Geldof to rock against poverty with Live 8 concerts
Twenty years after the Live Aid sensation, the man dubbed "Saint Bob" for organising the 1985 concert to save the starving in Ethiopia wants to influence the G8 group of industrialised nations which meets in Scotland in July.
"Here we are again," Geldof told a news conference in London, adding that he hoped to use the concerts "to tilt the world a little bit on its axis in favour of the poor".
"There is more than a chance that the boys and girls with guitars will finally turn the world on its axis," the dishevelled rock star said.
The phones have been ringing as incessantly as they did 20 years ago, with Geldof seeking to persuade musicians to take part.
Geldof has masterminded five free concerts to take place in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Philadelphia on July 2.
The shows aim to raise awareness of Third World poverty on the eve of the G8 summit in Scotland.
They will be held at Hyde Park in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Circus Maximus in Rome and the Museum of Art in Philadelphia.
Hundreds of thousands of music fans will attend with billions more worldwide watching on TV.
The stellar line-up for the concerts, dubbed Live 8, take in the biggest names in music. REM, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Coldplay and Robbie Williams will be joined by Elton John, Keane and Joss Stone, to name just a few.
The other concerts will see performances by Stevie Wonder in Philadelphia, Brian Wilson in Berlin, Duran Duran in Rome and Jamiroquai in Paris.
Other stars will be announced over the coming weeks with the Spice Girls still rumoured to be staging a reunion.
The shows will be broadcast on the BBC.
The Boomtown Rats singer said he had taken a great deal of persuasion to stage a follow-up to Live Aid.
"We arrived here today because I was very reluctant to do this again, I couldn't see how anything could possibly be better than that glorious day 20 years ago, almost perfect in what it achieved and the day itself. I didn't want to do Bob's best bits but Bono and Richard [Curtis] in particular kept saying, do it again.
"I didn't understand to what end. What could we do that was in any way different? It couldn't be about charity anymore. We knew too much."
The concerts would not be "gloomy and doomy", he said, adding: "We don't want people's money. We want them."
The situation in Africa has declined due to spiralling debt and unfair trade, Geldof said.
"It is intellectually absurd that people die of want in a world of surplus," he said.
Geldof and fellow fundraiser Midge Ure are also planning a huge rally in Edinburgh on July 6 the eve of the G8 summit at Gleneagles which they are calling The Long Walk To Justice.
At least one million people are expected to converge on the Scottish city.
And, in typical Geldof style, the singer warned the G8 leaders they should sit up and take notice.
"If you're not prepared to do that, you're not welcome in my country," he said. "If anyone won't come to our party, they can f**k off."
Geldof has written to the Pope asking him to attend.
