It's been exactly 15 years since the Live 8 Benefit Concert took place in 11 countries - all G8 States plus South Africa. The benefit was to raise money to aid the famine and poverty in Africa, and it coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid.
Ten simultaneous concerts were held from July 2, 2005 - July 6, 2006 in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Philadelphia, Barrie, Chiba, Johannesburg, Moscow, Cornwall and Edinburgh. Organizers of the event also called on world leaders to "Make Poverty History." AOL Music broadcasted streams of the concerts from each city so that people all around the world could watch and participate. They raised about $127 million for famine relief in Africa.
Artists who performed included big-named musicians like U2 and Paul McCartney, the classic Pink Floyd line-up for the first time in 24 years, Elton John, Madonna, Black Eyed Peas, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, The Cure, Craig David, Destiny's Child, Dido, Neil Young, and much more.
In 2020, we're still facing how unjust the Black community is treated here in the USA alone. As we continue to teach ourselves on how to be anti-racist, it's important to acknowledge that while Live 8 was a benefit for poverty in Africa, artists like Damian Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz criticized the original line up for the Hyde Park, London performance, which at first only had one minority performer - Mariah Carey. Musician Baaba Maal also commented:
"I do feel it's very patronising as an African artist that more of us aren't involved."
More Black artists were added to the line up after people spoke up about the issue. As we are witnessing still in 2020, our voices and platforms have more power than we know, and it's up to us to use them as allies to the BIPOC communities.
For our setlist history today, we've compiled a list of our TEN favorite setlists from the 2005 Live 8 Benefit. Check it out!
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With the current state of the world, it's important to raise awareness and encourage our readers to take action in support of the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement. We compiled a list or resources to help guide you in the right direction to begin helping today - check it out HERE.
