International Report: Live Earth Sydney

We asked Rolling Stone's international editions to report on the Live Earth concerts nearest them. Here's the report from Dan Lander of Rolling Stone Australia on Live Earth Sydney:

WHO PLAYED:
Wolfmother, Jack Johnson, Crowded House, Blue King Brown, Toni Collette, Sneaky Sound System, Ghostwriters, Paul Kelly, Eskimo Joe, Missy Higgins, John Butler Trio.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Crowded House joined by everybody on the bill for a sing-along version of "Weather With You," a song which took on a new meaning under the circumstances.
• An intense-as-hell drum solo from the John Butler Trio's Michael Barker, the perfect foil to Butler's equally intense demand to Australia's leaders not to introduce nuclear energy as an answer to global warming (we have much better options). The JBT set was a standout overall -- there is no one on the planet who sounds better at an outside gig than these guys.
• Paul Kelly joined by Kev Carmody, Missy Higgins and John Butler for "From Little Things Big Things Grow." The whole crowd sung along -- all eleven verses.

strong>MOST UNEXPECTED MOMENT:
Academy-Award nominated actress Toni Collette and her band the Finish closing their set with a very fitting cover of T. Rex's "Children of the Revolution", proving not every actor who tries their hand at music need be as bad as Russell Crowe.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
• 
  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Let My Love Open the Door”

Pete Townshend | 1980

A peppy, hopeful love song, "Let My Love Open the Door" became a U. S. Top Ten hit for Pete Townshend in 1980, anchored by the kind of repeating synthesizer figures that he'd used in some of the Who's recordings in the previous decade. Although Townshend brushed the song off as "just a ditty" in Rolling Stone shortly after its release, in 1996 he revealed it was about love of the holiest sort. "It's supposed to be about the power of God's love," he remarked. "That when you're in difficulty, whether it's major or minor, God's love is always there for you."

More Song Stories entries »

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