Over 1.5m apply for British Live 8 tickets
{{date|June 6, 2005}}
[[Image:Live8.jpg|right|thumb|150px|A poster for ''Live 8'']]
The 'text lottery' for tickets to the [[w:London|London]] ''[[w:Live 8|Live 8]]'' concert began this morning. The concert, which is part of an international music bonanza taking place across [[North America]] and [[Europe]], is planned to coincide with this summers [[w:G8|G8]] summit in [[w:Edinburgh|Edinburgh]]. 

Organised by [[Bob Geldof]], the series of concerts are being held to raise awareness about [[Africa]] among young people. This is in contrast to the original ''[[w:Live Aid|Live Aid]]'' concerts which were more focused on raising money for Africa.

This evening a spokesperson for ''Live 8'' revealed to the media that by 17:00UTC this afternoon, over 1.5m text entries had been received. Those hoping to win one of the coveted 150,000 tickets, are asked to text the answer to a simple question to 84599. The question is ''Which city is nearest to the G8 summit in July? A) [[w:Berlin|Berlin]], B) [[w:Moscow|Moscow]], C) [[w:Edinburgh|Edinburgh]].'' Texts cost £1.50 each and winners will be randomly selected on the 12th June by a computer. The first £1.6m of proceeds from the competition will be donated to the ''[[w:Prince's Trust|The Prince's Trust]]''.

The lineup for the London concert is as follows:

<div style="float:left; width:50%;">
* [[w:U2 (band)|U2]]
* [[w:The Rolling Stones|The Rolling Stones]]
* [[w:Paul McCartney|Paul McCartney]]
* [[w:Coldplay|Coldplay]]
* [[w:Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]
* [[w:Sting (singer)|Sting]]
* [[w:Robbie Williams|Robbie Williams]]
* [[w:Dido (singer)|Dido]]
* [[w:Elton John|Elton John]]
* [[w:Keane|Keane]]
* [[w:Annie Lennox|Annie Lennox]]
</div><div style="float:right; width:50%;">
* [[w:Mariah Carey|Mariah Carey]]
* [[w:Muse (band)|Muse]]
* [[w:Scissor Sisters|Scissor Sisters]]
* [[w:Joss Stone|Joss Stone]]
* [[w:Stereophonics|Stereophonics]]
* [[w:REM (band)|REM]]
* [[w:Velvet Revolver|Velvet Revolver]]
* [[w:Bob Geldof|Bob Geldof]]
* [[w:The Killers (band)|The Killers]]
* [[w:The Cure|The Cure]]
* [[w:Snow Patrol|Snow Patrol]]
</div><br clear="all">

== Related news ==

*{{Wikinews|title=Live 8 concert plans announced|date=May 31, 2005}}

== Sources ==

*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4611637.stm
|title=Live 8 texts soar to 1.5m entries
|author=
|pub=BBC News Online
|date=June 6, 2005}}
*{{source|url=http://www.itv.com/news/britain_1274012.html
|title=Millions apply for Live 8 tickets
|author=
|pub=ITV News
|date=June 6, 2005}}
*{{source|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000102&sid=ah_KI5MAwzs0&refer=uk
|title=Text-Message Lottery Opens for Africa Pop Concert
|author=
|pub=Bloomberg
|date=June 6, 2005}}
*{{source|url=http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=musicNews&storyID=8705397
|title=Scramble starts for London Live 8 concert tickets
|author=
|pub=Reuters
|date=June 6, 2005}}
*{{source|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1500191,00.html
|title=Txt lottery opens for Live 8 tickets
|author=
|pub=The Guardian
|date=June 6, 2005}}

 
{{publish}}
{{PD-Article}}
{{archive}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Over 1.5m Apply For British Live 8 Tickets}}
[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Culture and entertainment]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Bob Geldof]]
[[Category:G8]]
[[Category:Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Elton John]]
[[Category:U2]]
[[Category:Coldplay]]
[[Category:Madonna]]
A poster for Live 8
The 'text lottery' for tickets to the London Live 8 concert began this morning. The concert, which is part of an international music bonanza taking place across North America and Europe, is planned to coincide with this summers G8 summit in Edinburgh. 

Organised by Bob Geldof, the series of concerts are being held to raise awareness about Africa among young people. This is in contrast to the original Live Aid concerts which were more focused on raising money for Africa.

This evening a spokesperson for Live 8 revealed to the media that by 17:00UTC this afternoon, over 1.5m text entries had been received. Those hoping to win one of the coveted 150,000 tickets, are asked to text the answer to a simple question to 84599. The question is Which city is nearest to the G8 summit in July? A) Berlin, B) Moscow, C) Edinburgh. Texts cost £1.50 each and winners will be randomly selected on the 12th June by a computer. The first £1.6m of proceeds from the competition will be donated to the The Prince's Trust.

The lineup for the London concert is as follows:


* U2
* The Rolling Stones
* Paul McCartney
* Coldplay
* Madonna
* Sting
* Robbie Williams
* Dido
* Elton John
* Keane
* Annie Lennox

* Mariah Carey
* Muse
* Scissor Sisters
* Joss Stone
* Stereophonics
* REM
* Velvet Revolver
* Bob Geldof
* The Killers
* The Cure
* Snow Patrol
Europe United Kingdom Culture and entertainment Music Bob Geldof G8 Edinburgh Elton John U2 Coldplay Madonna