U.S.: Gore Announces 'Live Earth' Concerts

By Michael R. Blood, The Associated Press, February 15, 2007

"Al Gore announced on Thursday a series of worldwide concerts to focus on the threat of climate change, with a powerhouse lineup from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Snoop Dogg to Bon Jovi. The 24-hour event on July 7 is part of a kickoff campaign, Save Our Selves: The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis, that promoters hope will trigger a broad movement to address what the former vice president calls a 'planetary emergency'... 'We have to get the message of urgency and hope out,' Gore said at a news conference, where he was flanked by actress Cameron Diaz, rapper Pharrell Williams and producer Kevin Wall... More than 100 performers are scheduled to appear at the July concerts, including Etheridge, the Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Duran Duran, Korn, the Black Eyed Peas, Akon, Enrique Iglesias, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. Promoters said the Live Earth concerts will take place in Shanghai, China; Johannesburg, South Africa; Sydney, Australia; London and cities to be announced in Japan, Brazil and the United States. One concert will take place in Antarctica, Gore said... Recently, some former aides met in Boston to discuss a campaign to draft the former vice president. 'I haven't changed my answer about politics,' Gore told reporters. 'I have no intention of running for president again.'"