Okay so I’ve tried to be calm and not rant but I’m going to have to now.
The whole thing has just wound me up tighter than a tight thing.
Imagine a place where people are so poor they cannot feed their children let alone themselves yet others have more money than they could ever spend.
The aims of Live 8 were to stop this imbalance, ending poverty.
So the fact that the event itself had the same dual standards was horrifying.
It was shameless elitism that had up to 15,000 Pimms and Champers drinking corporate hangers-on in a section to the side and in front of the stage, whilst keeping the fans sober and hemmed in behind a fence a football pitch away from the music and the stars.
Having spent most of the day in with the real fans in the main section I was shocked when I came into the Golden Circle to see people ordering £100 bottles of champagne. Others complaining the hot water had run out in the plush loos with carpetting and expensive lotions and handwash. What I guess they failed to understand was that the other side of the fence had the usual festival portaloos. More so I think they were missing the point. Millions in africa have no water let alone hot water to wash their hands after going for a pee.
Sir Bob was making noises about people making money of the back of selling their tickets on ebay yet today a search for Live8 brings up more results than almost anything else I’ve seen on ebay. Surely a blanket ban would have been better.
I’m now wondering if Live8 was more about the music industry looking to further it’s artists whilst showing them in a good light than it was about poverty. The most obvious of these being Mariah Carey, showing obviously false affection for the poor african children yet demanding a mic stand and water whilst doing her self promotional set. Mariah I think you missed the point love.
