2,4,6,8, Live 8 was kinda great
Saturday, July 02, 2005
It's all too easy to be complacent and just look at all the glitter and artificiality which seems to surround the whole Live 8 event. Sure the whole thing was the brainchild of a bohemian-wannabe who had one hit song back when he was in a band. But it's not the various concerts that are of any value, it's the underlying message (obviously). Granted they will probably to nothing at all in terms of influencing the G8 leaders, at least it's an attempt. Humanity as a whole has become all too complacent and apathetic, as it gets easier and easier to sit inside the coocoon of one's life and never need to look at the larger picture.
I am somewhat guilty of this, though I at least try to stay abreast of happenings in other parts of the world. Thank goodness I don't live in a country that is subject to complacency as much as a certain country to my south.
Now, I don't often pontificate or spout my ideals however I feel I must address. I spent some time today (as I'm sure many of my fellow Canadians did) taking part in the Live 8 events by watching the television coverage. I do get some American channels through my various tv packages. Something I couldn't help but noticing was that no major US broadcast network was covering the concerts. I later learned that the only networks in the US carrying the concert were the cable networks VH1 and MTV. Now I don't know the penetration those networks enjoy into the homes of Americans, but I'm sure it's nowhere as high as any of the major broadcast networks. I later learned that later in "prime time" one major network or another would carry a highlight show. Well isn't that nice. Quite frankly it makes me sick, that the networks were unwilling to pre-empt their valuable Saturday day-time television schedules.
Or maybe they just couldn't secure broadcast rights, what do I know?
CTV did a bearable job of covering the concerts, although once again they provided us with Ben Mulroney overload. Soon he'll be the host and star of every show on the network. One thing that bothered me during the broadcast were the commercials. It just felt like in the spirit of the event CTV should have forgone the need to have commercials.
Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed the Canadian concerts. Gordon Lightfoot especially was amazing to watch. This one, frail looking man standing on a huge stage (empty but for him) with his guitar. He held the massive crowd in rapture, silent as he began his set, but raucus and cheering as he completed it. The Tragically Hip were amazing, as they always are live, and The Barenaked Ladies had the crowd singing along to If I had a Million Dollars. Wonderful Canadiana. E especially enjoyed Steven Page's rendition of a few lines of Tears are Not Enough, a Canadian collaboration song from Live Aid times. I just wish iTunes, or some music store, would have recordings of the songs for purchase.
I've got to admit, the sponatneous rendition of Oh Canada! at the end of the concert gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it. Usually sung at the opening of a major event (like a hockey game), it proved the perfect period to the end of the sentence that was the Barrie concert.
In other news, I spent too short a time with a lovely girl this afternoon, it's a shame she doesn't live here.
But, back to enjoying the current thunder storm and CTV's greatest Live 8 hits show as the Hip are playing.
it's just like america though... it's all about the $$. i spent part of saturday watching ctv coverage of live8 (cause we get signal from toronto here in buffalo) during the afternoon. i think abc started covering the concert(s) later in the day... but i didn't like the way they covered it.
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