Bob Geldof criticizes Gore's Live Earth concerts

Source: Yahho News/Associated Press

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Bob Geldof, who organized the Live Aid and Live 8 benefit concerts, criticized the Live Earth music events Al Gore is putting together this summer, saying they lack a specific goal, according to a Dutch newspaper report Saturday.
The Live Earth concerts will be held in cities around the world on July 7, with proceeds funding a yet-to-be-named foundation to combat climate change, under Gore's direction.

"I hope they're a success," De Volkskrant newspaper quoted Geldof as saying in an interview.
]snip]
"I would only organize (Live Earth) if I could go on stage and announce concrete environmental measures from the American presidential candidates, Congress or major corporations," he told the newspaper. "They haven't got those guarantees, so it's just an enormous pop concert or the umpteenth time that, say, Madonna or Coldplay get up on stage."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070512/ap_en_mu/people_geldof_gore_2

Thank heavens Al took the high road by promoting Kerry's book.

And yes, Brave Sir Bob does sound like he has his knickers in a bunch.

Jeeez, Geldorf is sounding like a sour-grapes, whiney-ass republicon...

When David Cameron was elected Conservative Party leader in the UK, Bob jumped at the chance to join one of his high-profile interest groups - a useful boost to a distinctly sagging career.

The Skin

probably not really, or is one?

He says, ""I would only organize (Live Earth) if I could go on stage and announce concrete environmental measures from the American presidential candidates, Congress or major corporations," he told the newspaper."

Al Gore's point is to influence the presidential candidates and Congress. The way he intends to do it is to get enough activists behind him that together they can make Congress change. (I do like that he and Senator Kerry are both saying they are hoping the candidates take strong positions.) Congress is working on combining the various proposals they have. When they get their bill ready - that will be a good time to push any on the fence senators.

Geldof was simply raising money for a good, relatively non-controversial issue.

It's in how you look at it, I guess. Geldof's point is that there is a rather formidable political structure to overcome if progress as it relates to the conert's purpose are ever going to be seen. I'm assuming that significant results are what we want to see. Giving poor people food in Africa and doing something on large, unified level about global warming are two very different things in terms of the distance between the intention and the result.


I understand that Gore's trying to influence legislators with numbers.

Unfortunately, legislators are not responsive to anything other than their own vanity and corporate money. They know what the public large wants and they spit in our faces every day by giving us the opposite. The public's demands aren't part of the equation for most of them...other than to pretend to be responsive in the most minimal ways possible for a few months while maintaining the corrupt, K Street circle jerk status quo.

Whether one method or the other will help, will be shown by the results. Anything
beyond that sounds like Geldof is pouting.

Gore probably does have specific goals in mind, but the press is certain it "dumb down" the event, like they did with Live Aid back in the day.

Geldof doesn't sound put off to me in any way. It's solid criticism. I hope Gore & Co. will take all the helpful crit that they can and make the concerts as successful as possible.

--p!

I'm so tired of this knock-others-down Alpha crap. Is there only one way to
do these things?

Bob Geldof has more credibility on this sort of issue than anyone. He has kept his Live Aid Trust active for twenty-plus years, and has provided an immense amount of direct assistance to the needy in Africa. The Live Earth people aren't being entirely straightforward about their end goals, and our erstwhile Boomtown Rat is right to raise the point.