Live 8: Young In, Crow Out

With only two days to go until Live 8 — “10 concerts, 100 artists, a million spectators, 2 billion viewers, and 1 message … To get those 8 men, in that 1 room, to stop 30,000 children dying every single day of extreme poverty” — there is much arranging and rearranging among participants and former participants.

Canada-native Neil Young — only three months removed for treatment for a brain aneurysm — has just been added to close the Toronto show, which also includes African Guitar Summit, Barenaked Ladies, blue Rodeo, bruce Cockburn, Bryan Adams, The Bachman Cummings Band, Celine Dion, Deep Purple, Doba Caracol Featuring Kna’an, Gordon Lightfoot, Great Big Sea, Jann Arden, Jet, Les Trois Accords, Motley Crue, Our Lady Peace, Sam Roberts, Simple Plan, Tom Cochrane, and The Tragically Hip.

Meanwhile, Grammy-winning rootsy pop-rocker Sheryl Crow has bowed out of the Paris concert “due to substantial logistical and personal challenges,” a post on her website announced.

“Although Sheryl cannot be there personally she is supporting the outstanding cause to awaken the G8 leaders to the fact that they have the power to end extreme poverty by applying a workable plan to double aid, drop the debt and make the trade laws fair. Please don’t let Sheryl’s absence in Paris dampen your enthusiasm for the cause,” the post added.

The Paris lineup is now Andrea Bocelli, Axelle Red, Calogero, Cerrone, Craig David, The Cure, Diam’s Dido, Disiz Lapeste, Faudel, Florent Pagny, James Brown, Jamiroquai, Johnny Hallyday, Kool Shen, Kyo, Louise Bertignac, Manu Chao, Muse, Nile Rodgers, Pascal Obispo, Placebo, Raphael, Renaud, Youssou N’Dour, Yannick Noah, Shakira, Tina Arena, Zucchero

Other cities hosting concerts are Philadelphia, London, Berlin, Rome, Cornwall, South Africa, Tokyo and Moscow, which was just added yesterday.

For much more information on Live 8 please see here.