Article Archives

July 8th, 2007

By Erika Hayasaki and Alicia Lozano, Times Staff Writers

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Live Earth, the confederacy of musicians who performed Saturday on all seven continents to highlight the issues of global climate change, featured superstars such as Madonna and the Police entertaining crowds in packed stadiums, but also parka-wearing scientists at an Antarctic research station whose audience included wandering penguins.

Live Earth used the now-familiar template of concerts-for-causes shaped largely by Live Aid, the 1985 famine relief shows. But the 24 hours of music circling the globe Saturday used the Internet and high-definition camera technologies to create a uniquely 21st century event.

Leading up to Saturday, though, Live Earth was also criticized by some for being too vague in its cause or for being a promotional tool for its cofounder, environmental activist Al Gore, the former vice president.

July 8th, 2007

By Dan DeLuca

Inquirer Music Critic

Performers around the world united in song yesterday to help take the heat off the planet. Live Earth, a series of concerts designed to raise awareness of global warming, kicked off its U.S. segment at Giants Stadium in N.J., where Keith Urban and Alicia Keys performed. A2.

But inside Giants Stadium yesterday at the principal American location of a global event that included climate-change consciousness-raising concerts on all seven continents - if you can call a band of scientists called Nunatak performing on an Antarctic ice floe a concert - the gospel of green was in full effect.

On a day that celebrated Gore as a prophet and his Oscar winning film An Inconvenient Truth as a holy text, an impressive array of stadium-sized acts including the Police, Dave Matthews Band, Bon Jovi and Roger Waters did their best to make recycling, using energy-efficient lightbulbs, and turning the heat down seem cool.

July 8th, 2007

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., July 8 – A concert for a cause is more and less than a concert. It’s public relations and proselytizing for the cause, while for the musicians, it’s exposure, validation and a sop to a star’s conscience. Live Earth, the biggest international rock event so far – with concerts on every continent including a small one on Antarctica – was presented as an attempt to save the human race from global warming.

Previous international concerts like Live Aid and Live 8 were about helping other people, while Live Earth, speakers insisted, was in everyone’s self-interest. There’s no need for altruism when your own survival is threatened. And in an era when pop is spectacularly self-absorbed, from the bragging of hip-hop to the whining of emo, Live Earth was perfectly pitched as an appeal to self-preservation.

May 3rd, 2007

SAM KELTON

A full house at the Festival Theatrer gathered to witness the Dave Matthews and his elite backing band in their first visit to Adelaide.

Xavier Rudd and his workshop of bells and whistles warmed the crowd nicely, but there was one man the crowd were waiting for.

From the moment the tiny Matthews walked on stage the vocal crowd were on their feet, even shouting requests before the show had begun.

With the crowd still getting over their anxiety of seeing the U.S. singer/songwriter he jumped right into arguably his most romantic and popular hit Crash Into Me.

With extended jams on every track the band played, the concert lingered on close to three hours, giving the Adelaide crowd even more to be excited about.

April 22nd, 2007

By Lauren Carter

Blame it on the date.

On Friday night, which just happened to read 4/20 on the calendar, Dave Matthews showed up at the Citi Performing Arts Center’s Wang Theatre with a “fever” that put his mind state into question.

Luckily, Matthews’ condition didn’t affect his performance skills, and fans who are in college, recently graduated or wished they were still there got a three-hour dose of acoustic Matthews backed only by longtime collaborator Tim Reynolds.

There was little randomness during the long set. Reynolds would pluck and thrash masterfully on the guitar, Matthews would strum and look pained while singing, the music would generally sound good, and the audience would stand and roar at key points.

In between songs, Matthews would thank Reynolds profusely, apologize for his “fever” and tell stories about smashing pus-filled sacs with a Bible.

March 7th, 2007

By Therese Owen

An awesome night of beautiful music and heroic guitar playing - that sums up the sold-out gig by Dave Matthews at Oxford's New Theatre.

Matthews wowed the audience with old favourites such as Crash and Jimi Thing, as well as a few new gems. His tendency to take the mickey out of himself and others was, as one fan described, "bordering on fairly un-PC stand-up comedy".

Matthews's passionate engagement with the audience was met with ardent calls from fans who pleaded with him to play more often in their cities. And then a lone voice shouted out, "Hoe lyk dit, boetie?" followed by something else muttered in Afrikaans.

March 2nd, 2007

Helen Tither

CHANCES are you've not heard of Dave Matthews. A quick straw poll of, well, everybody before his Manchester gig revealed a grand total of no fans at all among colleagues, family, close friends and even random acquaintances.

Well, turns out he's just a well-kept secret. A decent singer with a come-to-bed voice, some fine songs, a talent for acoustic guitar, and a deadpan sense of humour.

In America, with the Dave Matthews Band, he's something of a superstar - with Grammy nominations, platinum albums, and performances alongside the Rolling Stones.