Live blogging Live Earth

Watching part for work, part because it's something to have on. Refresh this page as necessary.

9:30: Wolfmother are awful. The music is pretty fun, but when you add in the lyrics, they seem more like a satire of '70's heavy blues rock than a tribute to it. Rotten stuff.

9:45: Crowded House in Sydney, who is maybe going a little too much with the "sing along with me" stuff. I know it's amazing to hear thousands sing your song, but woah...every song?! Still, they sound amazing, and "Fall At Your Feet" gives me visible goosebumps, like it always does. If they come to DC, I'm going.

9:50: The lights go off in the Sydney stadium, which Neil Finn plays off perfectly as "I think they're making a statement". Looks like an accident.

10:00: Linkin Park could not be any worse. Get Wolfmother back on!! And note to all of the non-Japanese performers in Tokyo: Many people in Japan do not speak English. So telling the crowd, "I can't hear you" is likely to get back a silence which translates to, "We can't understand you!"

At this point I paused the DVR to go get breakfast, so times are not exact.

10:45: I like Rhianna. I really do. What do you call that beat, with the handclaps on 1-2-3-4 and the bass drum slinky underneath? I love it. I guess it's an offshoot of the marching band beat that caught on for too-short a time a couple years ago.

11:00: The all-drum London intro gives me chills. Is that Roger Taylor of Queen on the drums? He looks like he's playing drums for the first time. The Foo Fighter's Taylor Hawkins has seemed like kind of a chump in all of the interviews I've read with him, but the dude does seem to love his drumming.

11:10: Genesis in London. "Turn It On Again" sounds pretty lackluster, like it never got turned back on, but it's extremely comforting to me to see that Phil Collins' drumset has not changed a single bit in 30 years.

11:22: They're really stretching it to get Antarctica in there with this band made up of South Pole scientists called Nunatak. I did read a really great article recent (can't remember where...Salon? Pitchfork?) about the band scene in Antarctica. There are several places to play, and it reinforced how much of a difference it makes to have such a small scene. It's impossible to be unsupportive. So you think Nunatak really stink....what are you going to do? Wait for The Arcade Fire to include you on their tour? I don't think so. Go see Nunatak. They're not that bad.

11:26: The guy from Bands Reunited is interviewing some Australian guy with big arms and a goofy hat. I can tell by the way he's dressed that his music sucks. It's a power I have.

11:27: This guy is identified at Keith Urban. So I was right. Good to hear he's making some green changes, though. See that world? Even crappy music can make a difference.

11:29: Sarah Brightman in Shanghai. Jesus. You can't say this day of concerts doesn't have variety. I'm hitting the Fast Forward button. I would kiss my DVR if I didn't think it would get the wrong idea.

11:37: The broadcast is definitely keeping consistent with the message of Live Earth: there's a good amount of stuff about how you can green your life. It's a good message: you can make small changes. Don't worry about selling all your possessions and swearing off electricity. Just do a few things.

11:38: Good idea: put Shakira in rainy Hamburg. I'm sure she's HUGE there. Holy shit! She sounds TERRIBLE! Right now, there is no one in the world who loves computer pitch correction than Shakira. Fast-forwarding.

11:39: AAAAAAGGGGHHH! WHERE'S THE REMOTE CONTROL?!!!

11:40: There it is. Thank God. I stopped the fast-forwarding for a second because I was sure that Shakira's guitar wasn't plugged in. I was kind of disappointed to see that it was. But then I found out that it's Shakira that sings that awful "Don't bother me, I'll be fine" song. I've hated that song for a long time. I don't mind that other song of hers...sick of it, but it's a good beat. But this one? I just dry-heaved.

11:59: Uh oh. Bad Genesis is on: "Invisible Touch". And oh no! Phil Collins, for some incomprehensible reason, just changed the line to "And though she will fuck up your life". What...did he think that maybe people thought he didn't know any curse words? Way to prove them wrong, Phil. Way to prove them wrong.

12:10: I can't the Black Eyed Peas without thinking of Scott's comments that they're like the new Electric Mayhem, the band on the Muppets. There's something very Muppet-esque about them. Maybe that's why I actually think they're pretty enjoyable. Except for "My Humps". If that comes on, BEPs are getting the FF.

12:33: AWESOME! Duran Duran are playing "Planet Earth"!!! It's an obvious choice for the day, but I love them for pulling out a fan favorite instead of one of their globally-acknowledged super hits. These guys all look pretty good, too. Is that Andy Taylor?! He looks great! Better than he did in the '80's!

What does it say that so many of the acts at a huge global concert are throwbacks? I guess you could say the same with Live Aid to some extent with Led Zeppelin and Queen, but still...is anyone out there really holding out for a big moment like U2 had at Live Aid, where you realize that this is a new band that's destined to get massive? It just doesn't happen anymore.

1:24: Red Hot Chili Peppers are playing. That's the only thing I have to say about it. Really. There is absolutely nothing about their performance that inspires a single additional thought except that: they are definitely playing.

1:40: Something identified as "The Soweto Gospel Choir + Danny K" in Jo-burg actually looks like The Drum Cafe, as identified by their t-shirts. By far and away the best thing I've seen since Crowded House. Then who I presume is Danny K comes on and he's pretty boring.

2:06: Could someone please get Keane a bassist? I'm all for unorthodox lineups, but man...talk about something missing.

Break for a shower. DVR back in fast-forwardable state.

2:55: Metallica in London. James Hetfield looks like some mountain man grandpa these days. It's actually really cool. And how can you not love bassist Robert Trujillo after seeing Some Kind Of Monster? His giddiness after he was told that he was not only going to be the new bassist for one of the world's biggest bands, but was going to be getting a million dollar bonus was absolutely priceles.

3:18: Okay, I can see the necessity of not showing these performances absolutely live, but they're now re-running Duran Duran's performance of "Notorious".

3:24: Awesome. The guitarist for Taking Back Sunday (who I am not enjoying at all) is wearing a Police Synchronicity vinyl jacket.

5:15: It's been nice catching up on these bands whose names I've heard but can't say the same for their music, bands like AFI and Fall Out Boy. Hearing them, it's hard to believe that rock and punk were ever rebellious. Some of it sounds catchy, but this stuff all sounds so bland and safe and static. I'm now flipping back and forth between Live Earth and Band of Brothers on the History channel.