Remember Farm Aid and the many other “Aid” events of the 80s? It was a more innocent time, a time in which rockers thought they could influence events. Or is that spirit really dead, after all? Musicians hoping to change the direction of the G8 conference of world leaders have a new tool: the Web, and grassroots interest.
You can track Live 8’s widespread coverage online via a special Technorati tool that links to stories in the blogosphere. (I regularly track stories on this site through Technorati; it’s a great tool, though it’s not always entirely reliable.) Of course, part of the reason the discussion has been so hot has been controversy over the alleged exclusion of African artists from the concert efforts. But the music concerts clearly helped galvanize G8 summit protests, and press coverage of the issues. That summit is likely to be overshadowed by today’s attacks in London, but, whether you like the music and programming or not, Live 8 has made history, as well.
Want to hear the music itself? The best resource I’ve seen is the Live 8 Store
on iTunes, which is broken down by city and artist. (Sadly, these mostly link to existing albums.)
Got links to Live 8 events, music, photos, and political analysis you want to share? Hit comments and I’ll do a roundup if we reach critical mass.