Live 8-July 2nd 2005 DVD

Artist: Various
Title: Live 8-July 2nd 2005
Genre: Rock-Pop
Format: 4 DVD Set
Label: Capitol

Bob Geldof should be in politics. His accomplishments outside of music rival that of world leaders and Nobel Peace prizewinners. The fact he was able to get Pink Floyd back together for Live Aid part 2 says a lot about his persuasiveness and negotiating skills. Live 8-July 2nd 2005 is symbolic of eight world leaders coming together to make a difference in the world’s plight of hunger. Have they made a difference? I think not. Events like this have done more for awareness of hunger and funneling in cash flow than the superpowers of the world. Gathering the world together as one unit to put together their hands for a few days is not an easy task, but its all worth it and thousands had the opportunity to enjoy some of the best bands on the planet perform live while their money for the price of admission went towards those who are less fortunate. This was all certainly for a good cause and the greater good of mankind.

It took me several days to navigate my way through the four DVDs and I had mixed feelings about the performances. The only member of the Who that seems to have that youthful energy left is Pete Townsend, considering the other two founding members are now gone, its now up to two of them to carry the torch, unfortunately it looks like just one is carrying on. Roger Daltrey sounded flat and uninspired and he obviously has lost a lot in the vocal department. Watching Pink Floyd reunite is worth the price of admission alone. It was akin to the now famous Eagles statement, "We will get back together when hell freezes over" but it finally happened any way. Perhaps this will lead to something else…we can only hope. Many of the bands I had never heard of actually. This is due to my living outside the box musically, my age, and covering reissues on regular basis for the majors, plus the fact that I am not plugged into radio or the latest hot major label acts. I live in an indie world most of the time by choice. I saw enough of the newer acts to know that most of them did not do a thing for me so I just moved on to the next act with a click. All of that aside, this was a worthwhile experience and worth checking out.

I saw this DVD set at Coconuts on sale for $35.00, now that is a steal for all the entertainment you get not to mention the outright historical value of what happened in this short span of time back in July. This is much more than a stocking stuffer for your resident music fan, its history, it is prolific in a worldly sense of the word, and above all, the statement made on this great day hopefully opened some ears and eyes to the horrid truth of world hunger in a day and age when it is not necessary.

© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck-http://www.muzikreviews.com

December 19, 2005

Rating-7/10

Product Details

Directors: Claire Popplewell, Geoff Posner
Format: 4 DVD Box set, Color, Compilation, Live, NTSC
Studio: Capitol
DVD Release Date: November 8, 2005
Run Time: 480 min (original theatrical or airing runtime)

Theatrical Release Information

US Theatrical Release Date: July 2, 2005
Filming Locations: Chateau de Versailles, Versailles, Yvelines, France| Circus Maximus, Rome, Lazio, Italy| Hyde Park, London, England, UK| Makuhari Messe, Makuhari, Tokyo, Japan| Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa| Park Place, Barrie, Ontario, Canada| Philadelphia Museum of Art - 26th Street and Ben Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA| Red Square, Moscow, Russia| Siegessäule, Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany| The Eden Project, St Austell, Cornwall, England, UK