After a galaxy of stars rocked the world in the largest live concert ever held, politicians said yesterday that people power could make a difference as world leaders prepared to meet to relieve poverty.
Over a million people listened to rock and pop musicians at venues across four continents on Saturday to demand that the Group of Eight wealthy nations agree to cancel much of Africa's debt and boost aid at their summit in Scotland on Wednesday.
More than 26 million people worldwide sent text messages on Saturday in support of Live 8, setting a world record for a single event, organisers said. They had also expected up to two billion people to tune into the show worldwide.
In Edinburgh, close to where the G8 meets, 200,000 demonstrators marched peacefully through the city to back the Make Poverty History campaign.
The media in Britain hailed organiser Bob Geldof and the 170 pop acts who graced stages."A beautiful day," said the Independent on Sunday. "Is that loud enough for you?" asked the Sunday Times.
German publications also dedicated considerable space to the gig in Berlin that attracted 200,000 fans, and Italy's four main dailies highlighted the Rome event on their front pages.
"Rock has carried Africa on to the world's front pages and television screens. Long live rock!", Corriere della Sera wrote. "But to imagine that rock and aid. . . are enough to make Africa progress by as much as one step forward is a dream."
But in Johannesburg, only one newspaper carried Live 8 on its front page.
The New York Times had a front page photograph of the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, although its first report appeared on page 6.
There was barely a mention of Live 8 on US talk shows early yesterday.
In Philadelphia a million crammed the streets to hear Will Smith and Stevie Wonder.
Tokyo kicked off Live 8, which was also staged in the Circus Maximus in Rome and before a crowd of 150,000 in Berlin.
In Barrie, near Toronto, 35,000 people turned out for the musical feast, while France's concert boasted the Chateau de Versailles as its elegant backdrop.
The numbers in Moscow's Red Square were low. In Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela addressed nearly 10,000 people.