Live 8 backstage audio

Written by The Rock Radio staff, July 2005 © The Rock Radio

On Saturday, July 2, 2005 awareness of the plight of the people in Africa was spotlighted by Live 8 concerts in 9 cities - London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Johannesburg, Moscow, Toronto and Tokyo - which featured a galaxy of the world's most popular musicians and movie stars. The simultaneous concerts were done in a global effort to educate the world. The flagship concert was in London's Hyde Park, while in the US, the event was held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

This is what some of the stars had to say:

Joe Elliot of Def Leppard on how the band performed at Live 8:
[

click here to listen if you have a Backstage Pass]" We won't actually know til we get a chance to watch this back from, you know, from afar. We watched Live 8 on TV 20 years ago. This one, we're actually inside it..."

Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda says that Bono asked them to play because they cross formats:
[

click here to listen if you have a Backstage Pass]" When Bono called us to invite us to play the event, that was very special to us, because you can't say no to the guy. In his opinion it was very important that we come and play because we kind of sit in the middle of all the different types of music that you're seeing today, you know."

Bono on being cynical:
[

click here to listen if you have a Backstage Pass]" I know how cynical people are. In fact, I am. When I hear musicians open their mouths, they should be singing, you know. I understand, I see the uneasy juxtaposition, but I couldn't walk away from this idea, it's the biggest idea I've ever heard."

Bono on getting rid of Africa's debt:
[

click here to listen if you have a Backstage Pass]" No one imagines that these debts will be cancelled without some kind of conditionality being in place. The onus will be on the debtor country to prove good governance and to prove that the monies are going to the people who need it most. If they cannot prove that, they will not avail of debt relief."

Bono on looking at the structure of poverty:
[

click here to listen if you have a Backstage Pass] "Live Aid, we raised two hundred million dollars for Africa, we were jumping up and down, we thought we'd cracked it, it was amazing. But then you discover that Africa spends two hundred million dollars every week servicing its loans to the West. And that depresses you. And as to being angry you decide to do something about it. Well here's an idea that actually does something about it. It's not throwing pennies at the poor, it's actually looking at the structure of poverty."

Bono on having the will to help Africa:
[

click here to listen if you have a Backstage Pass] " We're all growing up now. You know, we can take on an idea that's a bit complex. But the naive idealism of 'We Are The World' has matured into something much more confrontational and into something much more challenging and I do believe. And the will is there."