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Live 8

I haven't said anything about Live 8 largely because it hasn't loomed large on my horizon. The lineup assembled here in Philadelphia has elicited mostly disparaging comments from local DJs who looked at the lineup scheduled to appear in Philadelphia and were less than impressed. Linkin Park? Destiny's Child? P Diddy? Jay Z? Def Leppard? Black Eyed Peas? Will Smith?!

I mean, really.

Sure, we did pull Stevie Wonder, and if I could choose the songs I might even be able to muster some enthusiasm for Dave Matthews Band. People can't help but look back on 1985's Live Aid and compare this lineup to that one: Crosby Stills and Nash, Tom Petty, The Pretenders, Santana, The Cars, The Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, hell, even Patti Labelle, Duran Duran and Phil Collins would be more entertaining than most of what Philly pulled this time.

So, yeah, it's largely an age thing. Plus, I do realize that this time it's spread out over four times the locations, so there had to be some dilutions.

Judging from the turnout I can see from bouncing between MTV and VH1 they pulled a great turnout down by the Art Museum, so the event appears to be a success in that respect at least.

Particularly with Bush and Blair involved in the upcoming G-8 meeting - each playing angles to create some sense of a humanitarian legacy for their administrations - my interest in all this plummets. They can pledge all manner of things, leaving it for Congress and Parliament, respectively, to dispatch or dispose. If anything is done, I'm all but assured the burden of any debt relief will fall on the backs of the middle class on down, and not on the wealthy.

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