Not a lot for me to say about the "live earth" event, other than to say I was not impressed. I commend Gore for trying this idea to spread the message, but I think it was misguided, and may have in fact backfired. The purpose of this event was to educate people about Global Warming. When you think of "educators" what's the first thing that pops to mind? Teachers right? On that list did you say or think "rock stars"? Known for their extravagant lifestyles, many times controversial life styles in relating to sex and/or drugs. Mind you, I know not all rockstars are into sex and drugs, and I do believe there are some that generally do care about this topic, but are these really the people you want to associate with on such an important topic? Did you know the "live earth" event is/was not a charity event? Granted, none of the musical groups were supposed to have gotten paid, but all the money from the ticket sales, and merchandising are supposed to go to the concert promoters, the venues, etc...
I also have to agree that the idea of watching a HUGE video display filled with flashing lights, and using huge amounts of electricity sends the opposite message.
I just went over to the "live earth" website and they have an online "pledge" for people to sign onto.
1) Change 4 lightbulbs to CFL's... - Why not ALL lightbulbs?
2) I will shop for most energy efficient electronics and appliances - Why just electronics and appliances? Why not other products? AND it promotes consumerism and waste.
3) I will shut off equipment and lights when not using them. - no brainer here.
4) I will carpool or ride public transit one or more times per week. - not practical for majority of people, but I do support the idea - if practical.
5) I will forward a live earth email to 5 friends - aka spam?
6) add my name to the live earth pledge - with a smaller font and external link? I wonder how many people actually clicked this to read it?
AND what bugs me more... do you know what the number one contributor to greenhouse gases are? No, not household lightbulbs, no not transportation - aka cars, trucks, etc... It's MEAT! Yep, a UN report said that the largest contributor to Greenhouse Gases is the livestock industry. Why is that not mentioned on the live earth pledge?
Finally - Oh man, sorry, I went on a rant here. I was gonna keep this short. Was it me, or did the musical acts seem kinda lame? Maybe because I was flipping to it occasionally on TV and not at the events, but still. I saw the finale act of "The Police" where they brought on John Mayer and then Kanye West. Granted, Kanye is a talented Rap star, but I actually felt embarrassed for him... He is sharing the stage with 4 very talented musicians, (although the Police made several mistakes during their performance too), and All Kanye could contribute was what appeared to be some "on-the-fly" rhymes and then once he ran out of things to say, he didn't know the words to the song "message in a bottle". He attempted to join in, but bumbled the words, and reverted to just saying "yea" and "uh" in repetition. Then during his freestyle he breaks out "raise your hands in the air, and wave them like you just don't care" - Really? A Grammy award winning rapstar bringing out that line?
Here's a link to youtube of the performance. Kanye doesn't appear until about 3 minutes in.
IF the link doesn't work, It might be because the live earth people pull it from you tube.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Kanye must have got on the wrong stage with that bewildered, deer in headlight look on his face. He simply killed a classic song. Why couldn't he have just disappeared and let the worl enjoy the Police in peace. And what the hell was up with the "We can save the world" at the end, was possibly at attempt to "save" his ass from looking like a complete clown on stage with much more talented artists. You'd think that they give Grammy's off to just about anyone nowdays, even tone deaf eejits.
hey there....
so, i don't think that they should have kept kanye on the stage for the rest of the song. he should have gotten off when he was done with this bit.
but in his defense... they "casted" him for the wrong song.
and put your hands in the air is a "classic" term used by many MC's.
also, to anon- they give grammy's to artist who present themselves in a fashion beyond their scope of music.... RAP/R&B is kanye's not classic rock.
and cyen- i thought the concerts were lame too... however, i really liked the highlights from the Japan concert. oh, and yes there should be a number of people that promote saving the world, it's just that the only way people seem to cohesively respond well is through music... hence the reason "rock" artist say what they say and do what they do. i'm very much a supporter of artist who use their fame for good, even if the message doesn't reach everyone.
good day
namaste
Argh, I totally missed the highlights from Japan. Figures, I miss the best part.
I read a good comment yesterday too, that the event was the highest downloaded live stream on the internet, and that "billions" of people heard about or saw parts of the concert. So in that sense, of just getting the attention of billions of people on this little blue planet, is a pretty good accomplishment. In that sense, I guess it was a huge success.
Post a Comment