Superstar Mariah Carey is the only act from an ethnic minority to perform at Hyde Park on 2 July, one of five global Live 8 concerts that day.
London-based group Black Information Link said organisers had "handpicked a virtually all-white line-up".
But a Live 8 spokesman said: "Bob Geldof approached a number of urban and black artists to participate."
But he added that a number were busy with other projects and commitments.
Artists including 50 Cent, Stevie Wonder and are Jay-Z are among those taking part in the Philadelphia concert.
The concerts aim to raise pressure on world leaders to fight poverty in Africa, echoing Bob Geldof's Live Aid concerts 20 years ago.
But Patrick Augustus, a black musician and author of BBC drama Babyfather, said black artists had been "totally excluded" from the London concert.
"It seems like the great white man has come to rescue us while the freedom fighters never get a mention," he wrote on the Black Information Link website.
He said Live 8 organisers "need to engage British, African and Jamaican artists who have been dealing with these subjects for a while".
He added: "Where are the reggae artists that have been campaigning for truth and justice over all these years?"
Justin Onyeka, entertainment editor at black newspaper New Nation, said he was surprised Band Aid 20 performers Dizzie Rascal, Ms Dynamite, Jamelia and Beverley Knight were not included in the line-up.
"It was the same problem 20 years ago when major black artists were backing singers to other acts," he said. "It's time they learnt from previous experience."
The Live 8 spokesman added: "We are not doing a show purely to entertain, we are doing a show to appeal to a mass audience to raise awareness of poverty in Africa.
"We look upon Live 8 as one global concert. A number of urban acts in the UK are hugely talented but they are not well known in Paris or Rome."
Further performers were being asked to participate in addition to those already announced, he said.
Meanwhile Live 8 organisers face a large VAT bill because a portion of the money raised in its text message ticket lottery will be spent organising the event.
Organisers pledged £1.6m to the Princes' Trust charity from money made in a text message ticket competition to win 75,000 pairs of tickets to the London concert.
However they are due to be taxed on the remaining money made from the competition, to be launched on Monday.
The spokesman said: "After the concerts we will start discussions to see if we can get back some of the VAT we were charged. That is what Bob is good at."
Your thoughts?Who should be on the bill?
― George Watson (Geordie Watson), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:22 (twenty years ago)
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:25 (twenty years ago)
wha?
― N_RQ, Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:26 (twenty years ago)
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:27 (twenty years ago)
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:27 (twenty years ago)
― miccio (miccio), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:28 (twenty years ago)
Hyde Park, London
ColdplayDidoSir Elton JohnKeaneAnnie LennoxMadonnaMariah CareyMuseScissor SistersSir Paul McCartneyJoss StoneRazorlightStereophonicsStingRobbie WilliamsU2REMVelvet RevolverBob GeldofThe KillersThe CureSnow Patrol
Museum of Art, Philadelphia
Will Smith (host)Bon JoviMaroon 5P DiddyStevie WonderJay-ZThe Dave Matthews BandSarah McLachlanRob ThomasKeith Urban50 CentKaiser Chiefs
Eiffel Tower, Paris
JamiroquaiCraig DavidYoussou N'DourYannick NoahAndrea BocelliCalo GeroKyoPlaceboAxelle RedJohnny HallidayManu ChaoRenaud
Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
A-haCrosby, Stills and NashBrian WilsonLauryn HillBapDie Toten HosenPeter Maffay
Circus Maximus, Rome
Duran DuranFaith HillIrene GrandiJovanottiTim McGrawNekLaura PausiniVasco RossiZucchero
― George Watson (Geordie Watson), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:30 (twenty years ago)
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:30 (twenty years ago)
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:31 (twenty years ago)
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:33 (twenty years ago)
sure but otoh inviting black artists jsut because 'it's about Africa' could come across the same way. oh the political minefield that is staging benefit gigs for 'the other ones'.
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:33 (twenty years ago)
Yes, and Geldof should be stomped on by Baby Spice's platforms forever.
― Leon hearts Crazy Frog (Ex Leon), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:33 (twenty years ago)
― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:34 (twenty years ago)
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:37 (twenty years ago)
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:44 (twenty years ago)
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:45 (twenty years ago)
right, let's be more concerned with how we look than what we do. I'll bet those African musicians would be a big draw for a mass audience, increasing (and not decreasing) the ticket sales/money contributed.
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:46 (twenty years ago)
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:49 (twenty years ago)
Secondly, do you seriously think that having anybody other than the blandest, biggest sellers on the bill would affect ticket sales?
Thirdly, though I might have worded it crudely, how this event is presented is part of its purpose. To repeat the mistakes of previous Celebrity Hand-outs is precisely what isn't needed right now.
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:53 (twenty years ago)
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:55 (twenty years ago)
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Thursday, 2 June 2005 13:56 (twenty years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:08 (twenty years ago)
― Leon hearts Crazy Frog (Ex Leon), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)
Paul SimonLatin QuarterBrian Eno and David ByrneTight Fit doing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)
Spot the odd band out in this list of America-wide megastars.
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:13 (twenty years ago)
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:14 (twenty years ago)
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:16 (twenty years ago)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)
― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)
Tom, are you being cynical enough to suggest that this highly important charitable event might be used by record companies to raise the profile of their mediocre signings?
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:18 (twenty years ago)
I think 'hideously white' is a hideously racist phrase.
― the bellefox, Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)
― C J (C J), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:20 (twenty years ago)
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:21 (twenty years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:21 (twenty years ago)
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:21 (twenty years ago)
― N_RQ, Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:22 (twenty years ago)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:22 (twenty years ago)
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:24 (twenty years ago)
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)
Get one abacus.
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:27 (twenty years ago)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:27 (twenty years ago)
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 2 June 2005 14:27 (twenty years ago)
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 2 June 2005 16:18 (twenty years ago)
― George Watson (Geordie Watson), Thursday, 2 June 2005 17:39 (twenty years ago)
― M Philip O'Nyman (Ferg), Thursday, 2 June 2005 17:55 (twenty years ago)
― Leon hearts Crazy Frog (Ex Leon), Thursday, 2 June 2005 18:37 (twenty years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 18:44 (twenty years ago)
― The Mad Puffin, Thursday, 2 June 2005 19:11 (twenty years ago)
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 2 June 2005 19:17 (twenty years ago)
― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 2 June 2005 23:51 (twenty years ago)
from here
Carey’s re-invention is particularly fascinating because of her whole new ethnicity — she is one-quarter black but has amplified this and declared her True Self to be African-American.
Carey is also one-quarter Venezuelan, and half Irish, so the question is begged: If this is her “true self,” why didn’t she go Gaelic? If Beyoncé had a panpipe, would Carey be picking up the shillelagh and releasing The Emancipation of Muirgheal?
― Pearsall, Friday, 3 June 2005 00:39 (twenty years ago)
― George Watson (Geordie Watson), Friday, 3 June 2005 03:56 (twenty years ago)
Seems like an awfully good argument for the Pink Fairies, actually.
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, 3 June 2005 04:44 (twenty years ago)
Thank the lord that Midge Ure hasn't used this as an excuse to reform Ultravox (actually they probably should play instead of Geldof). Anyone see him being interviewed on Channel 4 News last night? Answering the charge that the line-up was too white with no African acts, his response was along the lines of 'well, there might be - the line-up changes minute-by-minute'. Oh, righty, you're backtracking then. The interviewer presses him on this point - Midge: 'Well, this is all about having the most popular acts and you have to ask who is responsible for that... the BBC, the record companies blah blah blah...'. I could be hopelessly misquoting him here, so please correct me if I'm wrong. But if this is all about raising awareness and changing people's perceptions, surely they could have used just a tincy-wincy little bit of this in their approach to the music? How the hell does something like Dido fit in with making people feel just a little bit uncomfortable and angry about the gross inequalities in the world? Music to give starving people a big hug to, I suppose.
BTW I thought that Craig David had split up ages ago. Oh, and still haven't heard the Dave Matthews Band, I'm a little excited about hearing them for the first time. Well, in a sick sort of way perhaps. And why no Japanese, Russian or Canadian shows if this whole thing is conceptually linked to the G8 summit?
― NickB (NickB), Friday, 3 June 2005 07:52 (twenty years ago)
Someone with a 3 note vocal range becoming a stupid-rich singer thanks to a novelty rapper sampling her is a perfect example of the gross inequalities in the world. Maybe she's just there as a handy reminder.
― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 3 June 2005 08:08 (twenty years ago)
― NickB (NickB), Friday, 3 June 2005 08:21 (twenty years ago)
Have you ever listened to Ms. Dynamite's lyrics? It's not exaclty like she's singing about lollipops and boy-meets-girl... (Her lyrics are about racism, sexism, and poverty, and I think is a perfect act for this kind of event.)
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 3 June 2005 08:47 (twenty years ago)
― N_Rq, Friday, 3 June 2005 08:49 (twenty years ago)
My late son Paul was here to see the first Live Aid and he would be devastated if they were not performing this time as he was one of their greatest fans having seeen them and met them several times.
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 3 June 2005 08:53 (twenty years ago)
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 3 June 2005 08:55 (twenty years ago)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 3 June 2005 08:58 (twenty years ago)
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 3 June 2005 09:06 (twenty years ago)
― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:00 (twenty years ago)
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:01 (twenty years ago)
― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:18 (twenty years ago)
Ryan from Glasgow 06:01:03 03 June 2005 The line up is as dull as can be. It badly needs an injection of the Quo!Theres not enough bands that appeal to the over 25's. We don't need any rap or r n b. Give us the kings of boogie!
― George Watson (Geordie Watson), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:21 (twenty years ago)
a-hahahahahahahahahaha!
― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:29 (twenty years ago)
― NickB (NickB), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:35 (twenty years ago)
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:39 (twenty years ago)
― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:41 (twenty years ago)
(Note to self: Mariah Carey is not Shakira.)
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:42 (twenty years ago)
Perhaps you should try reading the whole fucking thread before being so witty.
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:53 (twenty years ago)
― re (rde), Friday, 3 June 2005 10:54 (twenty years ago)
Bob Geldof can't help being white!
What's he supposed to do, think to himself, "Oh, I'm white but the people in Africa are mostly black so I'd best keep my nose out"?
― mei (mei), Friday, 3 June 2005 11:38 (twenty years ago)
― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 3 June 2005 11:41 (twenty years ago)
― N_RQ, Friday, 3 June 2005 11:46 (twenty years ago)
― George Watson (Geordie Watson), Friday, 3 June 2005 12:31 (twenty years ago)
― NickB (NickB), Friday, 3 June 2005 12:43 (twenty years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 3 June 2005 13:17 (twenty years ago)
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Friday, 3 June 2005 13:21 (twenty years ago)
i thought that'd be kind of apt... i mean, that's the whole idea right? (third world debt, fair trade etc all being more serious issues than his ex-gf??)
― ken c (ken c), Friday, 3 June 2005 13:30 (twenty years ago)
You're welcome! Now imagine her screaming "OH POPEYE!" at the climactic moment.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 3 June 2005 13:40 (twenty years ago)
ROFFLE!
― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 3 June 2005 13:42 (twenty years ago)
― Jetlag Willy (noodle vague), Friday, 3 June 2005 13:46 (twenty years ago)
― George Watson (Geordie Watson), Friday, 3 June 2005 13:48 (twenty years ago)
Something's deeply wrong with you.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 3 June 2005 13:49 (twenty years ago)
― NickB (NickB), Monday, 6 June 2005 12:05 (twenty years ago)
Notice that the boat is white.
― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 6 June 2005 13:02 (twenty years ago)
QUO! QUO! QUO! QUO!
UP YOURS 50 CENTS!
WHY ISN'T THERE ANYONE CALLED TEN BOB?
I WISH I HAD A BOAT TO GO AND KIDNAP FRENCH PEOPLE.
MAYBE I CAN CONVERT MY DAUGHTER'S BABY BATH.
― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 6 June 2005 13:06 (twenty years ago)
― NickB (NickB), Monday, 6 June 2005 13:08 (twenty years ago)
― Joe Kay (feethurt), Monday, 6 June 2005 14:18 (twenty years ago)
― titchyschneider (titchyschneider), Monday, 6 June 2005 17:42 (twenty years ago)