Don't tell, but Live Earth New York was actually in New Jersey; at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, to be exact, but there was a view of the Manhattan skyline, so that was a comfort. But despite my initial dismay in having to actually cross the George Washington Bridge, and then (gasp!) stopping in Jersey longer than to just buy cheap gas was allieviated by the crowd in the mega-parking lot outside the stadium. There was the usual: New Jerseyites grilling on Weber's like only they know how, beer-drinking, and too-tiny bikini tops on too-large women (and to be fair, no shirts at all on uh, very well-endowed men who could've filled out a bikini top). But there was also something so beautiful, it made me a bit teary.
Recycling stations!
Yes, scattered throughout the giant Giants' parking lot, there were separate bins for garbage, plastic, aluminium and glass, and even compost! And tailgaters were being shown how to separate it all out by teams of very nice (mostly young women) volunteers. And drunk folks were happily participating. First thought: why isn't this the norm at every large event I've ever been to?
So I was in a good mood to hear the music, even though I wasn't necessarily a fan of all the artists. But it was summer, and I was at a show that was supposed to spread awareness about global warming, and people were recycling! (Yes, I'm an eco-dork!)
Leo DiCaprio started things off on the right foot with his opening for Al Gore when he said of global warming, "What once seems like science fiction Is now an inconventient, yet undeniable truth!" And we were off, with the first artist performing, the man Malcolm Gladwell made famous single-handedly, Kenna. Who doesn't know much about being green, but seemed willing to learn. Backstage, he said, "I think it’s just that there isn’t enough awareness about the environment. People may have recycling in the back of their minds but it needs to be at the front."
Some of the artists were dedicated environmentalists and answered questions intelligently and passionately:
KT Tunstall, who played a fun set (including the very memorable song, " ") was well-versed in green issues and had a lot to say about why she was a part of Live Earth.
"It can get annoying when people like us have some success to give advice. Get on with it in your own life and put your house in order. I'm getting my flat in London renovated with sheep’s wool insulation, reclaimed wood, and I'm installing solar panels. Avg. But the average American produces 15 tons of carbon a year [and I produce] 650 tons of carbon a year. For one person that's a lot. So...[I'm involved with] Global Cool, which and they are doing tree planting. It's a stopgap...until there’s a better measure of carbon storage. There's 6000 trees in Scotland (Tunstall's home country) munching away at the carbon I produce. "
Fred Mascherino of NYC-based band Taking Back Sunday talked up his 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit (which he just converted to biodiesel, getting the oil from his local Chinese take-out joint), and said, "We're internalizing [being green] with things we do with the band. We do carbon offsets, sell only organic merchandise, and have recycling stations at all our shows. We try to let this stuff speak for itself. We're trying not to be preachy."
And Dave Matthews brought up his in-depth knowledge of climate-change issues when he blurted out, "Cow Farts!" before he was even asked a question during his press conference. He went on to explain that politics was a really important part of making real change. "I think Kyoto was a great treaty. Government makes the rules, and makes the changes, but pressure [has to] come from the people. It may be inconvenient for a short time but we really have to act at the same time to get what we want. We need to get the government to understand we are serious about this."
Randy Jackson told us that American Idol may be launching some green initiatives in the near future (now there's a huge audience to affect!) and that at home he is trying to teach his family to consume water and energy more efficiently.
Some of the musicians were...catching up(?) with the environmental issues, which was probably true of many of the concert-goers as well.
The always-pithy (LOL) Carson Daly said that his big green initiative is unplugging his cell phone and blackberry when he's away from his hotel room. (Um, I guess it's something!) And Senegalese-born (and too attractive) rapper/singer Akon admitted bravely that, "I'm just learning what it means to be green today. I'm here to learn about global warming." I'll be happy to give the you private lessons in green, Akon!
But for an event with such an important message, it was surprising how few artists actually busted out on stage with commentary, suggestions, acknowlegments or admonitions for the crowd. Except for Melissa Etheridge, who knows how to rock a crowd and send a powerful idea at the same time.
Melissa Etheridge's progressive call to the masses (go to 4:15 to skip the beginning of the song)
Check out a recap of the performances from all over the world here!
