KEY POINTS:
In Spinal Tap's heyday, the heavy metal parody band liked nothing more than turning up the volume and rocking out.
When the group, who were the subject of 1984's mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, reform for this weekend's Live Earth concert they may have to turn their big
bad amplifiers down.
It's not a noise pollution issue, but a power-saving one.
You see, not only is the 24-hour music event about raising awareness of global warming, it also aims to reduce the impact of live concerts on the environment. One way of doing this is by using as little electricity as possible.
These measures, known as the Green Event Guidelines, also include everything from using hybrid vehicles, to having a recycling and reuse system in place at venues to offset the musicians' air travel through carbon credits.
So, the likes of Madonna, Metallica, and the Chili Peppers, better leave their Learjets at home and travel cattle class with the rest of us. As if.
And the other 100 or so musical acts, playing in eight cities around the world, better make sure the music is up to scratch too because they won't be able to hide behind big fancy light and pyrotechnic displays.
In a special 22-hour broadcast, local music channel C4 screens Live Earth from 8pm on Saturday.
In contrast to other gigs of this kind, like Live Aid in 1985 and Live8 two years ago, New Zealand will be able to start watching this one at a reasonable hour as the event begins in Sydney at Aussie Stadium and ends in Rio De Janeiro and New York on Sunday afternoon New Zealand time.
It is also being broadcast live on The Edge radio station.
The recently reformed Crowded House and surfer-turned-singer/songwriter Jack Johnson headline the Australian gig.
It is predicted Live Earth will be watched by more than 2 billion people.
It will also feature performances from the Police, Smashing Pumpkins, Kanye West, Foo Fighters, Bloc Party, the Beastie Boys, Duran Duran, James Blunt, Smashing Pumpkins, Linkin Park and Snow Patrol.
Climate change advocate Al Gore has already become a movie star following the success of his Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth and this weekend the former US vice-president tries his hand at being a rock star.
Gore, the chairperson of the Alliance for Climate Protection, has teamed with Live Earth founder Kevin Wall, the man behind Live 8 in 2005, for the concerts to trigger a global push to solve the planet's climate crisis.
Let's hope the weather holds up.
Earthly Delights
Concerts like Live Earth have been staged only a few times so here are some highlights worth staying up for:
Reunion bands
There are a few, including Smashing Pumpkins and the Police (New York), Crowded House (Sydney), and Genesis and Spinal Tap (London).
Rockin' Antarctica
Believe it or not there's an indie rock band called Nunatak living in Antarctica. Made up of five scientists stationed on the icy continent, Nunatak will perform to 17 people at Rothera Research Station and the tiny gig will be broadcast to the world.
Madonna (London)
So she's nearly 50 but she can still get into the groove. She's also written a new song, Hey You, especially for the event.
Spinal Tap (London)
The heavy metal parody band is releasing a new single, Warmer Than Hell, and will be as wonderfully tragic as ever. C4 also screen This is Spinal Tap on Sunday at 8.30pm.
You'll see them soon
Bloc Party and Snow Patrol (both in London) and Fall Out Boy (New York) are heading to New Zealand in the coming months.
At the Copa
As in Copacabana Beach in Rio De Janeiro where the Brazilian Live Earth concert is being held. It's free and is expected to attract more than a million people.
Live Earth, 8pm Saturday, C4. Also broadcast on The Edge. Plus, This Is Spinal Tap, 8.30pm Sunday, C4.
