has it really been twenty years?

i have some time to write an actual blog entry tonight, but i'm not sure how entertaining it might be.

i was flipping through the latest issue of rolling stone today (the june 16th issue, which i'm sure arrived at your doorstep at least a week ago. sometimes i wonder if my mailman takes my copy home to peruse before delivering it to me.) and found out two very interesting tidbits:

~vh1 is going to revive "storytellers". among the bands to featured in upcoming episodes: coldplay, dave matthews, green day, and bruce springsteen. (it's almost enough to motivate me to pay for cable- almost.)

~twenty years after live aid, bob geldof has teamed up with bono to organize live 8, about which bob geldof says, "This is not Live Aid 2." (i left the caps because i took the quote from the live 8 website.)

has it really been twenty years since live aid? i remember my dad had the vcr tied up during the entire event back on july 13, 1985. he taped the entire concert, dropping whatever he was doing every 6 hours (like clockwork) so he could change the tape. the concert at wembley, the concert at jfk- all of it's on tape somewhere in his collection in kansas city. when i was in college, i raided his collection to watch nik kershaw, adam ant, queen, and duran duran, among others. (however, i did not feel the need to watch elton john's performance again, because my only clear, specific memory from the original broadcast was elton singing "don't go breaking my heart", with kiki dee. at the time, i thought kiki's voice was much deeper and that they were both guys. i'd rather preserve that memory the way it is, as i'm sure reality would not be nearly as amusing.)

geeky trivia question: which artist performed at wembley stadium, then boarded the concorde and flew to the u.s. to perform at j.f.k? are any of my readers nerdy enough about music to answer this without looking it up?

i bought my dad the dvd set when i was last in town- just after his birthday, but i'm sure it's not the same.

this time around, there will be five concerts- not just two- all taking place on july 2nd:

london- hyde park

the lineup includes: Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Sir Elton John, Annie Lennox, Madonna, Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Robbie Williams, U2, REM, Velvet Revolver, Bob Geldof, The Killers, The Cure, and several others.

paris- versailles

the lineup includes: Jamiroquai, Craig David, Andrea Bocelli, Placebo, and a handful of others.

berlin- brandenburg gate

a-ha is playing here, along with Crosby, Stills and Nash, Brian Wilson, Lauryn Hill and a few others. (since the fugees are rumored to be back together and working on another album, does that mean that pras michel and wyclef jean will be on hand, as well? i'm predicting they show up as "special guests" during lauryn's set.)

rome- circus maximus

the lineup includes: Duran Duran, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and a few others.

(i'd root for The Power Station to play as well, but, well, that's hard to do without robert palmer- although michael des barres filled in for palmer the last time around.)

but wait- my musical trivia nerdiness has just increased!

so i googled "michael des barres" to find out if he was still alive and could, therefore, potentially fill in for robert palmer once again, and not only is he alive, but he was freakin' murdoc on macgyver! (even at the tender age of nine, i thought murdoc was hot.)

anyway, where was i? right- concerts.....

 

philadelphia- museum of art

this concert will feature Will Smith (host), Bon Jovi, Maroon 5, P Diddy, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, The Dave Matthews Band, Sarah McLachlan, Rob Thomas, 50 Cent, plus a few others.

 

for more details and the full lineups (i only cut and pasted select bits and pieces, obviously), head over to the official live 8 website.

 

and of course, no cause would be complete without very own wristband. (i'm considering it.)

and on that note, it's time for me to get back to work.