9 July 2007Alice Jones
There was a curious sense of déjà vu on Saturday as 70,000 people flocked to the brand new Wembley stadium for another marathon day of music and messages. This time, though, it was the biggest concert on the planet - a 24-hour extravaganza across seven continents, featuring some 150 artists and capturing an audience of two billion: a global wake-up call to commit to solving the climate crisis.
And as proceedings kicked off with a heart-pumping drumming display featuring Queen's Roger Taylor, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters alongside a chorus of taiko drummers and beeping SOS signals as images of endangered species and crashing glaciers flashed up on the screens, it really felt as though this could be an important call to arms.
Unfortunately, though, that side of things never really worked. There was something fatally incongruous about watching Metallica rock out as tips about loft insulation scrolled above their heads. While many of the acts chose not to acknowledge the cause, it was the succession of mainly low-rent announcers who really let Al Gore down. Actor after actor eschewed learning their lines in favour of casting their eyes down to the autocue and muttering their message, with the result that there was a lack of fervour and unity of purpose all round.
But while the environmental message may have been indistinct, there was no such danger with the musical feel. There was rock, and lots of it. Even Madonna played guitar. There were exceptions - the Black Eyed Peas' high-energy brand of chaotic shouting and a surprisingly strong set from Corinne Bailey Rae, who duetted with John Legend on "Mercy Mercy Me". But for the most part, the day was all about grandstanding and mass singalongs, beginning with competent sets from Genesis, Razorlight and Snow Patrol.
It was Kasabian who really got things started. Dressed in a Union Jack shirt, Tom Meighan injected a bit of bombast into events, snarling "save your energeeee" during a storming "Empire", "Club Foot" and 'L.S.F'. Duran Duran were disappointing but, following them, the ever-reliable Red Hot Chili Peppers got the crowd on its feet.
As evening drew on it was time to rock with a majestic Metallica, followed by Spinal Tap who, with an admirable sense of occasion, brought on "every bassist in the known universe" for "Big Bottom". It was down to The Beastie Boys, dressed in green suits and shades like demented holiday reps, to crank up the energy for the final stage of the night - and they did, with a cracking set. Next came Pussycat Dolls who, with their slick slice of highly choreographed Amazonian pop, provided a reminder that perhaps there hadn't been quite enough fun and glamour so far.
There was more to come, though. After Foo Fighters' brilliant, passionate set, it was time for Madonna. The queen of reinvention excelled herself with a rock "Ray of Light" which saw her wielding a black electric guitar and pogoing. But the biggest surprise was "La Isla Bonita", given a gypsy-folk edge by the New York band Gogol Bordello, complete with fiddle, chanting and peasant dancing. It was extraordinary but somehow captured the global span of the event in a way that no one else had managed.
http://arts.independent.co.uk/music/reviews/article2747712.ece
