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- Shining the Spotlight on Poverty -
'Live 8' a Star Attraction

Live 8 (official site), or "Live Aid 2" - as it has been dubbed for its original predecessor, Live Aid - which took place in 1985 - was announced in May 2005 to raise awareness of poverty, especially in Africa, with six free concerts planned for as many cities around the globe on July 2.

Live 8 concerts were specifically timed to put pressure on world leaders who would be attending the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland - in the hope of making one of their top priorities an end to global poverty. (For more about related July demonstrations in the host city, see Make Poverty History.)

Live 8 concerts were held outside the Art Museum in Philadelphia, in London's Hyde Park, at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, in Paris at the Palais de Versailles, and at the Circus Maximus in Rome.

As international momentum grew, additional concerts were also planned at Park Place in Barrie, Canada; Makuhari Mess in Tokyo; Mary Fitzgerald Square in Johannesburg and in Red Square in Moscow.

A concert on July 6 took take place at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, the same date of the opening of the G8 summit.

The lineup included some of the world's top names in pop music, with some of the biggest headliners scheduled for the London and Philadelphia venues:

- All Star Line-up -

London - Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bob Geldof, U2, Madonna, Sting, R.E.M., Snoop Dogg, Annie Lennox, Robbie Williams, Mariah Carey, The Cure, Joss Stone, Snow Patrol, Dido, Coldplay, Keane, Muse, Razorlight, Scissor Sisters, Stereophonics, Velvet Revolver, The Killers

Philadelphia - In the U.S., Will Smith hosted an all-star lineup that included Dave Matthews, Alicia Keys, the Black Eyed Peas, Josh Groban, Def Leppard, Toby Keith, Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, P Diddy, Linkin Park, Destiny's Child, Keith Urban, Maroon 5, Rob Thomas, Kaiser Chiefs.

Barrie - African Guitar Summit, Barenaked Ladies, Bryan Adams, Motley Crue, Run DMC, Sam Roberts, Simple Plan, Tegan & Sara The Tragically Hip, Tom Cochrane

Berlin - Crosby, Stills And Nash, Lauryn Hill, Brian Wilson, Bap, A-ha, Die Toten Hosen, Peter Maffay

Paris - Andrea Bocelli, Placebo, Craig David, Jamiroquai, Youssou N'Dour, Yannick Noah, Calo Gero, Kyo, Axelle Red, Johnny Halliday, Manu Chao, Renaud

Rome - Duran Duran, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Irene Grandi, Jovanotti, Nek, Laura Pasini, Vasco Rossi, Zucchero

Edinburgh 50,000 (Murrayfield Stadium, July 6) - Annie Lennox, Snow Patrol, Travis, The Sugababes, Ronan Keating, Beverly Knight, The Corrs, Natasha Bedingfield, Proclaimers, Texas, Youssou N’Dour and McFly are scheduled to perform on opening day of the G8 summit.

Tickets to the UK events were given out via a lottery, and at other worldwide locations the events were planned as an open invitation.

Worldwide media coverage included, and all-day MTV and VH1 broadcast and, in the U.S., an ABC Television speical that included highlights later that evening.

In the U.K., Live 8 was shown on giant screens in seven cities across the UK and broadcast live on BBC TV & radio. In Australia, the Nine Network and FOXTEL television jointly broadcast the concerts covering five global locations.

Related Links:

Holidays : Red Nose Day

Commission for Africa

White Band.org

BBC News - G8 Summit In Depth