Going green is global at Live Earth concerts

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A 24-hour music marathon spanning seven continents reached the Western Hemisphere Saturday, with rappers, rockers and country stars taking the stage at Live Earth concerts to fight climate change.

"Times like these demand action," said former Vice President Al Gore, speaking to the sold-out crowd of about 52,000 fans in New Jersey's Giants Stadium.

With other shows in London; Sydney, Australia; Tokyo; Kyoto, Japan; Shanghai, China; Hamburg, Germany; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — even a performance by a band of scientists at a research station in Antarctica — organizers promised the biggest musical event ever staged, dwarfing the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts.

Live Earth venues featured Aboriginal elders, chimpanzee calls from scientist Jane Goodall, a holographic Gore and more than 100 of the biggest names in music, including Bon Jovi, Linkin Park and the Beastie Boys.

The concerts were backed by Gore, whose campaign to force global warming onto the international political stage inspired the event. At concerts around the world, musicians and celebrities encouraged fans and one another to take little steps, such as not leaving electrical devices plugged in when not in use or changing to low-energy light bulbs.

At the London show, the stadium's nonessential lights were turned off before the closing act — Madonna — came onstage, leaving the venue dark except for the glow of exit lights and the flashes of cameras.

"Let's hope the concerts that are happening around the world are not just about entertainment, but about starting a revolution," said Madonna, who sang a song she wrote for Live Earth called "Hey You."

The Beastie Boys wore their feelings on their sleeves, performing a furious set of hits in tailored green suits and shades at Wembley Stadium.

"Let's all try to do our parts and see if we can get it together," Adam Yauch told the crowd.

In New Jersey, rocker Melissa Etheridge pounded out her song "I Need to Wake Up," which was featured in Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," and won an Oscar for best song this year.

Gore made a live video appearance from Washington to open the first show on the other side of the world in Sydney, Australia, and a few hours later appeared onstage in Tokyo as a hologram.

Gore attended the New Jersey show, taking mass transit from Washington. He called on members of the crowd to commit themselves to a seven-point pledge to combat global warming, including steps such as demanding a moratorium on building new coal-powered plants and fighting for more renewable energy.

"I would like to ask each and every one of you to answer the call," Gore said.

Organizers promised the huge shows were made green by using recycled goods, shuttling concertgoers from distant parking lots in biodiesel buses and using biofuels for generators.

Critics have faulted the Live Earth concerts for lacking clear-cut, achievable goals, and for lauding rock stars whose jet-setting, high-consumption lifestyles can often send a different, less environmentally friendly message.

In London, after fans went home, the stadium's floor was covered with discarded plastic cups and litter.

Many of the participating musicians acknowledged they weren't rock stars when it came to the environment but said it was important to start a discussion about climate change.

"If you want to peg me as not being entirely eco-friendly, you'll win," John Mayer said after his set. "I also think it's very difficult to judge the success of a movement. ... You can't find out by 9 o'clock this evening how much awareness was raised. ... What you're really talking about is the placement of an idea at a rock show."