“Live Earth: Ratings Blockbuster” it was not, but “Live Earth: Concerts for a Climate in Crisis” still drew a record web-audience and drew decent enough television ratings to raise some bucks and hopefully generate increased awareness for the cause.
With over 100 pop/rock/soul acts performing at nine venues around the world, there was much to love. I think performers are somehow more authentic when doing a show like this, as compared to their well-rehearsed night-after-night concert performances on tour. Even with three networks beaming coverage to America, though, the cable networks got low ratings and even “Monsters, Inc.” drew a higher rating than the primetime NBC coverage. In England, BBC1 drew “less than a third of the audience who tuned in last week for the Concert for Diana.” Having been over to London earlier this summer (we got out two days before the latest terrorist scares), I was reminded that there’s just not as many television stations there for most residents, so the ratings news is even more disappointing.

After all of the Al Gore tributes and familiar green phrases from performers, there were also well-spoken and original commentaries between songs. “It does give us a sense that we’re actually all brothers and sisters in a fairly dim planet,” said Roger Waters, one of the East Rutherford musicians. “We all need to pull together if there’s going to be any kind of future for our children.”
Chris Rock, interestingly placed in London, may have gone a tad overboard when he said, “I pray that this event ends global warming the same way that Live Aid ended world hunger.” I didn’t know world hunger had ended, but I appreciated the thought.
Notably absent, as far as I could tell, was involvement among “Creation Care” Christians who truly believe that the evangelical movement has overlooked the importance of stewardship of our Earth resources. The same chapter (Genesis 1) that introduces us to Creation and God’s providence also introduces us to the call to be stewards of the earth’s resources. Within the movement, there is division, but I wish I would have heard more evangelical leaders promoting the event and more Christian artists and speakers featured in it. If the throngs that bought “The Purpose-Driven Life,” watched “The Passion of the Christ,” and keep the “Left Behind” series on their shelves were to join the movement, ratings and finances would surely go north.
The fact remains, however, that way more people tuned in for the Concert for Diana the week before, and as long as there’s more affection for the deceased princess (or for DVD rentables like “Monsters, Inc.”), the movement obviously has a long, long way to go.