I know you woke up this morning with this burning question on your mind -- Just how did Live Earth go anyway?Well, let's just say that with harsh criticism of the event's patent hypocrisy, disappointing TV numbers, competition from Wimbledon, the trashiness from profane performers, the literal trashiness of concert goers, and the supreme irony of distractingly nice weather, at least the English version of Live Earth was a lemon.
The Daily Mail (U.K.) reviews the event.
Live Earth has been branded a foul-mouthed flop...
...The BBC blamed the poor figures on Saturday's good weather and said its Wimbledon tennis coverage had drawn away afternoon viewers. Critics said however that the public had simply snubbed what they saw as a hypocritical event.
Musicians including Bob Geldof, Roger Daltrey and the Pet Shop Boys pointed out that a concert highlighting climate change had itself generated huge carbon emissions. Performers were criticised for flying to concerts that were staged simultaneously on seven continents.
The BBC's coverage, which ran for 15 hours from 12.30pm on Saturday to 4am yesterday, also sparked dozens of complaints about bad language...
...The mounds of rubbish left by the 65,000 concert-goers at Wembley further tarnished the event's green credentials.
Organisers claimed most of the waste would be sorted and recycled but the Daily Mail saw little evidence of that taking place...
The bulk of the other reviews of Live Earth shared similar sentiments. ABC noted that "people are wondering if [the] concert aimed at raising global awareness actually caused more global damage." The Telegraph (U.K.) called Live Earth a "win for global yawning." The Guardian (U.K.) called the concert a "ratings flop" and, like many other news outlets, quoted environmentalists as strongly criticizing the concert organizers' claims that the environmental damage caused by the concert could be offset by the purchase of carbon credits.
The Globe and Mail (U.K.), after noting how underwhelming the event was, described the lambasting that certain performers had received because of their lavish and all-too-ungreen lifestyles.
Madonna, who closed the London show, was particularly harshly criticized. The News of the World tabloid, Britain's biggest-selling newspaper, detailed estimates of Madonna's carbon emissions from nine houses, a fleet of cars, a private jet and the Confessions tour, calling her a "climate-change catastrophe."
And, finally, I save the best (and most detailed review for last. It's over here at NRO from Mark Hemingway. Enjoy.
