LIVE 8: A BIT AFTER TWO.

Jonathan Ross manages to fudge his intro - "It's 2pm on July 1st, 2005..." - because nobody is actually ready. So they go to a package of Live Aid before Ross has to do it again, now with the edge taken off. Plus, there's the Greenwich time signal, although Big Ben shows its about four minutes past the hour. Still, at least people can now stop saying "the countdown is underway..."

Macca and U2 come on - no costumes after all, then, although Bono seems to have selected some awful sage green sunglasses for some reason. Sergeant Pepper sounds terrible and as they go into Beautiful Day - the official song of Coca-Cola's football coverage on ITV - everything seems a little bit too bassy. And Bono's voice seems to have been rubbed a bit ragged by the tour. Oh, god, he's changing the lyrics to mention everywhere where there's a gig, except Cornwall ("putting the Africans in the conservatory", as Andy Kershaw called it.)

They should have gone with Status Quo, after all.

music live8 live 8 u2 paul mccartney