July 06, 2007

Live Earth Coming To D.C.

Al Gore has rustled up a last-minute deal to bring Live Earth to Washington, D.C., after all.

The Washington Post reports that D.C.'s leg of the pro-environment megaconcert will feature married country singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood and will be held at the National Museum of the American Indian (Fourth Street & Independence Ave., S.W.). Gore himself will start off the 10:30 a.m. show with remarks, before heading up to the main event at Giants Stadium in North Jersey.

Reuters reports that the Plaza at the museum can only hold about 200 people. The concert will be shown on video screens at the reflecting pool and will also be broadcast worldwide. The last-minute event will be free; this being Washington, parties involved in anti-climate change causes will probably find their way to the Mall tomorrow.

Brooks' appearance is a coup of sorts for Gore, who personally asked the singer to appear. Brooks achieved crossover superstardom in the 1990s, reviving the country music industry, before retiring in 2000 to spend time with his family following a divorce from his first wife. Since then, he has released a handful of songs for charity, some in collaboration with Yearwood, whom he married in 2005.

Live Earth has been plagued with weak interest and ticket sales. Unlike the Live 8 concerts of two years ago, which were free but considered a blockbuster success, proceeds from Live Earth's pricey ticket sales will go toward the former vice president's environmental nonprofit, the Alliance for Climate Protection.

Posted at 11:46 AM
Posted to: Al Gore, Climate Change
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