Live 8

Live 8 looks to have been a logistical success (the actual results of the campaign are much harder to evaluate). By all accounts, most complaints had to do with network TV coverage. MTV in the US has received much criticism. CTV here in Canada wasn't that bad, though I am fuming that they made such a big deal over the Pink Floyd reunion and then only aired two of the four songs Messrs Gilmour, Waters, Wright and Mason played (Breathe and Money). But Ben Mulroney kept promising that we'd see everything we'd missed during the day on the greatest hits replay on Saturday night. I gave up at 11pm eastern, but until that point they only replayed the already aired Money. Wish You Were Here and Comfortably Numb were the songs to which Canadians were not privy.

I wish I had thought of this, but AOL is reported to have put network television to shame, offering multiple feeds and notifications of who was playing on their other 'channels'.

From what little of Pink Floyd and The Who I did see, they looked to be in fine form (Colby Cosh has some snider and potentially misleading words, but he may have had is television on mute. David Gilmour is 61, by the way). Just like at the Concert for New York, The Who are a very hard act to follow. Despite Pink Floyd not having toured in ten years and Roger Waters not joining the other three on stage in nearly twenty-five, they sounded terrific.

As for the Canadian show, Dan Akroyd and Tom Green were pretty lame hosts. Deep Purple were surprisingly sharp. It would have been classier if Blue Rodeo had finished their set with a classic rather than the new one Greg Keelor chose. On the contrary, Great Big Sea and Barenaked Ladies don't have a Greg Keelor in their bands and know how to play to a non-partisan crowd. Bruce Cockburn stuck to his political songs about the third world, which were apropos, I suppose, but it reminded me that he is a much more enjoyable performer when he isn't political. The crowd booing Celine was classless but not surprising. Neil Young's set was dignified, though Four Strong Winds went a bit too long. The all-star rendition of Keep On Rocking in the Free World end on a humourous note when it became evident that no one knew how to the end the song (the drummer finally got a cue from Neil to wrap it up).

All in all, I watched way to much television on Saturday.