HISTORIC EVENT
Live 8
Historic Global Benefit Concert
EVENT OVERVIEW
About Live 8
Live 8 was a coordinated series of benefit concerts held on July 2, 2005 in multiple cities around the world ahead of the G8 summit.
HOW IT DEVELOPED
Event History
The project followed the legacy of Live Aid but focused public attention on global poverty and debt relief rather than serving as a direct fundraising recreation of the 1985 event.
WHY HERE
Location History
Live 8 was intentionally distributed among major cities worldwide, with Hyde Park in London and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia among the principal sites.
BY THE NUMBERS
Attendance History
Because the concerts were held in multiple cities and several were free open-access events, attendance estimates vary substantially by site. Class Act keeps site-specific figures only when they can be tied to a named source.
WHO WAS THERE
Past Bands & Performers
2005 - London
- U2
- Coldplay
- Elton John
- Dido
- Stereophonics
- R.E.M.
- Ms. Dynamite
- Keane
- Travis
- Annie Lennox
- UB40
- Snoop Dogg
- Razorlight
- Madonna
- Snow Patrol
- The Killers
- Joss Stone
- Scissor Sisters
- Velvet Revolver
- Sting
- Mariah Carey
- Robbie Williams
- The Who
- Pink Floyd
- Paul McCartney
2005 - Philadelphia
- Will Smith
- Black Eyed Peas
- Bon Jovi
- Dave Matthews Band
- Def Leppard
- Destiny’s Child
- Jay-Z
- Linkin Park
- Maroon 5
- Rob Thomas
- Sarah McLachlan
- Stevie Wonder
- Toby Keith
- Keith Urban
FACT CHECK
Sources & Verification
Primary source: Contemporary Live 8 reporting / Philadelphia event archives
Last verified: August 28, 2026
Class Act leaves unsupported facts out rather than estimate or invent them.