Live Earth (2007 concert)
Rome | |
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Years active | 2007 |
Founded by | Al Gore, Kevin Wall |
Website | www.liveearth.org (Archived) |
Live Earth was a one-off event developed to combat climate change. The first series of benefit concerts were held on July 7, 2007. The concerts brought together more than 150 musical acts in twelve locations around the world which were broadcast to a mass global audience through televisions, radio, and streamed via the Internet. It was "unclear" where ticket proceeds from ticket sales went towards.
Overview
The umbrella organization for the event was
The worldwide producer of talent and venue programming for all of the events was Aaron Grosky. The worldwide producer of events was Lily Sobhani. Live Earth produced 60 short films, directed by leading filmmakers from the worlds of films, music videos, commercials and animation. The worldwide producer of Live Earth films was Kit Hawkins. The 22-hour global TV broadcast (world feed) and satellite distribution, as well as radio, internet and mobile production was overseen by Executive in Charge of Production André Mika and produced and directed by Paul Flattery. Ryan Polito also directed the worldwide feed. Unlike the similar Live 8 concerts, which were free, Live Earth charged admission but the event was made broadly available via television and the Internet.
The 2007 event set a new record for on-line entertainment with over 15 million video streams during the live concert alone. Television ratings were mixed, with 41% of households in Canada watching the concerts, while figures in the UK were characterized as a "flop".
Background
The plans for the Live Earth concerts were announced at a media event in
In addition to raising awareness of
- To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countriesand by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
- To take personal action to help solve the carbon neutral;'
- To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
- To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
- To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of reduce dependence on oiland coal;
- To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
- To buy from leaderswho share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.
In subsequent interviews Al Gore indicated that the concerts would mark 'the beginning of a three-year campaign worldwide to deliver information about how we solve the climate crisis'[9][10] and that 'the prospects for every future generation depend on us understanding, hearing and acting upon this information.'[9][11]
Live Earth's supporters included climate change activists in New Zealand's Climaction Coalition, who praised concert organisers, stating "Climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity today."[12] Climaction spokesperson David Colyer said the concert presented "a great opportunity to join our voices with theirs" and called on people who could not attend a concert to participate in local events to raise awareness about climate change.
Further information on the issues raised by the concerts are published in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, written by environmentalist
Antecedents for the style of concerts
The concert series followed in the tradition of many benefit events staged in the past three decades:
- The aspect of multiple concerts on a single day followed two events conceived by Bob Geldof—two Live Aid concerts staged on July 13, 1985, and eight Live 8 concerts staged on July 2, 2005.
- The aspect of a series of rock concerts for a single cause taking place in multiple nations across the planet echoed the twenty concerts presented in 1988 on Human Rights Now! World Tour - a tour conceived by Jack Healey and Martin Lewis.
The deployment of multiple pop and rock musicians and entertainers to promote awareness of a single cause has many antecedents - the principal examples being:
- Two 1971 Concerts for Bangladesh - conceived by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar
- Secret Policeman's Balls benefit shows staged from 1976 to 1981 - conceived by John Cleese and Martin Lewis
- Four 1979 John Hall
- Four 1979 Concerts for Kampuchea - conceived by Paul McCartney and Kurt Waldheim
Friends of Live Earth
- Nederland 3 of live streams (in sequential order) from Live Earth events and reports from Dutch correspondents stationed on all 7 continents as well as an almost 12 hour side event at the home location with performances, artists and other side activities. Some parts of this Dutch program were included in the official Live Earth streams and broadcast worldwide.[17]
- Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) in South Korea broadcast a special TV program named "Save The Earth - A Friend Of Live Earth",[18] a live event of special presentations, performances, and concerts of the K-pop stars.
Locations
The organizers intended to present concerts on all seven continents. They stated that the venues would use on-site power generation, efficient methods of energy utilisation and sustainable facilities management in an effort to minimise environmental impact.
Africa | ||
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Coca-Cola Dome
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Randburg near Johannesburg | South Africa |
North America | ||
Giants Stadium | East Rutherford, NJ
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United States |
National Mall 1 | Washington, D.C. | United States |
South America | ||
Copacabana Beach
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Rio de Janeiro | Brazil |
Asia | ||
Makuhari Messe | Chiba near Tokyo | Japan |
Tō-ji | Kyoto | Japan |
Oriental Pearl Tower | Shanghai | China |
Australia | ||
Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney | Australia |
Europe | ||
Wembley Stadium | London | United Kingdom |
HSH Nordbank Arena | Hamburg | Germany |
Basilica of St. John Lateran
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Rome | Italy |
Antarctica | ||
Rothera Research Station | British Antarctic Territory | British Antarctic Territory |
1 i.c. premises/venue of Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian .
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The South African concert, originally scheduled for the Cradle of Mankind, was abandoned by local promoter Big Concerts, due to poor ticket sales statistics, believed to be a result of the non-central nature of this landmark and poor planning by the promoter. The Coca-Cola Dome was settled on two days prior to the concert starting.
Washington D.C. venue
It was only hours before the Washington D.C. concert was scheduled to begin that organisers were able to secure a venue for the last-minute addition to the schedule.
Performers
Wembley Stadium (United Kingdom)
Presenters: |
Giants Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States)
Presenters:
National Mall (United States)Presenters:
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Sydney Football Stadium (Australia)
Presenters:
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Makuhari Messe (Japan)Presenters: |
Tō-ji (Japan)
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Oriental Pearl Tower (China)
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Audience
The concerts were broadcast in over 130 countries by more than 500 media partners including television, radio, Internet and wireless channels. National television viewing figures included 19 million viewers in the US, 41% of all households in Canada, 37% of all households in Brazil, and 20% in Germany.
The event also attracted a record on-line audience. Live coverage attracted over 8 million people who watched over 15 million video streams, while total 55 million video streams had been watched by 23 July.
United Kingdom
London's
Controversies and criticism
While garnering favorable comments, several aspects of the event drew criticism from various perspectives.
Republican Political Criticism
Some
Environmental impact
Bands including The Who, Muse and Arctic Monkeys dubbed Live Earth "Private Jets for Climate Change."[29] The event's total carbon footprint, including the artists' and spectators' travel and energy consumption, was probably at least 74,500 tonnes, according to John Buckley of CarbonFootPrint.com - more than 3,000 times the average Briton's annual footprint.[29] An estimate reported that 100,000 planted trees are required to offset total carbon emissions produced during the entire event, as well as a key sponsor for the event being Chevrolet, promoting a new hybrid four-wheel drive.[30]
The BBC cancelled a later major attempt to "raise consciousness" of global climate change. The BBC's news story suggested that this was in part because "poor ratings in the UK and elsewhere for July's Live Earth concert may have confirmed the internal belief that the public do not like being "lectured to" on climate change."[31]
Concert-goers at the event’s London leg had left thousands of plastic cups on the floor of Wembley Stadium, although organisers had urged audience members to use the recycling bins provided, the BBC reported.[32]
Singer-songwriter
Bob Geldof and Live 8
Before the goals of the concerts were announced on June 28, the concert was criticised by
A spokesman for Live Earth responded to Geldof, saying that the concerts were intended to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change. "People are aware of global warming but millions are not doing anything about changing their lifestyles."[36]
BBC coverage of the London venue
The BBC, which televised the concert in the United Kingdom, received a total of 413 complaints because coverage of Metallica's live set was cut short, and approximately 130 complaints concerning swearing
Financial lack of transparency
Intelligent Giving have attempted to find out what was happening to the proceeds from ticket sales at the concerts. Their conclusions, published in a feature "What on (Live) Earth is going on?" were that no one involved is capable of giving a clear answer.[39]
Home release
Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis | |
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Live album by various artists | |
Released | November 26, 2007 |
Label | Warner Bros. Records |
Live Earth was documented on Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis, released on November 26 internationally and December 4 in the U.S (DVD 780.97 L) by
Track list
CD
No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | " Another Brick In The Wall Part II" | Roger Waters | |
6. | "Bleed It Out" | Linkin Park | |
7. | "Bedshaped" | Keane | |
8. | "Wanted Dead Or Alive" | Bon Jovi | |
9. | "Wisemen" | James Blunt | |
10. | "Black Hole Sun" | Chris Cornell | |
11. | "Are You Gonna Go My Way" | Lenny Kravitz | |
12. | "Intergalactic" | Beastie Boys | |
13. | "Suddenly I See" | KT Tunstall | |
14. | "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" | Corinne Bailey Rae & John Legend | |
15. | "Que Sera, Sera" | Damien Rice & David Gray | |
16. | "Waiting on the World to Change" (iTunes version exclusive) | John Mayer |
DVD 1
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DVD 2
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See also
References
- ^ Tryhorn, Chris (2007-07-09). "Live Earth a ratings flop". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
- ^ "Power to the people". Melbourne: The Age. 2007-07-16. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "Breaking News - Bravo's 'Live Earth' Coverage Marks Network's Best Saturday - Ever - Across All Key Demos - TheFutonCritic.com". thefutoncritic.com.
- ^ Live Earth. "Live Earth". Live Earth Road to Paris.
- ^ Lee, Ken. (15 February 2007) "Al Gore, Cameron Diaz Announce Environmental Campaign." People.com. Retrieved on: 2 August 2007.
- ^ Beckford, Martin (26 April 2007). "Live Earth concerts are 'hot but carbon neutral'". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 April 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2007.
- ^ Coyle, Jake (2007-07-02). "Live Earth Aims to Cause Lasting Change". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
- ^ a b Al Gore, Kevin Wall issue far-reaching Live Earth Call To Action, Live Earth, published 2007-06-28, accessed 2007-07-03
- ^ a b [news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3681938.stm Live Earth a climate 'SOS'], BBC, published 2007-07-03, accessed 2007-07-03[dead link]
- New York Times, published 2007-07-01, accessed 2007-07-03
- ^ "CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
- ^ "Aotearoa Live – Climate Change Day of Action". Climaction. 26 June 2007. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
- ISBN 1-59486-781-X
- ^ Rodale Books to publish the official Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, Live Earth, published 2006-05-16
- ^ Live Earth switch-off is vetoed, BBC, published 2007-06-04, accessed 2007-07-03
- ^ Live Earth Alert.nl ((in Dutch), partly in English)
- ^ BNN: Live Earth on Nederland 3 (TV) and Radio 3FM ((in Dutch), partly in English)
- ^ KBS 특별 생방송 지구를 살리자 - 환경콘서트 A Friend of Live Earth (in Korean)
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/concert-caused-global-yawning-712701
- ^ a b c "MSN.com - Hotmail, Outlook, Skype, Bing, Latest News, Photos & Videos". msn.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-02.
- ^ "Earth Times: show/news_press_release,133525.shtml". earthtimes.org.
- ^ a b c "Live earth hamburg - Über die Station der Live Earth Konzert Reihe in Hamburg". liveearthhamburg.de. Archived from the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
- ^ 'Live Earth' Hamburg's Special Guest: Yusuf Islam Archived 2008-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Nielsen Ratings, Music News and more!". fmqb.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-10.
- ^ a b c d Diana ratings dwarf Live Earth, BBC, published 2007-07-09, accessed 2007-08-02
- ^ Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Thomson Reuters Foundation". alertnet.org.
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Gore: 'I've fallen out of love with politics'", CNN, 6 July 2007
- ^ a b Smith, David (8 July 2007). "Rockin' all over the world (but just watch your carbon footprint)". London: The Observer. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
- ^ "Critics: Live Earth Not So Green". ABC News. 9 July 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
- ^ Black, Richard (5 September 2007). "BBC switches off climate special". BBC News. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
- ^ "Live Earth gigs send eco-warning". BBC. 8 July 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
- ^ Razorlight get told off by Al Gore Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine, AngryApe
- ^ "Yahoo TV". yahoo.com.
- ^ Live Earth? It's a waste of time, Geldof tells Gore
- ^ It’ll be Live Dearth Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Live Earth ratings dwarfed by Diana concert". NME. 9 July 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2007.
- ^ "NME News BBC apologise for Metallica coverage - NME.COM". NME.COM. 17 July 2007.
- ^ "Intelligent Giving". intelligentgiving.com.
- ^ "Live Earth Heading To CD/DVD In November". Billboard.
External links
- Official Site (Archived)
- Live Earth online broadcast
- Live Earth Blog
- BBC's Live Earth website
- NBC's Live Earth website
- Live Earth Carbon Calculator
- CTV's Live Earth website with Much Music
- Live Earth (2007) (TV) at IMDb
- Live Earth Final Assessment Report
- liveearth.visiblestrategies.com
- Green Guidelines First edition final (PDF)