Dead 8

So, 20 years on down the line from Live Aid, we’re (Philly) hosting another Aware-mess concert. This time, it’s Live8, as this decade’s proclivity for text messaging takes yet another nauseating victim.

Last time, there was London and there was Philly. The artists were pretty evenly spread.

This time? London gets the gamut. Classics like Elton John, Pink Floyd, REM, and Cure. New fangled bands like Coldplay, Keane, Snow Patrol, Snoop Dogg (sore thumb alert). And everything in between, like U2, Sting, Madonna. It’s a who’s who.

What does Philly get? FiddySent, Bon fricking Jovi, Maroon 5 (I like them, but they’re no Coldplay), Jay-Z (unless his hottie shows up, too, this is nuttin), Sarah McLachlan, Dave Matthews, and Stevie Wonder.

Only Berlin has it worse: Brian Wilson, A-Ha, and Lauren Hill are their headliners. Wonder if that Nena chick is busy? She could always sing that 99LuftBalloons again.

Yeah, it’s a “free” concert. Free for the goers. Not free for the city. They’re closing off mega blocks to traffic on Independence Day Weekend – that’s Philly’s biggest money maker for tourists. The extra police etc that will be necessary alone will cost big bucks.

And we get chump artists.

I only hope that Dave Matthews has a better bus driver this time. Just what we need – more shit from the pop stars.

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