Line-up for Live Earth SA revealed

The series will begin in Sydney, Australia on 7 July and continue across all seven continents with events in Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai, China; Johannesburg, South Africa; London, UK; Hamburg, Germany; Istanbul, Turkey; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before concluding in New York, US.

Live Earth was founded by Kevin Wall, CEO of Control Room, the company producing the concerts globally. Live Earth seeks to inspire its global audience to make meaningful and lasting changes in their lives and spur action by corporations and governments to turn the tide on global warming.

International language

“Music is an international language that has the power to move people,” Wall said. “Live Earth's 24 hours of music spanning all seven continents will move people in every corner of the planet to take action against global warming.”

Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by the Alliance for Climate Protection and other international non-governmental organizations to move individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve global warming. Former vice president of the US Al Gore is the chair of the Alliance for Climate Protection and a Partner of Live Earth.

“Live Earth is taking place across all seven continents because the climate crisis affects us all – and all of us must be a part of the solution,” Gore said. “Live Earth will engage individuals, corporations and governments to take action against the climate crisis.”

Live Earth South Africa will feature the following acts live on stage:

• Angelique Kidjo
  
• Baaba Maal
  
• Danny K
  
• Joss Stone
  
• The Parlotones
  
• The Soweto Gospel Choir
  
• UB40
  
• Vusi Mahlasela
  
• Zola

Live Earth also announced that supermodel, actress; singer and author Naomi Campbell will be speaking from the stage at Live Earth Johannesburg.

“I'm proud to be a part of Live Earth and I'm especially proud that we are joining forces here in South Africa,” said Campbell. “Nowhere is the issue of global warming more critical than in Africa. Live Earth Johannesburg will not only unify Africans on this issue, it will connect the crisis here with the rest of the world.”

Live streaming

Exclusive online media partner MSN is helping Live Earth reach people in every corner of the globe. Live Earth Johannesburg will be streamed live on 7/7/07 at http://liveearth.za.msn.com. MSN's 39 localised web portals worldwide are reported to attract 465 million monthly users.

The Live Earth Concerts for a Climate in Crisis will be hosting the African leg of the concert at Maropeng, the visitor centre to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Maropeng, the Setswana word meaning ‘returning to the place of our origins' denotes the universal relevance of the Cradle of Humankind as the ancestral home of all, marking the birthplace of the human species in the continent of Africa. It is a large and extraordinarily beautiful area showcasing ancient history, human beginnings, adventure and discovery, and it is here that the human footprint began.

The Live Earth production team will implement new “green event” guidelines that will address the major areas of impact of live events, including recycling, food and beverages, packaging, transportation, energy, water usage, and the event site itself. From power generation at the concerts to garbage generated by concert goers, Live Earth will seek to “design out” waste and become the model for future live entertainment events.

Shared commitment

Live Earth is partnering with companies who share the commitment to helping people live a more energy efficient lifestyle. smart is the world's only automaker serving as an official partner. Unlike any other vehicle, the new smart fortwo combines a modern, individual lifestyle with environmental protection by setting the standard in urban mobility and offering the lowest CO2 emission of any vehicle on the market.

Philips, as one of the world's leading lighting suppliers, joins Live Earth as an official partner. Philips was the first to introduce the energy saving light bulb in 1980 and has put environmental product improvement at the heart of its business with its EcoDesign program since 1994, increasing its green product range year by year.

Coca-Cola is committed to bringing music experiences to its consumers. Music as a key connection platform allows Coca-Cola the opportunity to give key causes a voice. As the brand is for everyone and the survival of the planet is critical to everyone, Coca-Cola is proud to be the local beverage partner of this event.

Live Earth is being produced globally by Control Room, of which Kevin Wall is the CEO. Control Room has produced and distributed more than 60 concerts since its founding in 2005, featuring Beyoncé, Madonna, Green Day and the Rolling Stones, among others.

The Live Earth concert at Maropeng is produced by Big Concerts,. Tickets went on sale on today at 9:00 a.m. Tickets, which can be purchased through Computicket, cost R250, which includes all service fees.

For more information, go to www.liveearth.msn.com and www.liveearth.org.