LIVE8: NOW ITALY GOES SOFT

Oddly, it seems being sworn at by Bob Geldof isn't the international language of conciliation, and the bill for Live 8 in Rome is rapidly falling to pieces. Bill-topping Vasco Rossi has quit, citing a different gig he had to play elsewhere (in other words, he left his options open and as the date got nearer, the benefits of playing Live 8 didn't outwiegh the losses he'd have incurred by scrapping the other gig). Geldof has little response other than... well, this:

"Vasco is a great star, a really great, great artist, and I think he should be on that stage," Geldof, the organizer of the event, told a news conference in Rome.

"Where's Vasco? Vasco where are you? We want Vasco. We need Vasco," he said, to spontaneous applause from Italian reporters.

You might wonder if Geldof is wise to put so much weight on one artist's shoulders - especially while other acts are reluctant to commit because they don't know what the whole thing is about:

Singer Lorenzo Jovanotti, another household name in Italian pop who has performed in the past to campaign against poverty, said he would not agree to play Live 8 until he got more information about the Rome concert.

If the bands expected to play an awareness raiser can't understand the message of the gig, what hope is there for the aim of raising other people's awareness?

music live 8 live8 Vasco Rossi Lorenzo Jovanotti