[Kenny Glasgow]

The winners were :

Macca
U2
Pink Floyd
The Who
Sting
Madonna (biggest surprise of all)
Travis
Scissor Sisters
Annie Lennox

the following were my highlights -

Sissor Sisters,
Annie Lennox,
Snoop Dog
Madonna
Robbie
McCartney

[emporer]

Come on people, scissor sisters? ***. That in my opinion is most certainly not music, and they ( inc Snoop ) shouldn't have even graced the same stage as the likes of Mcartney, Floyd and The Who.

I did like Madge though, that performance proves to me that she actually can sing(kind of).

[Kenny Glasgow]

Emporer

I thought that they sang and played well. The lead guitarist was fine though not in the same class as Dave Gilmour.

[Toasty]

I thought Razorlight put in a great set.

[chedmaster]

linkin park/jay z in the US one was awesome

[ewin]

I wish pink would get back together and make a new album after there show on live8 .
Still got the feeling after there set was done, rodger waved dave over for a pic,it seamed that dave was not all together about them all being back.
THEY SHOULD make a new album for the fans that have loved them for the last 30+ years or give the money they make from the album to live8.
snoop dog was crap,madonna rocked,u2,robbie,pink and the who.
I still wished that freddie had been alive to play with queen and that would have ROCKED the house down like 20 years ago.

[KoThreads]

Floyd
The Who
Sting
U2 (I'm not a fan but thought they were good)
Madge (never thought I'd say that but I was surprised)

I know it's the the event that matters but I personally didn't think much of the rest, and Jo Whitely just p***** me off. If it's more than 5 mins old she just dismissed it, yet raves about total new crap.

[Philly112]

A few tongue in cheek comments:

Liked it when Jonathon Toss said at the end that he didn't like Pink Floyd because he was into punk. The whole concert must have seemed a pile of doo doos to him then.

And if I hear one more person saying Clodplay were 'awesome' I'm going get that lobotomy I've being promising myself for so many years.
Then maybe I'll be able to appreciate the two chord slow arpeggiated monotonous drivel that passes for state of the art British music nowadays.

Jo whats her name's in depth interviews gave me a thorough understanding of the bands' motives etc.
Great when she interviewed Davina McCall, who said that her life had been changed when she visited Africa.
Unfortunately not changed enough to make any decent TV shows.

And I thought it was hilarious when Mariah Carey introduced those African kids - these are children from AFRICA (and a big play on the word Africa).
God, so that's what they look like. Was expecting the African Childrens Choir to be full of miners son's from the valleys, so at least I learned something.
Maybe someone should have given them mics so we could have heard them sing.

Loved it when Bob Geldof introduced that Ethiopian lady. What he failed to say was that she wasn't actually saved by aid, but by a TV producer who to his credit took her in and made sure she survived (though I suppose he wouldn't have been in Ethiopia at all if he wasn't filming the rest of her family dying).

Still got to watch some of the American stuff on tape. Thought Black Eyed Peas were good. Not so sure about Bon Jovi - they seemed dated when they were huge, and don't appear to have changed. Looking forward to the Dave Matthews Band, but they will probably be cut by the BBC because there are too many musicians in the band.

Dido seemed to be a bit off key, but my wife likes her.
Joss Stone - well, not my cup of tea, but she seemed remarkably confident on stage.
Just about all of the new UK bands left me cold (see two chord comments above).

Velvet Revolver were at the wrong gig, but seemed to be enjoying it.
That guy Elton John had on singing Children of the Revolution was at the right gig but the band were playing a different song to the one he was singing.

U2 were as good as you would expect, given they are in the middle of a big tour.

I thought Dave Gilmour seemed a bit uncomfortable to be honest.

The Who were as good as they could be given they have lost one of the greatest rythm sections in rock.

Madonna had obviously put alot of work into her numbers, but I just don't think she needs to say the F word to show how cool she wants to be (and yes I swear like a trooper!)

Didn't know David Beckham was a mate of Robbie Williams, but not exactly surprised. Nice to hear his eloquent introduction too.

Robbie's set was as good as everyone expected although I got the impression that he thought everyone there had only come to see him play.
Which they probably had.

Macca has a good band with a back catalogue that must make most of the bands there want to give up. And he's twenty years older than me and looks better. The little @*(&

I actually thought the Scissor Sisters were good.

And saw Craig David somewhere (Italy? Berlin?). Actually seemed remarkably good, just him and a funky acoustic guitarist.

REM again very polished, but the producer must have thought we'd rather hear some guy wearing a funny hat tell Jo thingy that the crowd was the biggest they'd played in front of.
And the biggest they're ever likely to given he's got no talent and crap songs.

Overall, though, despite my hung over sarcastic comments I thought it was a blast and great fun.

Phil

[FeisalK]

Originally Posted by Philly112

A few tongue in cheek comments:

.
.
Joss Stone - well, not my cup of tea, but she seemed remarkably confident on stage.
.
.

Velvet Revolver were at the wrong gig, but seemed to be enjoying it.

.
.
Didn't know David Beckham was a mate of Robbie Williams, but not exactly surprised. Nice to hear his eloquent introduction too.

Joss Stone is amazing.

Someone posted a message on another mailing list I'm on
"And somebody should tell Velvet Revolver Spinal Tap was a satire not a blueprint"

Was that the first appearance of the word "eloquent" in close proximity with "David Beckham"?

I don't like rap, but the Peas were quite good I thought.

TV coverage was... well it seemed like it would have been difficult, and I guess it was. We only got the pure feed flitting form location to location and probably not exactly live

[Toasty]

Great quote from Velvet Revolver's singer when asked if it was the biggest audience they'd played to. He replied something like - We played a bigger gig in ancient Greece 500 BC! Fantastic

[sh18]

Velvet Revolver were as awesome as ever, as were U2 and coldplay.

didnt even know VR were playing until a mate told me!

[Philly112]

Originally Posted by FeisalK

Someone posted a message on another mailing list I'm on
"And somebody should tell Velvet Revolver Spinal Tap was a satire not a blueprint"

It was a documentary wasn't it?

Phil

[Philly112]

Originally Posted by FeisalK

Was that the first appearance of the word "eloquent" in close proximity with "David Beckham"?

Sorry mate. The original post said 'delinquent', but I must have misspelt it, and that was all the spell checker came up with.

[Floodedstatue]

Originally Posted by ewin

THEY SHOULD make a new album for the fans that have loved them for the last 30+ years or give the money they make from the album to live8.

Regarding your comment above, I don't think Pink Floyd should make a record 'for the fans'. They should make a record if they feel they have something positive to contribute, and if they still enjoy making music together.

The songs they played were superb. The solos on Comfortably Numb sent chills up and down my spine! However, Gilmour and Waters - although obviously enjoying themselves - looked decidedly unfriendly on stage. There was no eye-contact that I could see, and they stood well away from eachother. To be expected really. That said, it was a nice touch for Waters to pull them all together for a group salute at the end.

Maybe playing together again will re-kindle some of the magic inside them all and make them realise that life is short and few people are as priviledged as they are. It would be nice to see them end on a positive note - even if that was it - rather than ending on the sour note they did all those years ago.

[dc007]

Robbie Williams. Great stage presence, good voice, superb back-catalogue of tunes. So why does he always spoil it by insisting the crowd do most of his singing for him ?

The Who. Proper rock. Townsend may be a kiddy-fiddler but he sure can play guitar. Chops and licks all over the place. Daltrey still has one of the most distinctive voices in rock. Won't Get Fooled Again was the nuts.

Floyd. Almost too professional - almost like listening to a recording. They showed the youngsters a thing or two, though.

Mariah Carey - All tits and arse and sychophancy.

McCartney - Anyone else find it funny that he started his second set with 'Get Back' ? I just found it ironic that he should sing 'Get Back to Where You Once Belonged' in an African Aid concert. Maybe just my sick sense of humour.

[goodtimes]

Floodedstatue Im with you ...what do the Floyd owe us ..nothing we owe them, for me I owe them for a life time of thoughtful music, they owe me jack and I dont want them to make a album just for the sake of appeasing the crowd, how ever if they were to make a new album because they had somthing to say, then Im into it.
I get a bit tired of hearing this band or that band owe it to thier fans,we wouldnt buy thier music just for the sake of supporting them so I say PAYMENT in full.
I also bet a very small percentage of punters gave much more than a passing thought for the starving hordes over the weekend, most just tuned in for the music.
Human nature rocks...

[FruitBat]

As an old git who hasn't heard of all of these bands and only watched a bit of the program, I thought the Kaiser Chiefs were quite good.

[the_pauley]

Saw the Philadelphia highlights last night. From what I saw there and from seeing Snoop on saturday, I was left with the distinct impression that rap/hip-hop acts are a touch out of their depth when it comes to "live" performance.

Most were using backing tapes - isn't that karaoke?

Don't they feel a little embarassed when they see other acts doing it ALL live? Especially when many of those live performers were 60 year olds, not only still hacking it, but kicking the arses of most of the younger acts?

The Who - is it me or do they just get better and better? Thank god "Hope I die before I get old" didn't come to pass!

Thought Macca's voice was a little on the hoarse side. He hasn't toured in a while so probably needs the vocal chords stretching, but we saw him live last year (with that same knockout band) and he was in fine voice. But hey, "Helter Skelter" live - say no more!

Madonna has never impressed me much before, particularly live, but she did surprise me on the day. She basically gave the day the kick up the pants and the energy boost that it needed. Like Jonathan Ross said "Amazing for a woman of 73!"

And I agree with the above comments - Dave Gilmour did not look like a very happy bunny at all!

[the_pauley]

Jo Whitely just p***** me off. If it's more than 5 mins old she just dismissed it, yet raves about total new crap.

I think the poor thing has reached "that age" and is desperately trying to hang on to her youth.

She should be more concerned about hanging on to her credibility methinks, having championed some prize stinkeroonie five-minute-wonders in recent years.

[Kevo]

Peter Kay proved that these big open air gigs with thousands of people are best suited for musicians and NOT comedians.

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by dc007

Robbie Williams. Great stage presence, good voice, superb back-catalogue of tunes. So why does he always spoil it by insisting the crowd do most of his singing for him ?

Yep, agree. I think he needs to consider the radio audience a bit more!

Originally Posted by dc007

Mariah Carey - All tits and arse and sychophancy.

She was so cringe-worthy as to be almost entertaining...PJ

[rimibar]

I haven't watched it all yet, but one thing that I noticed immediately was Elton's embarrassingly bad decision to sing with a totally stoned/high/drunk (maybe all 3 at once!) Peter Docherty.

What a total loser. I doubt he was even aware of what the event signifies, and if you asked him you wouldn't understand his response because he would slur so much.

I know that Elton is trying to help new musicians, but first and foremost, choose a musician!!!

Rant over! Feel much better now!

Originally Posted by sh18

Velvet Revolver were as awesome as ever, as were U2 and coldplay.

didnt even know VR were playing until a mate told me!

I am a HUGE VR fan but they were put on at the wrong time imho, should have been on much earlier. Also as so many of the crowd had no clue who they were they should have closed with an old G&R song.... would have gone down much better me thinks...

Madge blew me away... she was by far the best on the day.. Floyd came close though - man they were professional...amazing to see....

[danvitale]

Couldnt agree more with Doherty. That was just embarassing.

My highlights: U2, Stereophonics (they were well received), Madonna, Robbie Williams (who gave the audience a big boost after they almost fell asleep after Mariah Carey) and of course the simply awesome Pink Floyd. Coldplay were disappointing, they only played one song people really knew (In My Place), but Fix You is too downbeat and new, and Bitter Sweet Symphony lacked that something. Snoop Dogg was hilarious too. The fact that no one apologised after it was even more suprising.

Greeen Day in Berlin and Muse in Paris were both superb. Missed Audioslave in Berlin which I was annoyed with.

Only saw a bit of the Philadelphia gig, the Kaizer Chiefs were good.

[danvitale]

Oh yes, Velvet Revolver. They just didnt fit in even though they pretty much rocked. Old Scott Weiland is a bit of a fruitcake though. Loved Slash's solo in Fall To Pieces though.

[compton fox]

Originally Posted by Philly112

It was a documentary wasn't it?

Phil

Please tell me you are joking?!

[crobo]

[QUOTE=FeisalK]
Someone posted a message on another mailing list I'm on
"And somebody should tell Velvet Revolver Spinal Tap was a satire not a blueprint"

That's brilliant; I'll remember that one. FWIW, I thought Sting was superb: no chat, no crap, just great songs and the most fantastic vocals, with a closing number that could have been made for this event.
The Who, still great,
Madonna too but not such a surprise since she is one of the great survivors in this biz.
Saw one song from Craig David in Paris and he was v. impressive.
Liked the scissor sisters a lot and thought they were just warming up.
Really resent all the criticism of Mariah Carey; surely this was a warm-hearted gesture and not a dreamed-up publicity stunt? Yeah right. Nice dress-less evening strap she was almost wearing too.
Best of the best? Who else but Pink Floyd for an old fart of my generation? Been humming the guitar solo from Money ever since. Oh for more.

[motr]

I watched the complete London show and was surprised by it if I am to be totally honest. I know music can't change the world, but if the message spreads and people take note, then it can only be a good thing although when you hear comments like 'record sales by the artists involved will go up by 500 percent' it sort of leave a bitter taste.

Highlights:

U2 were the best band on there - thought they opened the show well with Sir Paul and thought there set was simply brilliant. Very different to Quos opener in 1985, but still great. Thought the lyric change in Beautiful Day was excellent.

Unlike Midge Ure, I thought Geldof was excellent (again).

Madonna - simply amazing. Nothing else to add.

REM - Very surprised at how good they were despite the fact that the BBC cut to an interview with Razorlight at the beginning of The Man On The Moon - the person that made that decision should be shot.

Annie Lennox - she was great. Not what I expected at all.

Lowlights:

Pete Doherty - You are crap. You made yourself look a complete ****. If you are going to do the biggest gig in your life, please, at least have the common decency to actually learn the words. Voice wise, I am totally baffled by this bloke and by what others actually hear in him. Dreadful. Even Elton John looked ****** off with him.

Razorlight - Dreadful. Couldn't work this band out.

Pink Floyd - Sorry, boring. I know it was an historic day for them and lots of people really wanted to see them, but not my cup of tea. IAlthough I know very little about them, I expected more.

From what I see of the US leg (which admittedly was not a lot) - Destiny's Child were abysmal. I think Beyonce is very overrated and boy, was her dancing hillarious?

[JUS]

Highlights...

Robbie chatting up Fern on live tv... "you've really blossomed...why don't we get together and it on" while pumping his groin in her direction at about 3pm in the afternoon...had me in tears. She quickly said "I'll pass you back to Jonathan...while I continue to talk to Robbie"

Jonathan Ross taking the mick out of steriophonics to their faces...they really did look rough.

Floyd they were cool.

Velvet Revolver were blinding. First time I'd seen them and I think they're great.

Who...Tried to enjoy them but Pedo Pete left a bad taste