I planned to actually get some stuff done around the house yesterday, but I ended up spending most of it watching Live 8. Thanks to the Internet, concerts were simultaneously broadcast from Rome, Paris, Berlin, London, Canada, and Philadelphia all at the same time. Being the Internet junkie I am, I had a blast switching back and forth from venue to venue catching live performances from a variety of artists. The Internet streaming, while lacking in audio quality, was far more interesting than the commerical laden coverage on VH1 and MTV which was constantly interupted by trendy veejays saying the same thing over and over (“Poverty is bad. Let’s interview some kids in the crowd!”) Thanks to the Internet coverage, I was able to see artists that MTV/VH1 totally passed over like Neil Young in Canada, Andrea Bocelli in Paris and Brian Wilson in Berlin (how do you not show one minute of Brian Wilson??) I also got to see songs that MTV/VH1 totally bypassed like Paul McCartney playing “Helter Skelter.”

Of all the venues, the London venue was by far the superior venue. The day started out with Paul McCartney and U2 singing “Sgt. Peppers….” and U2 playing “Beautiful Day” as hundred of doves were released into the air. I got to see two up and coming bands, Coldplay and Keane. During the afternoon, I was introduced to The Killers and Snow Patrol (liked Snow Patrol… The Killers were eh, ok.) The evening brought out the legends of rock-and-roll, starting with Sting, followed by a re-united Pink Floyd (with Roger Waters!) and then Roger Daltry and Pete Townsend cranking out The Who songs (and wow, can Townsend still shred a guitar!) and Paul McCartney closing out the night.

Caedmon’s Call guitarist Andrew Osenga mused on how different the concert he played at a Christian festival on the same day of Live 8 was from the Live 8 festival. How ironic is it that non-Christians seem to be taking a stronger stand on serving the fatherless and the widow and the least of these while the Christians are emphasizing protecting their children from sex, drugs, and well, rock and roll. I was glad to see that Jars of Clay was in the Philadelphia Live 8 show, but it just seems that Christian music should’ve been better represented. Maybe it’s a damning statement on the relevance (or lack thereof) of Christian music right now?

The goal of Live 8 is a little ambitious, “Make Poverty History.” I’m not sure that poverty will ever be eradicated. As long as there is the rich, there must by default be the poor, also. However, it’s a noble, and realistic, cause to elminate in the words of Bono, “stupid poverty.” People should not die of malaria or tuberculosis simply because they live in the wrong place. The world leaders must find some way to get relief into the hands of the people of Africa without squandering it in the bank accounts of cruel African dictators. One million people appeared at the various venues across the world, hoping that their leaders get the message. Adriene and I have each signed the petition and we encourage everyone to do so, also. Encourage President Bush to take an aggressive stance on poverty in Africa during the G8 conference. The G8 conference begins this week (and I’m anxious to hear news back from a friend who is marching against poverty at the conference in Edinburgh. I’ve never known a real live protester before!) and I’m anxious to see if the world’s leaders have heard the voice of the people and are ready to make a change that could impact a whole continent.