Well, as predicted in yesterday's daily, Bob Geldof unveiled plans yesterday for that subject of much speculation, the Live 8 concert. As reported many times over, the events are being planned to coincide with the G8 conference in Scotland to highlight the Make Poverty History campaign, but there's more than just the one concert, with free gigs being held in Philadelphia, Paris, Rome and Berlin, as well as in London's Hyde Park on 2 July. Tickets will be distributed via a text message lottery on 6 Jun at 8am, when listeners of BBC and commercial radio stations will be asked to send in the answer to a multiple choice question. Geldof said the event was "not for charity but political justice," adding that "there is more than a chance that the boys and girls with guitars finally get to tilt the world on its axis."
Artists confirmed for the London concert include Madonna, Coldplay, REM, Dido, Paul McCartney and Keane, whilst US artists scheduled to appear in Philadelphia include Will Smith, Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder and Maroon 5. Duran Duran will play in Rome, and A-Ha will appear in Berlin. And despite some reports yesterday to the contrary, Geldof told the BBC that there is in fact a possibility that The Spice Girls will reform for the occasion, saying "I spoke to them this morning. It looks very good. That's all we can say."
The Hyde Park concert will be shown on big screens in seven UK locations and will be aired live on BBC TV and radio. Chatmeister Jonathan Ross presents the BBC's UK coverage whilst Graham Norton will be behind the mike in Philadelphia. The project has been backed by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell who said that Live 8 will "set the scene" for the G8 summit.