Posted by DJ on 7/5/2005, 12:38 pm July 4, 2005 BARRIE, Ont. (CP) - Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn and the Barenaked Ladies were among the homegrown musical stars who crowded onstage Saturday night to belt out Rockin' in the Free World, bringing down the curtain on a raucous Live 8 concert bash. It was the first time Young had performed since suffering a brain aneurysm earlier this year and 35,000 concert-goers roared their approval. Immediately after the song, musicians broke into a chorus of O Canada. It was a fitting end to a day of shows held simultaneously to pressure leaders of the wealthy G8 nations to increase aid to Africa when they meet in Scotland this week. "Today we are part of the biggest rock concert in history," said Bryan Adams, one of the day's first performers at Park Place, about an hour's drive north of Toronto. "We're seeing people power. I believe in that." Hosted by comedians Dan Aykroyd and Tom Green, the Barrie gig had been criticized for a talent lineup that some deemed "over the hill." But the mostly 20-something crowd seemed happy to spend much of the nine-hour event clapping along to hits by rock veterans like Young, Adams, Cockburn and Tom Cochrane. Montreal's Simple Plan injected one notable dose of youthful energy into the event, sprinting around the stage and squirting water at the crowd. Lead singer Pierre Bouvier reminded Live 8 revellers they had gathered for a reason. "Please remember this day is more than just a concert," he said. "Don't forget about it tomorrow. Help out people who are in need." The only sour note of the day occurred when the crowd booed a satellite performance from Las Vegas by Quebec singer Celine Dion. "No, no, no," scolded Aykroyd as the catcalls rained down. "Be proud of Celine Dion. She's here to help and entertain us. She's working hard, hard, hard." Many artists on the bill - like Deep Purple and Adams - were whisked off to other gigs moments after they left the stage. While southern Ontario has been in the grip of a heat wave for the last week, Saturday dawned clear and balmy. By afternoon, the temperature was a comfortable 24 C, but that didn't stop many in the crowd from doffing their T-shirts and soaking in the sunshine. Between acts, concert-goers watched other Live 8 events on giant screens, taking in R.E.M. from London, The Black Eyed Peas and Destiny's Child from Philadelphia and an address from Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg. While most musicians who performed made mention of the purpose behind the event, it seemed lost on some in attendance. Marty Gradwell from Whitby, Ont., said he came to the Canadian gig "to rock out and enjoy the start of a warm summer." Asked what prompted the worldwide music extravaganza, he could only venture a guess. "For AIDS in Afghanistan, is it?"
Raucous Live 8 crowd cheers Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, boos Celine Dion
Angela Pacienza And Tara Brautigam
Canadian Press
Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip (left) and Neil Young perform during the finale of the Canadian Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ont. Saturday. (CP/Aaron Harris)
Message Thread:
« Back to thread