LIVE 8
LONDON JULY 2, 2005
When LIVE 8 was finally confirmed after so many rumors, I just knew that I had to try everything I could to attend! Madonna was rumored to be performing, but nothing definite. I just knew that she would be there, no doubt about it. The sucky thing was that tickets were available through contests and lotteries, but only if you were a UK or Ireland resident. My friends who were based in the UK tried to enter each and every one of them but without luck.
One day ‘VIP hospitality packages‘ were announced through a company called Superbreak. This VIP package included a Golden Circle ticket (being in the front area of Hyde Park where the event would be) and a 4 or 5 star hotel for two nights. The cheapest option was 349GBP per person!! If you wanted to book this, you were obligated to book for two people, but this was just a tad too expensive for me (and I didn’t need a 5 star hotel) Our English and German friends did end up booking this deal.
When I tried to book for one person only, the order came through and I received a confirmation e-mail stating that I had booked the Live 8 package. Obviously I was very happy but that didn’t last long. The very next day I got a phone call from Superbreak telling me that I had to order the package for two people otherwise there was no Live 8 ticket included. I got irritated and told them that they should fix the error on the website instead. Confronting them with the confirmation e-mail stating I did have the Live 8 package, didn’t matter to them. I really had to book for two people. So my order was cancelled and I was back where I started.
One morning I received a text message from a very good friend telling me “I have two tickets for you! Not golden circle but at least you’re in!”, I was so surprised and so happy, I never expected this! We sent her a text back to thank her, and we were just so happy to finally have a confirmation of a real ticket.
JULY 1, 2005
We took the Eurostar from Brussels to London, the trip went quickly and around 11:30am we arrived in London. Since we were staying at our favorite hotel in South Kensington, we found our way quickly. Unfortunately the reception couldn’t arrange for an early check-in so we had to wait in the lobby. Some newspapers already reported on Live 8 with maps of the park, so I kind of tore out the pages and made them my own.
After dumping our stuff we were off to Leicester Square and Oxford Street to do some shopping. Hyde Park was already very crowded, lots of people were trying to see if they could see an artist rehearse. But we didn’t see anyone special in particular. We then went to the Sanderson hotel where Mariah Carey was staying. We stayed for around two hours, but unfortunately didn’t see her. I was wearing a Madonna hoodie and got quite some confused looks from other Mariah fans.
After eating at Burger King we met with two of our friends and were handed the Live 8 tickets!! I didn’t need to pay for it, which was of course too kind! Madonna apparently had been rehearsing that afternoon and I was told that two of the Re-Invention World Tour dancers were present as well. We then went to a hotel where the band and dancers were probably staying, but we didn’t see them and the hotel staff wasn’t of any help. We said goodbye to our friends and then walked back to the Sanderson hotel. We heard that Mariah wasn’t coming out because there was a big party going on in the lobby. So since we were around the corner, we decided to walk by the Kaballah Centre. When we got there a couple of fans were waiting for Madonna, she was inside the center and could come out any minute.
I was actually in doubt whether to wait for M here as I thought it was a bit stalker-ish. But after Madonna’s personal driver made sure to let us know that M was fine with people waiting as long as they didn’t go crazy, we decided to stay. It only took 30 minutes before suddenly the door opened and I thought I saw a short guy wearing a cap that was too big for him, exit the property. When I squinted my eyes I saw that the short dude was in fact MADONNA! I grabbed my photo camera and just directed it at her and pushed the button. No matter how many times I see her, I never get used to her being so tiny.
She wore white trousers and a red body warmer and her hair was loose and curly. She walked right by us and we didn’t shout and kept our distance. The fans that were with us all remained calm. When she got into her car and the driver took his seat, they drove off. I was actually surprised as her property is basically around the corner. A minute later Guy Ritchie came out, grabbed his bike and took off as well. I wonder what Guy must’ve done for him to be punished by riding a bike instead of just getting into the car with her.
JULY 2, 2005
Today it was the day of LIVE 8! The media was already reporting on the event, but we first had somewhere else to go. While our English and German friends were already queuing outside to get a front row spot, we got ourselves ready to go and see Donna De Lory. Donna was doing a yoga session in a yoga center in London and would also sing a few songs.
Because of Live 8 public transportation was challenging, but once at the right stop we searched for the yoga center. When we found it we were told to go up to the first floor, once there we found out we were the only “fans” there besides the usual students. Suddenly a door opened and Donna walked right in, she was very surprised to see us. She did recognize us from the Re-Invention World Tour last year and started to chat. She told us that they had been rehearsing for Live 8 for a week now and that she was very tired. She said that she thought they would be on stage at around 5 in the afternoon. Then she asked the people of the center if it would be fine for us to attend her singing later on after the session. They said that was OK. We then left so Donna could do her yoga class and we decided to take a stroll through the neighborhood.
After 45 minutes we came back, knocked on the door and we were let inside. All the people that had been practicing yoga, were lying on the floor and Donna was in the center singing and it was completely dark. She sang a few songs of her latest album and it was haunting. After a few songs, the lights were turned on, and people went over to Donna to thank her and talk to her. So we just waited until they all had left and ate a banana while doing so (important information). When it was our turn we chatted some more to Donna, had pictures signed and pictures taken. She told me she loved Amsterdam and would love to come and perform there. It was great meeting up with Donna again but now it was time to get ready for the big event.
When we got back to our hotel we were soaked with sweat, we needed to make a run for it as Live 8 was about to start and we were not there! We got our stuff and went to Hyde Park by foot, which turned out to be a mistake as we completely walked in the wrong direction. When we got inside the park, again we headed the wrong way. When we finally found the right route we just decided to follow the rest of the crowd, but then we were told by a cop that it was another 30-minute walk from that spot. We couldn’t believe it, we were beat and exhausted already, was Hyde Park really THAT big?
We missed U2 and Coldplay due to the long walk but we heard them playing. After a couple of ticket checks, we finally got to the giant field but couldn’t believe our eyes, the stage was all the way in the back and the crowd was huge! We first tried to get to the front from the right side, but there was just no way as everyone was stuck together like glue. We made the decision to walk back to where we came from, settle down and enjoy the sun and the music. Elton John was performing at this point.
After a while we decided to try and get to the front of the left side, and that worked. We managed to get all the way up to the barriers separating our crowd from the Golden Circle. This was as close as we could get. Snoop Dogg really got the crowd going and we even made the effort to stand up and enjoy this performance. Suddenly Brad Pitt was on stage, and this was the first time that I was a bit starstruck, wow that is actually BRAD PITT. I absolutely adored Bob Geldof’s performance and thought Annie Lennox was great too. Had tears in my eyes when the girl from Africa walked on to the stage, it was such a heartfelt moment to share with the thousands of people there. Completely out of nowhere Bob Geldof introduced MADONNA!
Oh there she was, she looked amazing and first thing I thought was “ohhh she looks so ‘Ladies Home Journal'” (she had just done a cover and spread for this magazine) So good to see her again. Madonna hugged the girl and people started to tear up. ‘Like A Prayer’ started and the crowd just ate it up, we loved it, sang everything along and clapped our hands until they hurt. Besides Donna there was another lady singing back-up whom I hadn’t seen before and a choir was on stage too. ‘Ray Of Light’ was up next and it was absolutely amazing, it rocked the place and Madonna’s sudden scream was so damn good, it took balls to do that! Cloud (the dancer) was just amazing and the crowd loved his moves. ‘MUSIC’ was the third and final song, the crowd went wild. It was such a Re-Invention World Tour deja-vu and so great to relive it right here. When I took a look over my shoulder I saw thousands of hands in the air clapping along. It felt so good to be there and share this moment with so many people. That moment Madonna’s “MUSIC” truly did make the people come together and join their passion with each other. I was so proud of Madonna, she was without doubt the greatest performer of the event, everybody loved it! When Madonna walked away, so did most of the people around me.
We bought some French Fries to eat, but also threw them away instantly as they were totally undercooked! From then on we watched most acts on the screens from the back of the field. But still we had a great time.
Finally it was time for Mariah Carey, I adored her performance and thought it was a typically her. The people around me didn’t seem to appreciate it as much….”oh shut your mouth love and move on” and “oh gosh she still has some fans left”. People burst out laughing when Mariah asked for a sip of water, somehow they just didn’t get her ironic sense of humor. I adored every second of it though, she is hilarious. When Mariah finished performing we decided to leave since we had a long walk ahead of us to the hotel. We missed Robbie Williams because of this, but hey at least we saw Madonna and Mariah and that was our main goal. Our long walk started, thank God it wasn’t too bad as loads of other people made their way home as well. We saw the beautifully lit Harrods and our hotel was just a couple of blocks down the road. So after walking about 30 minutes we just fell on our beds, we were exhausted! We watched the rest of Live 8 on TV and went to sleep.
JULY 3, 2005
We couldn’t get up, our bodies ached too much, but we had no choice as we were leaving today. When we got our stuff together we made our way to the tabloids. As expected Madonna graced the cover of almost every single newspaper. Madonna’s performance was hailed as the greatest of LIVE 8 and I couldn’t agree more. I bought most of the newspapers, decided to tear out all of the Madonna related articles, handed the rest of the papers back to the newsagent and asked if he could toss them. He gave me a funny look.
Later on we met with our friends, took some pics, had some dinner and looked at my LIVE 8 souvenir book that I bought. We went back to Amsterdam by bus that same day and safely ended up home. Back at home we browsed the internet, watched Madonna’s performance again and we were just really grateful we were able to attend such a historic event.
Kimberly van Pinxteren
