We can’t believe it was twenty years ago that we spent fifteen straight hours tuned into MTV to watch Sting, Bob Geldof, U2 and Duran Duran promote awareness for third-world poverty via the monumental concert known as Live Aid (available on DVD at last!). The fact that all those artists and more performed this weekend for Geldof’s masterwork Live 8 made us nostalgic for our 80’s hairstyle (Claw bangs? Anyone?) but made us proud of our generation’s music icons. They’re still rockin’ the free world like it’s 1985 but two decades have made them smarter, richer, better-looking and better able to use their power for good.
We definitely got choked up when Geldof flashed a photo of a starving African child named Birham Woldu on the screen, “ten minutes away from death,” who he said was saved by the efforts of the first LiveAid. Then he brought her onstage, all-grown up, alive and beautiful with a smile as big and white as a strand of your bubbie’s pearls. “Don’t let them tell you this stuff doesn’t work!” Geldof cried to the audience.
Woldu remained onstage as Madonna continued to make us weep with her gospel-y “Like A Prayer” in front of a backdrop flashing the kabbalistic names of G*d in Hebrew, which proves we are no less sentimental than we were in adolescence. Or dorky, for that matter. We practically wet our pants when Maroon 5‘s Adam Levine teamed up with Stevie Wonder for “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” We may have to renew our subscription to Teen Beat so we can wallpaper our room with his photo.
While only a few members of Live 8’s all-star line-up may have been Jewish, we view this 10 city, worldwide event as one of the most incredible examples of tikkun olam in 20 years. We hope the music made to the ears of the G8’s world leaders and they heed the first world’s plea to cancel Africa’s debts and increase aid funding. In the meantime, we have music to download.
More photos here and here.