Last weekend, Al Gore brought the earth’s climate crisis to the world’s attention by staging energy-guzzling concerts on every continent. Isn’t that like promoting vegetarianism with a global hot dog eating contest?
Anyway, let us breathe a carbon dioxide-heavy sigh of relief, for Live Earth is finally over. And despite interesting sets by the Police and a Les Paul-wielding Madonna, and Bon Jovi reminding us all that the “New York” concert was actually very much in New Jersey (JBJ introduced their best song, “Wanted: Dead or Alive” as “the national anthem”), Live Earth has to go down as the lamest major benefit concert ever.
The once-noble tradition of rocking for a good cause began in 1967 with the epic Monterey Pop Festival. Although it started out as an answer to the myriad jazz and folk festivals of the day, organizer “Papa” John Phillips turned into a charitable show in order to lure the most high-minded artists of the day. It was a coming-out party for Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Who, Ravi Shankar, Otis Redding and many other now-legends.
A few years later, George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh brought the plight of the third world to America’s attention, highlighted by Bob Dylan’s magnificent out-of-seclusion set. Bangladesh also pioneered the tradition of raised funds not making it to their intended beneficiary, which Live Aid gamely followed in 1985.
Now, 40 years after Monterey, the rock fundraiser has de-evolved into a model of vague hypocrisy, best exemplified by the insufferable Melissa Etheridge. Watching her self-aggrandizing, patronizing, pinko party-line mid-song monologues, it’s almost impossible to believe she’s serious.
How many carbon offsets will it take to offset the hot air Gore, Etheridge and friends released into the world’s dwindling oxygen supply on 7.07.07? Start switching your lightbulbs now.
3 comments:
It's easy to critize, harder to critique. Where are ANY suggestions for making this event more successful or entertaining?
Certainly, it would have been more interesting if The Who were there in their prime, or Dylan, or any number of legends. So do you suggest that bringing as many dinosuars out would have improved things? Or should they have included more young inconoclasts, such as White Stripes?
Your review is long on snarky comments; short on ideas.
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To anonymous: Regular Rock Turtleneck readers will remember that way back in February when this concert was announced I flagged the hypocrisy of a energy guzzling show in the guise of cutting the world's energy consumption. Since Gore, who I like in general, invented the internet, I suggested an online concert where the artists play acoustic instruments from home, thus saving untold amounts of energy. Here's a link to the original post:
http://rockturtleneck.blogspot.com/2007/02/we-are-world-unfortunately.html
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