Vibes from the past, hopes for a better future
SOUNDS FAMILIAR: There was a lot of nostalgia attached to yesterday's festivities.
U2, Elton John, and Crosby, Stills & Nash were among the acts that were part of the original Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia in 1985.
Paul McCartney kicked off the London concert by singing ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," which begins with the words ''It was 20 years ago today." In fact, it was about two weeks early for the 20th anniversary of the original Live Aid concerts.
HOT ATTRACTIONS: From Rome's Circus
At the open-air arena in Rome, spectators lay on beach towels to sunbathe before music began. To battle the punishing temperatures, Italy's civil defense department handed out 1 million free bottles of mineral water, while water cannons sprayed crowds.
In Philadelphia, fans crowded the Benjamin Franklin Parkway outside the Museum of Art and grooved to an odd assembly of musicians that included Bon Jovi, Destiny's Child, and Def Leppard. The crowd jostled for space. But neither the heat nor the crowds marred the massive outdoor party. Howard Kutcher, 38, of South Philadelphia, said the day was perfect. The real question, he said, is whether the show would have any effect on the politicians. ''I hope this isn't just about a party," he said.
CROSSING GENERATIONS: Right from McCartney's first words, the London concert was about time and generations and how rock 'n' roll history ties them together.
Everywhere in the crowd, families were present. Couples held children on their shoulders and swayed to the music. Families danced together and sang along with Elton John and Coldplay songs they've obviously shared on road trips in the minivan.
One couple, who had attended the last Live Aid concert 20 years ago as teenagers, were this time pushing a stroller with their sleeping 10-month-old. The stroller was bogged down in the mud and the trash that carpeted Hyde Park.
MORE THAN MUSIC: Many of the performers and spectators at yesterday's concerts said work will be required for the concerts to have any lasting impact.
''It's not simple enough to sign a check and send it to Africa," Chris de Burgh, who spent part of his childhood in Africa, said at the concert in Tiergarten Park in downtown Berlin. ''The best way to help Africans help themselves is to show them, like taking a youngster and saying this is how you irrigate your farm."
Daniel Modricker, a 24-year-old from Boston who was visiting Berlin, agreed. ''It's a great idea but it would take a lot more than music to change the world," Modricker said. ''It takes action."
CLASS ACTS: A wire-mesh fence at the London concert separated the general admission audience from what was known as the ''Gold Circle," a section reserved for corporate-sponsored tickets.
Lorraine High, 45, a nurse, unsuccessfully tried to persuade a security guard to allow her 8-year-old daughter, Catherine, to enter the Gold Circle so she could catch a glimpse of the stage. ''Come on, is it fair that only the ones with these gold tickets can see a concert about poverty?" she asked.
MUSIC TO HIS EARS: Taking the stage in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela elicited bigger cheers than any of the musical acts there.
''History and the generations to come will judge our leaders by the decisions they make in the coming weeks," Mandela told the crowd of 8,000. ''I say to all those leaders: Do not look the other way, do not hesitate. . . . It is within your power to prevent a genocide."
AFRICAN BEAT: The Johannesburg concert and one showcasing African artists in Cornwall, England, were organized after criticism that African artists had been left out of the Live 8 concerts, despite the event's aim to raise awareness of the continent's plight.
''Africans are involved in helping Africa, which doesn't happen too often," Cameroonian singer Coco Mbassi said in Cornwall. ''We're presenting a different image of Africa -- showing that Africa has good things to give."
Peter Gabriel, host of that concert, said it was perhaps the best African lineup to perform elsewhere. ''You can see how civilized people are by where they put the boundary between 'them' and 'us.' Hopefully today we can push that line back so that 'us' becomes a much bigger category."
NO MORE RED BLUES: Twenty years ago, Muscovites heard little or nothing about the Live Aid concerts for African famine relief because of the Soviet Union's tight information controls. But yesterday, the Russian capital hosted a Live 8 concert of its own.
Spectators pressed into long lines to pass through metal detectors and hundreds of police and troops lined streets near Red Square where the Pet Shop Boys and Russian bands performed.
Reported by Charles Sennott in London, David Abel in Philadelphia, and Chris Janiec in Boston. Material from wire services was also included. 
