Last Saturday I posted several very negative entries about MTV’s Live8 broadcast. I surely stand by those remarks as the day was perhaps the worst substantial coverage of a major entertainment event in the modern era. The network constantly cut off songs in the middle to show their staff babbling–show, don’t tell, is a writer’s maxim for a good reason–and despite much of the music having been tape-delayed (which was fine by me) they did not once to my knowledge let viewers know what acts were coming on next or soon.
I was far from the only critic and the execs at MTV Networks listened. While I’d like to have seen some notice more than 12 hours ahead, got to give them props for spinning on the dime and showing ten hours of commercial- (and VJ blather-)free rebroadcast of the concerts. Solid blocks too, for me the highlights were five straight songs from both U2 and Pink Floyd. The Irish boys know how to do the high speed rock thing, always good and always get what you expect.
The first show by the classic Floyd lineup in decades was totally a Dave Gilmore showcase and for all that Roger Waters wrote the best material, Gilmore was everywhere from lap, slide and stinging lead guitar to most of the vocals. Waters, I don’t know, he seemed to be trying to assert the serious artist pose, full of solid facial expressions as he played the reasonably straightforward bass lines and sang along off-mic. Still, if he can whip up a batch of new material and the four of them can keep it together through a few months in the studio, you’re looking at the biggest classic rock album of 2006 and since Springsteen’s The Rising three years ago.
BillSaysThis 