Live 8 and Madonna in the media
Madonna wows Live 8 crowds in London
The Queen of Pop sent over 200,000 Live 8 music fans into delirium this evening, performing three souped-up versions of her biggest hits.
Before the hits though, we got a glimpse of Birhan Woldu, the child featured in the 1985 Live Aid film, which touched the world. Recently qualified as an agricultural student, Woldu was just weeks from death when featured in ’85, according to Geldof, who used her appearance as an example of how just one life had been saved due to Live Aid.
Taking to the stage in a silver satin suit, Madonna was rousing, passionate and demonstrated clearly why her ‘Queen of Pop’ tag is so deserved. Opening with ‘Like A Prayer’, the star questioned the crowd ‘Are you ready to start a revolution!’, ‘Are you ready to change the world’. Accompanying her was a full choir, also dressed in white.
By the time ‘Ray Of Light’ and ‘Music’ came, the mix had changed into a bass-heavy breakbeat hybrid, with a myriad of b-boy dancers invading the stage. ‘Music’ weighed in at six minutes running time, with an extended chorus of ‘Music, makes the people, come together’ in which Madonna convinced pretty much every one of Hyde Park’s 200,000 crowd to clap along. The 15-minute set was received by many as the day’s standout performance – so far that is.
Madonna also performed at the first Live Aid concert in 1985. Then, the set list included ‘Holiday’ and ‘Into The Groove’.
From Soundgenerator
Madonna Leads A Revolution
Madonna wowed crowds at live 8 this evening with a spectacular performance. The star kicked off her set with “Like A Prayer”, backed by the a full choir, who – like the star and her band – were dressed completely in white. Madonna was also joined onstage by an Ethiopian woman who had been, in Bob Geldof’s words “10 minutes from death,” until the money raised at the first Live Aid concert helped save her.
“Are you ready to start a revolution,” Madonna asked the crowd. “Are you ready to change the world?”
Running through “Ray Of Light” she finished with an extended version of “Music” bringing break-dancers to the stage and leading 200,000 fans in a singalong. The concert marked a return to the Live 8 stage for the singer.
