Since this year's Live 8 sequel to the previous Live Aid efforts had some amazing moments, it is tempting to compare the two. But to do so is not fair; the present musical scope is a far cry from what it was in 1985.
The concerts philanthropic efforts have been well-covered and documented - there is no need to elaborate. By contrast, the just-released four-disc DVD set highlights some of the best musical moments of the concerts, mixing a hodgepodge of genres. While not slighting anyone, the day really belonged to the classic rockers, some of whom (U2, Elton John, The Who) played at the original Live Aid twenty years before. Elton John's double-barreled "The Bitch Is Back" and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" are amazing, but his duet with Pete Doherty on "Children of the Revolution" is a bit shaky.
The pairing of U2 and Paul McCartney on "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is a rare treat; McCartney had never played the song live before (he had played the Sgt. Pepper's reprise song in concert before, but not the original) and Bono and Co. do a valiant job filling in for McCartney's former bandmates. U2 follows this up by rattling off a trio of songs capped by a poignant "One."
The biggest story of the day was the reunion of the classic Pink Floyd lineup. After too many years of squabbling, Roger Waters joined David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright for a classic mini-Floyd set. It is hard not to get a bit emotional watching this more than likely one-of-a-kind performance, and the DVD was wise to include the full set the quintet performed that day.
For all the reported bitterness between certain Floyd members, Waters looks fairly enthusiastic while sharing the stage with his old bandmates again, and even makes an emotional dedication of "Wish You Were Here" to "everyone who's not here, particularly, of course, for Syd" - a nice nod to former Floyd member Syd Barrett. Not bad for a guy that had pretty much vowed to never play with Pink Floyd again.
While the classic rock sets rank among the highlights, there are also some fantastic moments from the younger set. The Verve's Richard Ashcroft joins Coldplay for an emotional resurrection of "Bittersweet Symphony," and punk-pop princes Green Day tear through the title track from "American Idiot."
Hip-hop, represented at the original Live Aid in 1985 solely by Run-DMC, gets a good bit of stage time in the concerts' latest incarnation. Kanye West shines on "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (too bad that "Gold Digger" wasn't released at the time of Live 8, as it more than likely would have been one of the DVD's centerpieces) and The Black Eyed Peas bring a bundle of Red Bull-like energy and try hard to engage the monstrous crowd. Representing the glory days of rap is the always charismatic Snoop Dogg, who raises the non-existent roof with "Who Am I (What's My Name)?"
The DVD is a great keeper, especially since many of the artists' sets were cut short when the original concerts were broadcast on MTV and VH1, the stations' cameras cut so that viewers could listen to the ramblings of their respective VJs. To be fair, both MTV and VH1 did try to rectify the gaff, and each presented several hours of uninterrupted performances a week after the show was first broadcast.
One wonders if it was enough, especially for those who watched in horror as, during the original broadcast, the VH1 cameras panned away from Pinks Floyd's set early to showcase the infinite wisdom of ("Bands Reunited" host) Aamer Haleem.
A couple of weeks back, the DVD of the Concert for Bangladesh (1971) was released. The Concert for Bangladesh was the first "official" benefit concert ever, raising funds and awareness for the plight of the people of the Southeast Asian nation. While the technology was nowhere like the display at Live 8 (how could it have been?), it does embody some classic musical moments, and the spirit of philanthropy created by its original cast of musicians (George Harrison, Bob Dylan and other big names of that time) was the spark that certainly led to the first Live Aid, Live 8, and the myriad of fundraising concerts of that ilk.
In the self-absorbed and bling-obsessed world of today's pop-culture, it's pretty great that the music scene is still influential enough to help those who need it.
