Live 8 Philadelphia -- Are you goin'?

[christoofar 0]

Ok. So the newspapers here are predicting one million people are going to crawl out of the woodwork and jam up over 1/4 of Center City for this Live 8 thing. I looked at the roster of stars and almost all the ones I wanna see are going to be playing in London (and Bjork in Tokyo)

I'm sort of torn... I could stay in my apartment and watch it on my projector TV... but then again all the action will be literally 4 blocks away from my building; I could go sweat it out with the mass of people and watch hip hop artists and be surrounded by NO BEER.

I can't even take my car out and go anywhere because I'm virtually guaranteed not to have my monthly parking space by the time I get back for the fireworks on the 4th of July. Every bar and club and restaurant is gonna be jam packed... arg!

Maybe I should invest in some earplugs and just chug Nyquil all this weekend.
---- p h i l l y . c o m -----

RECIPE FOR A JAM PARTY

Record crowd anticipated for Live 8

TAKE EVERY ONE of the mud-soaked hippies from the 1969 Woodstock festival, and throw them in with the sea of baby boomers who filled the Great Lawn of Central Park for the Simon and Garfunkel reunion concert some 12 years later.

Mix in one sold-out Lincoln Financial Field, and three-quarters of a bowl of Citizens Bank Park.

That's the recipe for 1 million people - and what city officials are predicting would be the largest concert crowd in the history of North America, when the free Live 8 concert for Africa fills the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in four days.

Some have already questioned whether 1 million people could even fit on the long but relatively narrow boulevard, but other basic questions loom even larger.

Who came up with the 1 million number anyway? And are that many people really planning to come for a packed, sweaty show with lots of big-name acts including Destiny's Child and the Dave Matthews Band?

Answer to Question One: Nobody really has any idea - it's just a guess.

Answer to Question Two: A lot of people are planning to attend Live 8, according to an informal survey by Daily News reporters yesterday. Maybe not 1 million, but a lot.

"It's a big party," said Farleigh Dickinson student Ronnie Ross, 21, of Gloucester City, N.J. "We're going with seven other people. Everyone we know is going. Even people from college are coming down and that's like a two-hour drive."

"I'm going to be there because its free," said Jaliyl White, 17, of North Philadephia. "We just got to get down there early, like 9:30, 10 in the morning."

Many of those who are excited about the big-name lineup that also includes Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, Jay-Z, Toby Keith, Josh Groban, and Linkin Park and Def Leppard are just too intimidated by the anticipated size of the crowd.

"I think it's great for the city and for Africa," said Gary Brown, 30, of Northeast Philly. "But it's going to be too crowded. There's going to be so many people down there, and for me to go on my own, I don't think I'm going to do it."

The city seems to think about 1 million will do it, although it's not exactly clear who in City Hall came up with that figure or how they arrived at it.

Tom McNally, spokesman for the city Commerce Department, said he wasn't sure where the 1 million prediction originated, but he said the city thinks that the number of visitors who come and go during the day could add up to that many.

"Our plans are being formulated to accommodate up to a million people throughout the day," he said. That would be more than twice the estimated 400,000 who saw Pope John Paul II celebrate Mass on Logan Circle in 1979.

That would also dwarf the largest reported crowds for a concert on this continent, including free concerts in New York's Central Park featuring the New York Philharmonic (800,000), Garth Brooks, (750,000) and Simon and Garfunkel (500,000). It was estimated that 400,000 people attended Woodstock and 600,000 or more attended the 1983 Us Festival and a 1973 Watkins Glen festival - all paid events.

But experts concede they don't know what to expect this Saturday, because there's never been an event like Philly's Live 8 - an outdoor concert with so many big names and no tickets or admission charge. Even the Live 8 concert taking place simultaneously in London's Hyde Park will require a free ticket, and only 205,000 are being distributed.

In 1985, about 100,000 people paid $35 a ticket to see Live Aid in Philly's since-demolished JFK Stadium.

Bill Werde, senior news editor of Billboard magazine, which tracks the music and concert industries, noted that many of the Philadelphia acts would each draw well over 100,000 for a free concert.

"No one can really know, before it happens, how much it's going to draw," said Werde, who once lived in Philadelphia.

"There's no way to guess," agreed editor Gary Bongiovani of the concert magazine Pollstar, noting that the weather and other last-minute factors could make a huge difference. The forecast for Saturday is partly cloudy, a high of 84 degrees.

Bongiovani also expressed doubts that that many people could squeeze their way onto the Parkway. "With close to a million people, you'd be so far from the stage, unless you wanted to fight your way toward the front every two feet," he said. That's why many fans are talking about going early on Saturday, before the Philly show starts at noon.

"I want to go to see Beyonce [lead singer of Destiny's Child]," said Shante Cummings, 17, a student at Neumann-Goretti High School. "If I get down there early, I'll get a good spot. You don't usually get to see these kinds of people for free. That's why I don't mind being in the big crowd."

Indeed, for some young people, the large crowd will be a bigger draw than the music.

"I don't really like the bands," said Otis O'Connor, 22, a landscaper from Gloucester City. "We're just coming just to hang out, meet people and all."

And not everyone will be under the age of 30.

"I will absolutely be there," said Chris Hall, 53, of West Philadelphia. Hall is a street musician found playing his guitar near 6th and South streets yesterday. "It will be the place to be on the 2nd of July. Last time - 20 years ago - there wasn't an awareness of Africa. And now we're finally doing something about it."

However, a few of those who won't be attending are more cynical. "It's a cool idea, but they need to help the people that are here - black, white, Chinese, whatever," said Lamont Jones, 37, of West Philadelphia. "It's going to help the politicians, the mayor and all the big people living in the nice houses in the suburbs."

Most of those planning to stay away cited the potential size of the crowd.

"It will be too crowded and too hot," said Taryn, 26, who declined to give her last name.

"The heat, I just don't want to deal with it. And put all those people down there. Forget it."

____________________________________________________________
I'm RICK JAMES! Fo shizzle.

[jdfreefly 1]

The only way I am going to that concert is if the spot at crosskeys is way off.

Methane Freefly - got stink?

[christoofar 0]

Ooo that would be interesting.... hijack Demo anyone?

____________________________________________________________
I'm RICK JAMES! Fo shizzle.

[Casie 0]

Just stay at home - vegg out and have earplugs for back up!

~Porn Kitty
WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts!

[christoofar 0]

Quote

Just stay at home - vegg out and have earplugs for back up!

Hey girl!!!

How you doin?!?!!? I've been trying to call ya and wish ya hellos and how-you-durrin's but never got nuthin but a machine!

Whazazzzzaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!?!?!?

____________________________________________________________
I'm RICK JAMES! Fo shizzle.

[Casie 0]

Leave me a message silly! Miss ya!

~Porn Kitty
WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts!