MkGenie Polaris

自3月8日我和圆子同学聊到可能在上海及全球举行的Live Earth音乐盛会以后，我就一直在跟踪这个事情， 没有忘。找来找去，终于是找到了这个活动的全球发言人。于是，我对他做了一个独家专访。(演出名单将于2007年6月19日公布)

这应该是中国媒体上第一篇关于这个事件的专访。之前其它中文媒体要么是编译国外的新闻，要么只是采访到了上海的promoter，也就是那个把Roger Waters搞进来的上海东方明珠现场娱乐体育有限公司……那么现在的是什么状况呢？发言人说，是确定要在上海搞，但具体信息是暂时不透露的，只说很快就会公布上海方面的安排和计划。据说目前只有莎拉·布莱特曼确定要来，还有一些华语明星报名。我当然是希望更多国际明星来上海的，不然就很令人失望了——要是最后只是我们的一帮local stars来撑场子，我觉得也就无所谓了。希望能盼到一点点惊喜罢。

在采访中，发言人还详细解释了Live Earth的来龙去脉以及目的和主旨，等等。英文好的朋友可以先看看。最后要说的就是，不管这场音乐会开成什么样子，都请大家要在乎起来不可忽视的全球变暖问题。事实上，这个活动的举行，也跟前美国总统的那部奥斯卡获奖记录片《难以面对的真相》（An Inconvenient Truth）有密切关系，而我，也在之前专门写了一篇杂评，谈过这部电影和环境危机。

（另，Live Earth的进展报道请随时关注：LiveEarth.MSN.com）

Live Earth Concert to Raise the Roof in Shanghai

It is said that a great concert can change the face of the world. While many bands entertain the idea of one day achieving such a level of influence, few have seen this dream come true. However, when the greatest musicians alive gather across every continent behind the banner of a single unifying cause, then the world truly can change.

The Live Aid (1985) and Live 8 (2005) concerts organized by musical icons Bob Geldof and Bono became so phenomenally successful that they have become almost synonymous with the causes they sought to defend. The pioneer in the genre, Bob Geldof, never rested on his laurels despite raising close to US$283.6 million for poverty alleviation in developing countries by Live Aid.

However, while the format remains the same, the upcoming Live Earth concerts to be held in seven locations worldwide will seek to raise a similar level of attention for environmental concerns.

Former US Vice President Al Gore rose to become one of the world's foremost eco-warriors in 2006, with his Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. Gore's battle would not stop there and on February 15, 2007, he announced the kickoff of Live Earth, a series of concerts to be held across every continent on July 7, 2007, featuring some of the world's most accomplished singers and bands to raise both money and the profile of the environmental causes he fights to defend.

In an exclusive interview with China.org.cn, Yusef K. Robb, global spokesperson for Live Earth, revealed that the man responsible for making Live Earth a reality was none other than Kevin Wall, the former executive producer for Live 8.

"Kevin Wall was deeply moved after watching An Inconvenient Truth and set out to put on Live Earth to raise popular opinion and to take action against global warming. Live Earth will see a series of concerts held for 24 hours over every continent with over 100 headliners appearing. We estimate this will reach a global audience of over 2 billion people watching live, on TV, on the Internet and listening on the radio," Robb said.

Robb told China.org.cn that all proceeds from the shows would be given exclusively to The Alliance for Climate Protection among a number of international NGOs that will be tasked with furthering the momentum garnered by Live Earth. Robb also pointed out that the people inspired the project are more important than the funds alone since they will be the ones to make the Alliance's desired changes a reality.

Final details on the exact nature of related audio and video products are still being worked out, he added.

The series of concerts will kick off in Sydney and the call will be taken up by events in London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Johannesburg and Shanghai before concluding in New Jersey. The original plan for the US leg was to hold the concert in front of the Capitol Building in Washington DC, seat of the legislative branch of the US government. However, this was changed after Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma blocked the plan, calling global warming "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people."

Live Earth is seeking to give Al Gore's message, the very one contained in An Inconvenient Truth, a worldwide platform, said Robb, adding that the interest and profits garnered that day would only form the first step of a long process that will continue for years.

"Live Earth will use music to bring people together, to reach them emotionally. It will use all available methods to get across the need for all of us to take action against global warming and make clear the tools people can use to make a difference. Altogether, this will mark the beginning of an international foundation led by the Alliance for Climate Protection and its chairman, Al Gore."

Robb also shed some more light on the line-ups the concerts would be presenting. The US and the UK legs look to be the most glamorous, with London welcoming such acts as the Black-Eyed Peas, Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and New Jersey rocking out to the tunes of Bon Jovi, the Police and Alicia Keys among many others.

The planning of the Shanghai stop is less advanced than its Western equivalents with no fixed location having been set and only one act, soprano Sarah Brightman, having so far been confirmed.

Although Robb remained tight-lipped about precise details about the Shanghai concert, he promised that full information would be released soon and sought to explain why Shanghai had the honor of being chosen as a Live Earth concert host.

"Shanghai is not only a major Chinese city, it is also a world capital," said Robb. "China is growing at a rapid pace with an incredible number of new cars, factories and buildings expected in the next few years. As such, we hope China will become a leader on global warming and that Shanghai can be a guiding light in many different sectors."

There is little doubt that the energy, will, devotion, and passion behind Live Earth will call out to people as Live Aid did before and great hope exists that an uprising of understanding and determination will stem from this musical extravaganza. Climate change is an issue that nobody can afford to ignore, that no one can blithely brush aside, tasking later generations with bearing its burdens.

As Robb concluded, Live Earth will spark the birth of a long-term fight back to reclaim the damages already wreaked by global warming. The events of July 7 will have a profound impact, one that must be dwarfed by those in the weeks, months and years to come.

(Zhang Rui and Chris Dalby for China.org.cn, April 25, 2007)