Live Bloggigng the Concert for Diana

For those of you playing along at home, keep hitting "refresh" for updates.

10:00 - A very nice and appropriate start with Sir Elton. I thought he was going to change the words to say "...how wonderful life WAS while you WERE in this world" but I'm glad he didn't b/c that might've made me cry. Very nice set design. Wonder if The Boys had a say in that - chose the photos, etc. I be they did.

10:11 - Their Royal Highnesses. I am so enamoured of these boys. So handsome and such great young men despite the tragedy of their lives. They truly are Prince Charmings.

10: 12 - YAY Duran Duran. I'm so glad that they were one of Diana's favorites. It shows what great taste she had.
10:13 - Umm, John Taylor has NOT aged well. (He was always my favorite)
10:14 - Are they going to sing a song we know?? I doubt this was one of Di's favs. I certainly hope each band will sing more than one song. That's a lot of Ahmer Haleem chattering if they don't.
10:17 - "This one's for the Princes: William and Harry" What will it be? "WILD BOYS" of course! 10:20 - YES! My favorite DD song "Rio." (Note all the old people in the audience singing & dancing)
10:26 - That was Kate Middleton. NOT setting with the royal boys.

10:28 - James Morrison. Hey, my hairdresser (who is British) was just telling me about this guy yesterday. He told me I would love his CD. He compared him to a young Stevie Wonder. Even though he's white.

10:40 - Lily Allen. You know I love her. So cute, isn't she?? Such catchy tunes (despite the fact that she's usually singing some pretty twisted lyrics). And, unlike Winehouse, she still has all her teeth.
10:43 - Excellent. She's singing both my favorite songs. "LDN" and "Smile"

10:50 - Fergie. I could've done without that, but I imagine the Princes like her.
10:52 - Is something wrong w/ her microphone? B/c I can't even hear her.
10:53 - And her dress looks like a lampshade.
10:54 - I just read that girl's lips; she said, "I love Fergie."
10:55 - Great, "Big Girls Don't Cry." Now this chorus will be stuck in my had for yet another four days.
10:58 - She's "a little pitchy" live.

11:00 - The "Diana & Me" segment on the deaf association was interesting. Did you notice how different Diana's signs were from American Sign Language? I mean, everyone knows how to sign the alphabet, right? But when she did letters to spell out her name, it was nothing like the letters we know. Interesting.

11:03 - Keifer Sutherland. Is "24" popular in England?
11:04 - The Feeling. Never heard of 'em.
11:04 - Every time they show Prince William he's clapping off-beat.

11:14 - N.E.R.D. I used to like this band, but I don't remember them being a rap group. ??
11:16 - they sing "Drop It Like It's Hot"??? I don't think so. (Google search reveals that was a Snoop Dogg song f. Pharrell.)
11:17 - OK, here's the music I remember "She's Sexy"
11:18 - I thought N.E.R.D was Pharrell and that Asian guy. Where's the other dude?

11:21 - Diana & Me - hey, it's my friend, Bill. XOXO, Bill!!

11:24 - God, Ryan Seacrest. He's ubiquitous. Unfortunately for us.
11:25 - Nelly Furtado. Didn't William fool around with her once? Or maybe that was Joss Stone. I lost all respect for Nelly when she sold out and went all electronic pop. I liked her a lot better as a folk singer.
11:28 - The Princes are standing for this one. They must really like her. (Why are the Princes' chairs spaced so far apart?)
11:31 - NOOOO! What is she doing to her "I'm Like A Bird" song?? This is criminal.
11:35 - I don't know what this song is, but WILLIAM IS DANCING.
11:36 (Apparently the song is "Maneater" which I always thought was a Hall & Oates song but then again I'm old.)

11:42 "She adored classical ballet with a vengeance. She couldn't get enough of it." What a beautiful quote.
11:50 - I think the ballet is beautiful. My Kid, on the other hand, who has probably never seen the ballet before, thinks it's "kinda fruity."
11:51 - (He doesn't really understand artistic impression.)
11:52 - I don't imagine it's often that the Royal Ballet plays to arena crowds, but you got to give The Brits credit for their class. American's would be screaming "FREE BIRD!" and shit.
11:53 - (Ha! Geddit? FREEBIRD??)
11:54 (The ballet is "Swan Lake")

11:56 - VH1 reports that The Princes were involved in every part of the planning, from using Diana's signature for the logo, to insisting that ticket prices be kept low. So why aren't the seats full?

12:10 - Status Quo. They opened Live Aid? Really? I don't even remember who they are. The vintage footage of Charles & Di at Live Aid is cool, though.
12:12 - Once again, all the old people are dancing.

12:15 - Diana & Me. I absolutely adore that footage of Di and her boys on the log ride at the amusement park. Such pure joy on all their faces.
12:16 - err...did that man just say "deaf & dumb boy"???

12:23 - Joss Stone. Now, I know I've heard that Wills dallied with her a bit. I've also heard that she's a complete freak.
12:24 - She looks like she's wearing a nightgown.
12:28 - wa-wait? She's singing "Under Pressure"?? Best. 80s. Song. Evah. This could be kind of cool...
12:29 - (Freddie Mercury was a musical genuis.)
12:31 - Seems they're conspicuously NOT showing The Princes during her set. Wonder why that is? Thought she was their favorite and all?

12:33 - Supertramp? Who knew any of them were even still alive. Alive & hitting the high notes, apparently...
12:34 - First shot of Charles Spencer.
12:35 - Supertramp must be much bigger in GB than here. The audience is really into this. Wils is singing along to that "Take A Look At My Girlfriend" song.
12:38 - OK, I'm sorry I made fun of this guy. I'm actually kind of enjoying his set now.

12:43 - I love that whenever they show a Diana & Me segment and then show the person in the audience, they're crying. So beautiful and moving and sincere.

12:44 - Orson. Again, not that up on new music I guess. Supposedly this is another of the Boys' favorites.
12:45 - When a Brit says "Orson" it sounds the same as when they say "Awesome."
12:51 - OK, I've figured them out. They're Midnight Oil for today's youth. Am I right??

12:55 - Diana & Me: "She did take on unpopular causes. She was brave...she was to some extent defiant in taking on the causes she did...and I think people admired her and respected her for doing that."

12:59 - Interview w/ Fergie - the guy just asked her if she got up at 4 a.m. to watch the royal wedding. She was what? About 5 at the time??

1:02 - Tom Jones. Oh... that Tom Jones. I think I was expecting Howard Jones (who was a British singer from the 80s). Oh lord, I hope no one throws their underwear onstage...
1:06 - Joe Perry? From Aerosmith? How did I not notice that?
1:11 - Heh. He just introduced her as "Josh" Stone.

1:15 - Who, what? I was getting my laundry out of the dryer...I don't know who this is. This is like performance art.
1:17 - Will Young? I think his name's Will Young.
1:18 - I wonder if the backup dancers know that the backs of their skirts are tucked in to their underwear.

1:19 - Natasha Benefield. She looks really pretty. I always liked her music until they played it 89 thousand times on the radio.
1:21 - Her makeup is really pretty. Soft. Heavy enough to work for stage but not so ridiculous that she looks like a clown on camera close-ups.
1:22 - I saw a dress like that yesterday at the mall - offwhite, a look of vintage lace. It would look horrible on me, but she's pulling it off well.
1:23 - I would not wear those shoes to dance around in though. It's a wonder she can keep them on her feet.

1:27 - Who are these thugs? Is that John McEnroe?
1:28 - Brian Ferry. I don't get it. It's a fashion show.
1:37 - I don't really know any Brian Ferry music. I think it's b/c I just wasn't cool enough in the 80s. I was listening to Duran Duran. And Howard Jones.

1:39 - Tony Blair. I love him. Have you seen "The Queen"? I've watched it three times. I think I'm going to buy the DVD.

1:41 - Andrew Lloyd Webber is a musical genius. This may be my favorite part of the concert yet...
1:44 - Wow...Andrea Boccelli, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban...holy crap. Oh, and Donnie Osmond. So there you go.
1:45 - OK, shhh...no talking during the Broadway show tunes.

2:05 - WOO-HOO! 20 minutes of ALW with all the big names and big voices and big orchestration. That was AWESOME. A few problems with timing (which, hello? That's why we put the orchestra and the director in front of the singers and the stage, but whatever). Note to self: download some soundtracks from iTunes later.

2:24 - Rod Stewart. How long do you think he'll perform? Good - old stuff. "Maggie May"
2:27 - I bet there are 500 million people around the world singing together right now. (Including me.)
2:31 - Do you think The Princes told Rod which songs they wanted, or do you think he said, "Look, these are the songs I can still do. You can pick from them."?
2:35 - Rod said, "I think I might be the only entertainer that you threw soccer balls at."
2:36 - I love "Sailing" live.
2:39 - I'm assuming this is the Royal Stewart Plaid that his band is wearing?
2:40 - 15 minutes. Not bad.

2:50 - Kanye West. Golddigger? Is that really appropriate?
2:51 - They showed an interview w/ him earlier. He said he was there b/c they (The Princes) are royalty in their country and he's royalty in his country. Fucking please.
2:53 - "Touch the Sky" - much better.
2:54 - Kanye looks like he's put on a few pounds, doesn't he?
2:56 - I thought this was live. How are they bleeping him? His performance in particular must be 5-second delayed. I've noticed the performances have been notably clean. Which, you know, I think shows a certain respect for Diana as well as for The Princes.
2:57 - My bad. The interview about royalty was with Diddy. Sorry, K.

3:04 - P. Diddy. To be honest with you, I've seen an awful lot of this guy, but I've never actually heard him sing. He does sing, right? He's not just famous for being famous?
3:08 - uhh, "If you miss Diana, make some noooooise"??? Seriously?? Who let this guy in?

3:21 - David Beckham. And the crowd goes wild!!

3:23 - Take That. UK's version of the boy band, I guess.
3:25 - Have you seen that movie where Hugh Grant plays an old 80s band member? And it starts off with the video from his one-hit wonder band? Yeah, this guy is like a singer doing Hugh Grant doing a singer.
3:33 - I think I do recognize this "Want You Back" song. Can't you just picture the conversation:
Wils: Of course we'll have to include Take That.
Harry: I'm not inviting those poufs to sing.
Wils: But the people will love it.
Harry: Piss off!
Wils: Mummy would want us to please the people.
Harry: Mummy wouldn't want her name associated with such rubbish.
Wils: Oh, bugger off
Harry: [punches William in the head]
[Much scuffling ensues]

3:43 - Ricky Gervais. The jokes on us, I guess, b/c we don't know who these characters are.
3:46 - Harry seems to be enjoying it. Wils is conspicuously absent from his seat. Our Canadian friend tells us he has snuck off to snog with Kate. So.

3:59 - Finally. The big finale with Sir Elton. Who apparently is coming out to Laura Branigan's "Gloria"
3:59 - (Oh nevermind. It's "Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting")
4:15 - The Princes come back out. They did an AMAZING job with this. Their mother would be so proud of them.
4:17 "The most perfect way of remembering her"
4:20 - Wow, home movies of Diana as a baby and a child. Who would ever expect something like that to be shared?

Top 5 Moments of the Day:
1. Andrew Lloyd Webber tribute
2. Rod Stewart singing "Maggie May" w/ the crowd
3. The Supertramp guy singing "Give A Little Bit" w/ the crowd
4. Lilly Allen
5. Royal Ballet - Swan Lake

Thanks for sharing it w/ me.