
cancel the debt.
• Despite the show being
broadcast beforehand,
there was no attempt at
censorship. In the
United States, MTV
censored swear words
from the performances,
yet ABC aired
highlights without
censorship.
More Live 8 Criticism
• Criticism was drawn from
viewers of MTV, in which
the VJs talked over the
music rather than letting
performances speak for
themselves. Few songs
were played and none
were broadcast live,
leading some to say that
MTV covered the event
but did not broadcast it.
• Critics claim Live 8 is best
viewed as a PR
campaign. In a report
issued in 2006 the G8
have not lived up to their
promises. The U.S. has
increased its
development-assistance
pledges but is off-track in
meeting them. The G8 is
moving slowly to meet its
promises. Some believe it
was a publicity stunt and
a failure as the G8 have
forgotten their pledges.
Live 8: The Impact
• Although Live 8 has
come in for criticism in
the media, criticised for
using Africa as "a
catwalk" which is more
about reviving the
careers of rock stars
than helping the poor, it
has been successful
and has achieved its
overall goal of raising
awareness.
• In total, the concerts
included performances
from more than 1,000
musicians, was
broadcast on 182
television networks and
2,000 radio networks,
and had an overall
impact on our global
society.