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Pick at the pops: 09 July 2007

Madonna and Johnny Borrell

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“I must be honest: I hadn’t thought very much about climate change at all, until I became a mother, and what with this freaky weather, well, I really can’t ignore it.” And so with wit, candour and a devastating ability to really penetrate to the heart of the matter, Dame Geri Halliwell summed up the feelings of an entire planet. It was actually the tagline to Al Gore’s worldwide Live Earth concerts on Saturday: “It’s raining in bleedin’ July? Something must be done!”

Yes, Live Earth. The concerts didn’t get quite the viewing figures Al was after, because most people were enjoying the scorching sunshine all this lovely global warming has caused, but still it’s reckoned that about two billion punters tuned in. UK viewers at least were treated to some very big names – Genesis, Madonna, Snow Patrol, erm, Terra Naomi – and environmental lectures from an inspiring array of sources. Here’s Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas: “You know, sometimes walking away from situations or old habits is a hard thing to do – but that’s because it’s the right thing to do.” At which point the figure suddenly dipped to one billion.

As a reward for those concertgoers who had cycled to Wembley in order to reduce their carbon footprint, but had therefore arrived late, the drumming set from Queen’s Roger Taylor, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins was put on early. Instead, late arrivals were treated to volleys of abuse from Phil Collins (on stage with the re-formed Genesis) and Razorlight’s Johnny Borrell, both of whom had “forgotten” to remove sweary lyrics from their handpicked songs. Rock ‘n’ roll lives on, ladies and gentlemen.

There’s been a lot of chatter about how much ironic damage can be done to the environment by nine massive gigs to raise climate change awareness, but the Wembley organisers did dim all but essential lighting for a bit before headliner Madonna took the stage. It’s this kind of tokenism that makes all the difference.

Madonna indeed is said to have a carbon footprint 100 times the size of that of the average Briton, but as KT Tunstall said backstage at the New York concert: “As a touring musician you have to fly.” KT added that the first-year sales of Eye To The Telescope generated 650 million tonnes of carbon emission, but that she had tried to offset her footprint by planting 6,000 trees. Silly pop stars. We’re not going to be able to move for trees.

Matthew Horton

See pictures from Live Earth >>

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