By now we all know that MTV/VH1's coverage of Live8 sucked. Hardcore. All people, critics, and bloggers are letting the world know that AOL did had the best coverage of Live8 hands down. They streamed all the events live and will continue to for the entire summer. There's a great article about it here. Do you agree that AOL ripped MTV a new one? Let us know!
Elton John sending a message 2 days after Live8
Well for the city of Philadelphia, apparently one huge, life-changing concert wasn't enough. We demand more and somehow got it in the form of Elton John. Just 2 days after Live8 on the 4th of July, Elton John is playing on the same Live8 stage, with the same sound, same screens, etc. A few other performers will be joining him such as Bryan Adams. But Elton is trying to raise awareness of the global AIDS/HIV crisis. So at least both concerts send a message.
Entire Live8 sets available on the web
As Jason told us yesterday, BitTorrents already started going up of Live8 shows that weren't finished yet. Well now that the amazing event has passed, literally every single one is available in one way or another on video; most in the form of BitTorrents. We reccomend checking out here to find some.
12 blocks of fans
Live8 was expected to draw millions around the world of course. But in Philadelphia alone, fans have come from every single corner of the earth to be here. The stage is at the Art Museum's steps which is 25th and the Parkway basically. The fans have gone all the way down to 13th street for Live8 which shows that the message is clearly getting across despite the city being packed to the brim.
Communications a nightmare at Live8
Trying to communicate with someone at Live8 is like trying to juggle chainsaws one handed, it's just not happening. All cellphone communications are tied up resulting in failed call attempts multiple times. It took me about 19 tries before I was able to call my friend and even then you couldn't hear anything.
Linkin Park's hidden message is...?
During Linkin Park's set, they played their song "Breaking the Habit." However, while the song was playing, random images and messages flashed on the big screens next to the stage. Some said
Anyone know what this is referring to? My guess is that people in Africa need medicines like Iodine....but
A potential sanitation nightmare?
When we found out that the city of Philadelphia was only planning on providing about 400 portable toilets for the 1 million expected Live 8 guests, we were a little worried. Now that it seems like even more people have arrived, I can only imagine what chaos must be going on in the farther reaches of the crowd - and, of course, as the day goes on, it'll only get worse. Backstage, they've set up these comparatively luxurious, sink-equipped, flushable toilet units ... but by 3:00 they're already pretty gross. This is me making a disgusted face whilst washing my hands:
Dehydration reigns king at Live8
My friend had gotten heat stroke out in the crowd, so I rushed about 5 bottles of water to her and her friend. Aside from there being well over 2 million people in the city, about 10 people every 5 minutes are becoming dehydrated or getting heat stroke. The medics are handling it well though and hopefully it won't become a very serious problem.
Chris Tucker at Live 8 Philly
Actor/comedian Chris Tucker backstage at Live 8 Philly.
Live8 starts, crowd goes wild!
The crowd goes nuts at Live8! Will Smith came out to start the event in Philly, he cheered, and the crowd responded with screaming, yelling, and clapping. You can view video of it here (.mov format)
Backstage at Philly Live8
We've got some exclusive footage of the equipment and setup of Live8 backstage. Everything from Def Leppard and Dave Matthews Band's drumsets to Bon Jovi's guitars. Check it out here (.mov format).
