Aboriginal elders, virtual-reality performers and more than 100 of the biggest names in music -- including Madonna, the Police and Kanye West -- were taking to the stage on seven continents as Al Gore's Live Earth extravaganza harnessed star power to fight climate change.
The Material Girl was flaunting her eco-friendly side as the headliner of an eclectic show at London's newly rebuilt Wembley Stadium that included the Beastie Boys, the Pussycat Dolls and the Black Eyed Peas.
The drummers from Queen, the Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers kicked off the London concert, leading a battery of percussion set to flashing images of endangered animals, landfill heaps, wind farms and the Earth seen from space. They performed against a map of the world made from the painted tops of oil barrels.
The crowd -- which was expected to swell to 60,000 -- immediately rose to its feet as the reunited Genesis used its hit "Land of Confusion" to send an environmental message with Phil Collins urging fans to make the world "a place worth living in."
The London show was one of nine gigs involving some 150 acts around the world aimed at raising awareness about climate change and backed by Gore, the former US vice president turned green campaigner.
With shows in New York, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Kyoto, Shanghai, Hamburg, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro -- and even a performance by a five-piece band of scientists beamed from a research station in Antarctica -- organisers promised Live Earth would be the biggest musical event ever staged, dwarfing the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts.
The 24-hour music marathon kicked off in Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney, Australia, where the show opened with a traditional welcome by a group of white-painted Aboriginal tribal leaders. Australian actress Toni Collette, taking a break from Hollywood to pursue a singing career, dedicated a song called Cowboy Games to world political leaders
Live Earth was to wrap up with a New York show -- actually held in nearby East Rutherford, New Jersey -- featuring The Police, Smashing Pumpkins, Alicia Keys and Bon Jovi.
Gore, whose campaign to force global warming onto the international political stage inspired the event, made a live video appearance from Washington to open the first show on the other side of the world in Sydney.
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Bob Geldof, who organised the Live Aid and Live 8 anti-poverty concerts, thought Gore's energies were misplaced. "I hope they're a success," Geldof said. "But why is he (Gore) actually organising them? To make us aware of the greenhouse effect? Everybody's known about that problem for years. We are all...conscious of global warming."
