Live 8 Live Telecast

Most of you would know by now that there are a series of concerts to be held this weekend called Live 8, and the good news is that it will be telecast "live" from 9pm tonight to 7am tomorrow, exclusively on Starhub Cable Preview Channel 1 and HubTV Channel 26.

Live 8, is of course, an update of the 1985 concert dubbed Live Aid, which was aimed at raising funds to eliminate poverty in Africa. This time, however, the concerts aim to pressure the G-8 nations to erase debt from the African nations.

Whatever the political reasons behind the concert, music fans are the ones who gain as many of the world's biggest acts gather on the same stage(s) and perform for the same cause. There will be 10 concerts staged in the world, not 8. This is because besides one concert held in each of the G-8 (Group of Eight industrialised nations) countries, there will be a 9th one in Johannesburg and a 10th one in southwest England, featuring African acts.

Of course, not all the concerts are equal, and I would say the most exciting one will be held in Philadelphia, USA. Among the lineup are heavyweights Dave Matthews Band, Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi, Destiny's Child and Linkin Park and many more. It is home ground to them of course.

The London show is not bad too, featuring Madonna, Coldplay, Robbie Williams, U2, Velvet Revolver, Keane, Mariah Carey, The Killers and others. Think it's going to be a toss up between Philly and London.

I'm going to clear my DVD recorder hard disk to make space for 10 hours of music extravaganza. Hope it will live up to the hype and not disappoint!