Live Earth a Concert for Global Crisis

On July 7th at Live Earth, Al Gore's simultaneous concert event that was broad-casted from around the world to over two billion people, musicians performed to raise awareness of global warming.

Gore's vision of global conservation is a humongous attempt for waking up the world to the realities of global warming, but to see these big name musicians, some who constantly travel on their own private jets around the world to make millions of dollars, harp about what "we the people" should be doing was distracting from the true message.

It was interesting to watch the variety of artists and performances, that included Lenny Kravitz in Brazil, Melissa Etheridge, Kelly Clarkson and Bon Jovi singing their hearts out in hometown New Jersey. In London, the crowd was treated to the likes of the Beastie Boys and Madonna, among other musicians. But when it came down to the end of the show, certain performers came across as militant in regard to lecturing about environmentalism, as if the everyday person that will possibly "try their best" at conservation could even compete with big establishment that is truly doing the worst damage to the planet. One can surely wonder how the fat cat, environmentally insensitive companies are trying their best to be conservative, if they will ever change because of this effort, and if the current government and future legislation will even care enough to take action.

Al Gore's motives are clear, conservation and global awareness has been a crucial part of his plan of awareness and action for decades. Was the message taken seriously though, by certain individuals who may have been more interested in the bands performing? Al Gore had the right idea: famous and admired celebrities and musicians can get the message out to people more than any politician, making the worldwide concert, which seemed to lack enthusiasm from the American crowds until Bon Jovi rocked the stage, a success.

Will the message continue to resonate long after the show is over? Let's hope so. One of the best performances was Melissa Ethridge. She put every inch of her being into what she sang, and you know she truly believes in the message. She was awe inspiring to many. Cameron Diaz, the talented actress and movie star drives a hybrid car, and brings awareness to different cultures through her hip TV show Trippin. But how will the biggest musical celebrities, the ones who travel exclusively on their own private jets, back and forth to different continents, make a difference? Will they give up a big pay check just to save some jet fuel emission? Is donating money or making an appearance in front of two billion people (which doesn't hurt record sales) going to change the way people think from now on? People like Madonna and others are trying to spread the message by giving show-stopping performances and appealing to the fans, but when it comes down to taking concise action, there is a lot more that we, the private citizens, can do to lead by example.

There were some informative short films and commentaries staring the actors, from Cameron Diaz showing how to conserve plastic water bottles, to Penelope Cruz turning down her thermostat, by doing something as simple as putting on a warm sweater to compensate. The message came through loud and clear, in-between screeching guitars and vocals. We the people can do the little things that have a big impact. Something as simple as putting your computer on sleep mode when leaving the room conserves energy too. Let's hope the corporations and certain popular celebrities follow through as well.