The cynical part of me thinks that Geldof & Bono are just being silly with their concerts. I had similar feelings 20 years ago about Live Aid.
I didn't see much of Live Aid back in 1985. A bunch of us were invited to a friend's house for an all day extravaganza of beer, Italian food and a big night at the hot spots of New Paltz on the day of Live Aid. I only caught little snippets of the action from London and Philadelphia in between badminton and horseshoes.
I've since seen most of the concert. It was a great day for music even if many of the acts were not to my liking. Queen, a band I never much liked, was simply great.
On Saturday night I watched a long documentary about Live Aid on the BBC. I couldn't help but admire Geldof for the manner in which he willed Live Aid to be a success, working hard, twisting arms and bluffing when he had to. I don't know how much genuine good Live Aid did, but I doubt it did any real harm. And, although I'm cynical about the coming concerts and their potential for changing things in Africa, I do hope they succeed.
One thing that does surprise me about the Live 8 concerts is that they're having only one in the US. I think a second concert with a country music theme in Nashville (or wherever) would have been a good idea.
