By Michael Shilling
Special to MSN

In what organizers are confident will be a turning point in world awareness of climate change, Live Earth is a series of nine concerts in eight countries, set to take place on July 7, 2007. The multi-site event, which features A-list artists such as Foo Fighters, Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is the brainchild of Kevin Wall, CEO of Control Room, and the first event produced under the banner of Save Our Selves (SOS), an organization formed by Wall, former Vice President Al Gore, Pharrell Williams, Cameron Diaz and the MSN Network. The aim of SOS is to trigger a new level of global response to climate change, utilizing the collective power of its members to reach people in every corner of the world via television, radio, film and the Internet.

Al Gore, the leading voice for global warming and environmental issues, sums up the thrust behind SOS. "In order to solve the climate crisis, we have to reach billions of people. We are launching SOS and Live Earth to begin a process of communication that will mobilize people all over the world to take action." The SOS partnership will utilize MSN's reach and stature to spearhead both Live Earth and a massive educational effort, disseminating information on the ways that individuals can begin to effect the changes in their lives that will benefit the health of the planet. "Anyone around the world with an Internet connection will be able to come to MSN and view not just the concert events, but also an extensive collection of interactive media that entertain, educate, inspire and ultimately drive change," said Joanne Bradford, corporate vice president and chief media officer of MSN.

Live Earth's nine venues - New York, London, Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, Rio De Janeiro, Hamburg, Chiba and Tokyo - touch every corner of the planet, and the collective line-up is a stunning one, spanning the spectrum of popular music. The U.S. show will feature mega-acts such as troubadour John Mayer, emo posters Fall Out Boy, arena rock legend (and Pink Floyd founder) Roger Waters and the reunited Police. London's Wembley Stadium will be graced by the Black Eyed Peas, rap pioneers the Beastie Boys, - 80s icons Duran Duran and the re-united Genesis (making their first live appearance in over a decade), along with many others. Of course, as organizer and SOS principal Kevin Wall says, something a lot more than the adulation of the crowd brings all of these marquee names out for Live Earth. "More than 100 artists are performing at Live Earth, and they're all headliners. We've been overwhelmed by the response from the artists' community and are feverishly working out the logistics for all the bands that want to be involved."

The concert event is only the beginning for SOS, which hopes to start nothing less than a revolution in the understanding of, and action against, global warming. And that starts with them. For example, in the manner by which the show utilizes energy sources, Live Earth will implement a new standard, defined by the U.S. Green Building Council, which will become the model for carbon-neutral concerts and live events in the future. SOS has also partnered with a vast array of corporations, such as Stonyfield Farms, smart car and Pepsi, all of whom share in the proactive environmental ethos embodied by Live Earth: one that is essential to addressing, and solving, the issue of climate change. 7/7/07 promises to be an exciting day, both for music lovers, and for all of those who understand that we share one world, and must work as one to solve the challenge of global warming. New artists are being added to the event all the time, so keep checking back with liveearth.msn.com for up-to-the-minute info.