Around 3,000 people are expected to attend the Shanghai segment
of Saturday's worldwide Live Earth concerts promoting global
warming awareness.
All the tickets, priced at 220 yuan (US$29), 550 yuan and 1,100
yuan, have been sold, according to event organizer Shanghai
Oriental Pearl Live Nation Entertainment and Sports Co. Ltd.
The local portion of the global 24-hour Live Earth concerts will
be held in front of the Oriental Pearl Tower and feature a
distinctively Asian playbill.
Hong Kong's Eason Chan and Joey Yung, Taiwanese singers Evonne
Hsu and Winnie Hisn and the renowned 12 Girls Band from the Chinese
mainland have volunteered to perform at the three-hour event. The
single international star is British singer Sarah Brightman. The
organizer said the intention was to target a Chinese audience.
"The aim of the concert is to make more Chinese people realize
the importance of environmental protection," said Wang Xin, who
works for the organizer.
Practicing the Live Earth message, tissues and hand soap used at
the concert site will be recycled, and volunteers will pick up
litter around the site. To encourage more people to take public
transport, the organizer changed the concert time from 8pm to 7pm
to make sure those who attend can catch the last Metro train
home.
Backed by former United States Vice President Al Gore, the
international music event aims to promote awareness about global
warming and explain what people can do to save energy.
The concerts, featuring more than 150 artists including Madonna,
the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bon Jovi and The Police, are also
scheduled to be staged in Hamburg, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London,
New York, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney and Tokyo.
A band of scientists will also perform in Antarctica, stretching
Live Earth across seven continents and an intended audience of two
billion people.
(Shanghai Daily July 7, 2007)