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Gore Brings Surprise Live Earth Concert to Washington WASHINGTON, DC, July 6, 2007 (ENS) - A last minute surprise show has been added to Saturday's Live Earth concert lineup, bringing to the nation's capital the global day of music to raise awareness of the climate crisis.
The concert at the National Museum of the American Indian will feature former U.S. Vice President and Live Earth organizer Al Gore, and country music stars the husband-and-wife team of Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. The show features bands such as the reggae band Native Roots from Albuquerque, the Cheyenne and Lakota band The Reddmen, and speakers such as educator Henrietta Mann. Live Earth is a 24 hour, seven continent series of concerts taking place on July 7, 2007, bringing together more than 150 music artists and two billion people in a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Live Earth will reach this worldwide audience through an unprecedented global media network covering television, radio, Internet, and wireless channels.
The concerts will start in Australia with Live Earth Sydney and circle the globe, ending at Giants Stadium for Live Earth New York on Saturday night. There was no show planned for Washington, DC because of the objections of a small group of Republican lawmakers, led by Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe. Inhofe blocked a bipartisan resolution that would have permitted Gore to choose the Capitol's West Front as a Live Earth concert venue. "There has never been a partisan political event at the Capitol, and this is a partisan political event," said Inhofe in March. Live Earth maintains that it is not a partisan political event but is supported by people of all political stripes. "The calvary didn't ride to the rescue, the American Indians did," Gore told CBS TV today. Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, told reporters on a conference call today that climate change is an issue that "unites humankind." "Global warming is the challenge of our generation," said Boxer. "People all over the world understand that action on global warming is needed now, and the American public is far ahead of the government when it comes to this critical issue. After serious engagement on this issue since the beginning of the year, we have begun to build the consensus necessary for action." "If we don't act, we are in so much trouble it will just be disastrous," she said. "But I am optimistic. We will take the steps necessary to preserve our only home, this planet. "This great concert is going to wake up the world," said Apollo Alliance President Jerome Ringo, who serves on the board of directors of Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection, the group organizing the Live Earth concerts.
MoveOn.org Political Action executive director Eli Pariser said the Live Earth concerts have prompted house parties across the country and around the world. "For the past year this has been one of the top issues for people," Pariser said on the conference call. "This is our biggest set of house parties since 2004, bigger than the 2006 election. At the MoveOn parties, people will not just be watching the concerts, said Pariser, they will be watching the Democratic presidental candidates in a town hall meeting. "Our members have submitted questions by video. [John] Edwards, [Barack] Obama, and [Hillary] Clinton will be answering the questions on video. Then we will ask our members to vote on whose is the strongest plan for addressing this climate crisis," Pariser said. "It's about new leadership," he said. "Our members will pivot from watching the concert Saturday night to voting on the leaders' plans on Sunday morning." Live Earth Rides a Rollercoast of Last Minute Changes The concert in Rio was called off earlier this week but is now back on. The only free Live Earth show, it is expected to attract upwards of one million people to Copacabana Beach and a judge blocked the event on security grounds.
Live Earth Communications Director Kristina Schake said Thursday, "We met with authorities and addressed their concerns, and the concert will continue as planned." Mondo Entertainment, the local Live Earth promoter in Rio, said, "The Military Police feels that they can guarantee the security of the show. The Military Police will guarantee the security of all the sites in Rio with the same efficiency that is required for all events." After the opener in Sydney, concerts will be staged in Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai, China; Hamburg, Germany; Johannesburg, South Africa; London, United Kingdom; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before concluding at Giants Stadium in New York. The Turkish leg of the Live Earth concerts planned for Istanbul has been scrubbed due to insufficient sponsorship and lack of time, the organizers have confirmed. Instead of live performances, Istanbul will see concerts from other cities around the world on giant screens. At the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera Research Station the science team's indie-rock house band, Nunatak, will perform, filling the slot for the seventh continent and perfecting the numerical formula - July 7, 2007 on seven continents - that was the producers' vision. Darkness and freezing temperatures isolate the Antarctic continent during the Southern Hemisphere winter so the only people who will attend the Antarctic concert will be Nunatak's 17 over-wintering colleagues. But two billion people worldwide will hear the five-piece band through the broadcasts on TV, film, radio and the Internet. Madonna to Perform Newly Written Live Earth Song
"Hey You," recorded in London, was produced by Pharrell Williams and Madonna. The song can be downloaded in MP3 format on Microsoft's home page, http://liveearth.msn.com. The first million downloads are free as Microsoft has pledged to donate $0.25 per download to the Alliance for Climate Protection for the first million downloads. Madonna is one of 17 headliners that have been announced for Live Earth London, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis, and the Beastie Boys. Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign to inspire individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve the climate crisis. Live Earth is partnering with Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group, Stop Climate Chaos and other international organizations in this ongoing effort. Live Earth was founded by Kevin Wall, CEO of Control Room, the company producing the concerts globally. Official Live Earth concerts will be streamed live at http://liveearth.msn.com. MSN's 39 localized web portals worldwide attract 465 million monthly users. To see a complete lineup of artists for all Live Earth concerts, visit: http://www.liveearth.org Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved.
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