If Oxegen is billed as Ireland's greatest rock'n'roll event of the year, then today's Live Earth event - billed as Concerts for a Climate in Crisis - is something altogether more socially-minded.
Founded by Kevin Wall, the executive producer of 2005's Live 8 concert, Live Earth aims to bring together two billion people across seven continents through a series of concerts utilising the multimedia platforms of television, radio and internet.
The concerts take place in New York (Giants Stadium), London (Wembley Stadium), Sydney (Aussie Stadium), Johannesburg (Maropeng), Tokyo (Makuhari Messe), Shanghai (Oriental Pearl Tower), Hamburg (HSH Nordbank Arena) and Rio de Janeiro (Copacabana Beach).
They will be broadcast to a live worldwide audience at www.LiveEarth.MSN.com. Acts include Yusuf Islam, Snoop Dog, Genesis, Damian Rice, Madonna, Snow Patrol, James Blunt, Kanye West, Roger Waters and Katie Melua. The Live Earth concert marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign to urge individuals, corporations and governments to solve the climate crisis.
