CONFUSION surrounded an announcement yesterday that Sir Bob Geldof is planning to stage a new Live Aid concert to coincide with the G8 summit of world leaders.
The event - dubbed Live8 - is expected to take place in London's Hyde Park on July 2 or 3 and will focus attention on poverty and disease in Africa, the weekend before the threeday G8 summit in Gleneagles and the same weekend as the Make Poverty History march planned for Edinburgh.
Yesterday organisers of a gig for The Princes Trust, which is held in Hyde Park every year, announced they had cancelled their own plans to step aside for the gig.
But Geldof dismissed the claims as "kite flying", despite the apparent confirmation from a number of sources. Geldof said he was "sick and tired" of speculation about a sequel to the famous fundraising event.
Geldof said: "People keep talking about it, but it is just talk.
Why would I possibly repeat something I did 20 years ago?"
However, his spokeswoman Jo Philips confirmed discussions are taking place about an event around the time of the G8 summit. She said plans could be finalised when members of the Live Aid Trust, including original organiser Midge Ure and music promoter Harvey Goldsmith, meet later this week, although it is not yet known if Geldof will attend the talks.
"I would expect we will know something definite this week, after the trustees have met, " she said. "If The Princes Trust have already indicated that they are prepared to step aside [from using Hyde Park for its annual concert], then it would appear people are keen to see this happen."
It is thought that such an event would attract a million people, while 100,000 will march in Edinburgh highlight poverty in Africa.
Reports have stated that chart-topping bands U2 and Coldplay have been tipped to take part, though spokespeople for both bands told the Sunday Herald that they hadn't been approached and were touring elsewhere at that time. Robbie Williams and Madonna have also been linked with the gig.
A spokesperson for Status Quo, who opened the original Live Aid gig in Wembley, said they hadn't been approached, adding that "the band might be interested in doing it".
The gig would come on the 20th anniversary of Live Aid and follows the success of the Band Aid 20 single, which took the Christmas No 1 spot and raised [pounds]15 million for aid charities in Africa.
Unlike the original Live Aid - which saw Status Quo, Sir Paul McCartney, Queen, Sting, David Bowie and leading names of the era performing on July 13, 1985 - it is understood a new event would not aim to collect public donations.
The concert, expected to be funded by sponsorship, would be held solely to urge world leaders to take action at the summit to halt deaths in Africa from Aids and tuberculosis.
London radio station Capital FM has scrapped plans for the annual Party in the Park, held in Hyde Park in support of The Princes Trust.
Capital FM managing director Keith Pringle said the station would instead support Live8 by providing a number of services for free.
Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Princes Trust, said:
"Capital and The Princes Trust are delighted to support Live8 and we look forward to Party in the Park next year."
A spokesman for Make Poverty History said that it would welcome such an event.
"It is absolutely apparent now, 20 years later, that the money that Live Aid raised might have done some good, but it hasn't solved any of the issues or problems that face Africa, " he said. "Raising money is not enough - what is needed is structural change.
The fact that the event might be free and not a fundraiser would say that this is not about charity, this is about justice."
Though a free celebritypacked concert could detract from the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh on July 2, campaigners welcomed such an event. But the spokesman said that if the event were to happen, it would be "supplementary and complementary" to the Edinburgh march.
"Both would be aimed at exactly the same agenda, reinforcing the message to the leaders of the G8, " he added.
Businessman Tom Hunter, who donated [pounds]1m to the Make Poverty History campaign said while it was "early days", and if Live8 took place "we'd be standing up to the mark to help in any way we could".
Dr Benedict Young, Jubilee Scotland co-ordinator, said:
"This sounds like a great way of focusing attention on the need to make poverty history."
www. makepovertyhistory. com
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