Some of the world's biggest pop stars from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Madonna and The Police played Live Earth concerts worldwide on Saturday to urge fans and governments to fight global warming.
Tens of thousands partied at concerts in Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hamburg, Johannesburg, London, Washington, New Jersey and Rio de Janeiro to hear Bon Jovi, James Blunt, Linkin Park and Shakira and many other performers.
Spearheaded by environmentalist and former U.S. vice president Al Gore, the concerts spanned over 22 hours, ending at Rio's Copacabana beach and a New Jersey football stadium.
"You are Live Earth," Gore told the crowd at New Jersey's Giants Stadium, on a stage made with recycled tires.
With hand raised as if taking an oath, Gore took the seven-point pledge he wants others to endorse, binding them to cut carbon emissions and to lobby governments and employers to do more to save the planet.
"Today 2 billion of us have come together in over 130 countries on seven continents," Gore said to cheers. "Times like these demand action: please sign the Live Earth pledge."
Pop idol Madonna ended the show at Wembley stadium with a set including "Hey You," written for Live Earth, while screens behind her flashed images of environmental disasters.
Madonna thanked Gore, "for giving the world the wake-up call it so badly needs and for starting an avalanche of awareness that we are running out of time."
The New Jersey show had political moments. Roger Waters, running through hits from his Pink Floyd days including "Money" and "Another Brick in the Wall," displayed an image of U.S. President George W. Bush aboard an aircraft carrier in 2003 under a "Mission Accomplished" banner to signal the end of major combat in Iraq, drawing loud boos from the crowd.
And as The Police played "Message in a Bottle," rapper Kanye West joined the band on stage and rapped the lyrics "We need some new leaders to follow ... Al Gore's got my vote."
Following the model of 1985's Live Aid and Live 8 in 2005, Live Earth hopes to reach up to 2 billion people through radio, television and the Internet.
There has been widespread cynicism among music fans, campaigners and fellow rockers about the role of pop music, renowned for Learjets and limousines, to promote green living.
Backstage in New Jersey, singer KT Tunstall said the first year sales of her debut CD generated 650 million tonnes of carbon emissions but she has tried to partially offset that huge carbon footprint through the planting of 6,000 trees.
