SADLY, 'LIVE EARTH' CONCERT DOESN'T QUITE SING

- Renee Gannon, Assistant Website Editor

When we first heard about plans for Live Earth, a series of worldwide concerts designed to raise awareness about man-made climate change and advocate environmentally friendly living, we couldn’t contain our excitement.  As everyone knows, next to kids & the planet, the closest thing to our hearts is music (check out our Tasty Tunes!), so in our view, Live Earth sounded like a tasty way to get the word out about global warming.

The concerts brought together more than 150 musical acts in 11 locations on all 7 continents. The organizers stated that the venues would utilize on-site power generation, efficient methods of energy utilization and sustainable facilities management in an effort to minimize environmental impact. Live Earth charged admission but the concerts were also broadcast free to a mass global audience through radio, television, and the internet.

The umbrella organization for the event was Save Our Selves, founded by Kevin Wall, and included major partners such as former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, the Alliance for Climate Protection, MSN, and Control Room, the production company which produced the event. The logo for the event was SOS written in Morse Code. 

Sadly, the televised broadcast failed to draw viewers.  Saturday’s ‘Live Earth’ broadcast on NBC was the lowest-rated programming of all four major networks.  The Washington Post reported that nearly twice as many people watched a repeat of ‘America’s Most Wanted,’ and even ‘Cops’ beat out the “historic” concert. Bravo’s day-long coverage of the event fared slightly better, with double the usual amount of viewers for a Saturday.  Thankfully, the internet managed to draw more viewers with MSN, the exclusive online partner for the concert, reporting that 10 million video streams were started the day of the concert (although that doesn’t necessarily translate into 10 million viewers). 

In spite of low television ratings, the concerts boasted incredible and talented artists, including: Snow Patrol, Damien Rice & David Gray, Black Eyed Peas, Duran Duran, Red Hot Chili Peppers, James Blunt, Beastie Boys, Pussycat Dolls, Foo Fighters, KT Tunstall, Taking Back Sunday, Keith Urban with special guest Alicia Keys, Ludacris, AFI, Fall Out Boy, Akon, John Mayer, Melissa Etheridge, Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band, Kelly Clarkson, Kanye West, Bon Jovi, The Smashing Pumpkins.

So, why did the world-wide televised concerts draw such low numbers?  Some may say that it’s because people aren’t seriously concerned about the fight against global warming, but I would disagree.  I firmly believe that people care … the message just failed to be delivered properly.  Maybe it would have been better received on any night other than a Saturday, when most people aren’t out and about, enjoying the beautiful weekend summer weather rather than sitting in front of their televisions. Also, the date of the concerts (the week of July 4th) was problematic, as it is generally the least-watched week of the year for broadcast television networks.

To add insult to injury, televised concerts have not been a big draw over the past few years, particularly when 1960s-era artists are not prominently involved. Interestingly, 16 million of those who did tune in, switched away from the 3-hour concert at some point during the show.  This was probably when Al Gore didn’t announce his run for candidacy for the 2008 Presidential Election, as fans and supporters hoped he would.

‘Live earth’ is scheduled again for next year, so for those who are committed to fighting global warming and raising awareness about a greener way of life should no simply hold their collective breaths and hope the 2008 concerts pack a greater punch – they should speak up and get involved to make sure that next year’s ‘Live Earth’ is a winner!

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