Live 8 Concert

Live 8 Canada: Toronto review (cont.)

Live 8 Toronto - In The Groove

Bruce Cockburn was up next. I was real glad that they were able to get him in on Live 8. I have always liked his work and wore out one of his cassette tapes from playing it too much. A bit predictable but appropriate as Bruce started with "If I Had a Rocket Launcher", he followed with "Call it Democracy" and then "Waiting for a Miracle".

Les Trois Accords we next up on stage with their hit track Hawaïenne. This was a nice change of pace for Live 8 Barrie and probably anyone watching. Their first track sounded a bit like punk calypso music. For those outside Canada, it probably sounded like gibberish. Les Trois Accords do most all their numbers in French. I enjoyed their set which also included "Lion D'ici" and "Turbo Symathique".

The large video monitors were fired up as we were connected to Live 8 London. Sir Bob, in his taped public address to all the Live 8 venues, made the gaffe of referring to Park Place as "Toronto." The crowd here rebuked him with two chants of "Barrie." As mentioned before, Barrie is NOT Toronto. Bob Geldof introduced the CBC video titled "Drive". This track was also played at the original Live Aid concert in Philadelphia. CBC took some footage from Ethiopia and intermixed it with a track by the band "The Cars". The end result is still chilling some 20 years later. The crowd went calm and tears filled the eyes of many as the thought of really why we were there in the first place hit home to so many people.

We were next treated to Madonna covering her popular and haunting "Like a Prayer" Just prior to starting, she introduced to the Live 8 audience and the world to Birhan Woldu. Birhan Woldu was a child back in 1985 and without the intervention of the folks at the Band Aid Trust and all the many donations as a result of the "Do they Know It's Christmas?" record, Birhan Woldu would have died. She was 20 minutes away from death and was saved. This was a pretty emotion time for the crowd here at Barrie. Madonna is a superstar. She was a vision in white as she sang to the crowd in Hyde Park at Live 8 London and to the world.

The crowd is brought up in spirits with the approach of Randy Bachman. I guess we were all expecting to see his band mate Burton Cummings, but no great loss. Randy was able to hold his own as he ripped though BTO classic "Hey You.", "You Ain't Seen Nothin" Yet and finished up with "Takin' Care of Business." The Live 8 Toronto crowd approves. I was hoping that he would have included "American Woman" but I wasn't that lucky.

Teedle-dum and Tweedle-dee are back on stage to introduce Deep Purple by doing a lame "da,da,da,da,da,da-da". Not that anyone that listens to music doesn't know the bass cords to "Smoke On the Water", but Tom Green and Dan Akroyd are just pathetic. Barrie couldn't get Led Zeppelin, or Eric Clapton, so I guess someone thought Deep Purple would be a suitable replacement?

Lead singer Ian Gillan hops around the Live 8 stage trying out his best Robert Plant impression. Monsters of Rock for sure. Even thought they were a bit of a flashback to the 70's, they could actually play and play well. Ther guitar work during "Highway Star" actually surprised me. I was so quick to write these guys off, but as they went into their tracks you could tell that they are true professionals. Sure enough, they rock the stage with "Smoke On the Water". I have only heard this song like 5 thousand times. It's not a favorite of mine, but the crowd seemed content with it. The last track "Hush" was handled well. "Na, Na, Na, Na, Na-Na, Na, Na Na Na".

Live 8 Canada, Toronto (continue review)

See all Live 8 Concert reiews:
Live 8 London, UK :: Live 8 Philadelphia, USA :: Live 8 Toronto (Barrie),CA