Just some quick thoughts on today's amazing Live 8 concert, which I completely forgot was even today, until this morning when I turned on the TV and saw - hold the phone! - MTV playing music! But I had actually been looking forward to this show for a while, and even though I had to friggin' work today I caught up on the concert later in the afternoon via TV and the internet.
It really is a sad commentary on the state of music in today's pop culture. When the show is stolen by three bands whose heyday was thirty years ago, it's a testament to the staying power of legends like The Who, Pink Floyd, and Deep Purple, but a wakeup call that real music, real rock n' roll, is all but left out of the equation in certain mass market circles (MTV I'm lookin' at you ...).
When I was younger, MTV was a gateway into this other world of rock populated by the likes of Tom Petty, Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Aerosmith, Genesis, the Beastie Boys, Green Day, Metallica, and Pearl Jam. MTV was my first introduction to many of my all time favorite bands - and without it I might never have found so much of that great music. What do kids find now on MTV? It's nothing cool, nothing new, nothing exciting, that's for sure. It's regurgitated pop-cultural waste. Now this is an OLD complaint, that much is obvious. But watching Live 8 today, as much as I appreciated the fact that it was even carried on TV, it was painful to have to hear some lame-ass "VJ's" interrupt the songs and practically explain to the audience why people like Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder and The Who and Pink Floyd were considered great. Oftentimes they'd interrupt performances right in the middle for no discernable reason just to provide needless banter. Sorry but I don't need some LAME "personality" named Sway telling me how he is a "real" Bob Marley fan.
And then there was the real highlight of the day - Pink F'n Floyd -- reunited! Damn that was sweet, I had chills the whole time they were playing. They seemed like they hadn't missed a beat. Now again, I am by no means a hardcore Floyd fan, but I remember being in elementary school or middle school and hearing "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" on the radio, and thinking it was absolutely right on - we don't need no education - hells yeah! How can ya have yer pudding if ye don't eat yer meat? One of the first albums I ever bought was Pink Floyd's The Wall, and it was so different and weird and thought-provoking compared to anything I'd ever heard. So to see Floyd on stage on my TV playing "Wish You Were Here," "Money" and "Comfortably Numb," well, daaaaaaaamn was that sweet. Of course, MTV, during an absolutely mind-blowing performance, CUTS AWAY TO SHOW THE VJ'S TALKING! And then, they cut back to Floyd, and then, they CUT TO COMMERCIAL BEFORE THE SONG WAS OVER! Dammit, that sucked. MTV did an overall crappy job of cutting to commercials right in the middle of songs, I mean they cut off Bon Jovi right in the middle of Living on a Prayer ...! That ain't right.
Overall though I really enjoyed what I saw of the show. Floyd was amazing. Paul McCartney, Green Day, The Who, Madonna, U2, and more were great. Hats off to Green Day, by the way. They are really stepping up as the ambassadors of modern rock, carrying on the spirit of bands like The Sex Pistols and The Clash, and hey, their cover of "We Are The Champions" undoubtedly kicked some ass.
As for the cause itself, honestly I don't understand how a show like this can benefit anything in a major way. The problem of Africa is so complicated and deep-rooted, I just don't know how the poverty and disease there will go away anytime soon. But hey, there's always hope, I guess, and barring that, there's always rock and roll - maybe not on MTV, but it's there.
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