Let's start off on the right foot: for those unfamiliar with "Live 8", it's a series of live concerts to benefit "Drop the Debt", an ongoing effort for the world's richest countries to offer total debt relief for the world's poorest countries. The G8 summit---which was held in July of this year and hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair---could perhaps have been considered the most pivotal point in the movement, when leaders from the USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia were encouraged to offer this debt relief for Africa.

I wouldn't consider myself a political activist in any capacity, but I've always been a fan of interesting music---and here's where "Live 8" comes in. This series of concerts was held on Saturday, July 2 of this year in nine (count 'em, nine) different countries to raise awareness for the movement. The concerts scheduled that day included shows in the UK (Hyde Park, London), France (Palais de Versailles, Paris), Germany (Siegessäule, Berlin), Italy (Circus Maximus, Rome), the USA (Museum of Art, Philadelphia), Canada (Park Place, Barrie), Japan (Makuhari Messe, Tokyo), South Africa (Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown, Johannesburg) and The Russian Federation (Red Square, Moscow). Sounds like a pretty busy day, right?

Well, it was. According to estimates (from the offical website, linked below), "Live 8" was seen by roughly 3 billion people, an impressive figure by every stretch of the imagination. Though the concert in question for this DVD release, Africa Calling (held at The Eden Project in the UK), is only one piece of the total picture, it proved to be a popular show filled with strong musical acts. Though it may come across as a little disorganized and sloppy at times, it's still a fine show, all things considered. With a few celebrities (including Angelina Jolie) and a few more well-known musical acts (including Peter Gabriel and Dido) helping to connect the dots for less seasoned viewers, it's easy to get into despite a nearly three-hour length. From start to finish, here's the list of performances:

Overall, there's some great performances on board here---and I wouldn't say I strongly disliked any of them, but there were a few that didn't quite hold my interest. Standout performances include the opening tracks by Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited, Chartwell Duitro, Geoffrey Oryema (and Peter Gabriel), the dependable Angelique Kidjo and especially Youssou N'dour (and Dido). For the most part, the nearly non-stop presentation of the music was another highlight, since too much between-song banter and other distractions can really lessen the impact of a strong concert. The crowd seemed to enjoy themselves as well, which always makes any show more entertaining. Overall, it's a solid set from top to bottom that should appease the taste of most music lovers.

The 2-disc DVD presentation from Rhino holds its own in some departments, offering a very strong set of audio options and a relatively good video presentation (more on that later, though). Though the bonus features leave a bit to be desired, Live 8 at Eden: Africa Calling still stands tall as an above-average concert release that's worth watching more than once. Let's look closer, shall we?

The audio offers an improved presentation, as the main feature is available in Dolby 2.0 and 5.1 Surround options as well as a terrific DTS mix. Crowd noise and live performance dynamics are put to great use here, really helping to create the illusion of actually being there. It's not a perfect mix, but it's a fine presentation that really helps this release stand out. Half a dozen subtitle options are offered (including English, of course), though they're disappointingly reserved for between-song banter and don't offer translation of the lyrics. At least the music sounds good.

Menu Design, Presentation & Packaging:

Seen above, the basic menu designs are stylish but simple enough to provide easy navigation. I did have a few problems with the audio set-up menu, though: on both discs, the menu would often appear with no discernable arrow to highlight a selection, creating a great deal of confusion on several occasions. Even so, the audio options are easily selectable during the performances, so try switching it that way if you have any problems. The 160-minute main feature was broken down into 30+ chapters---one for each notable introduction or performance---and no layer change was detected during playback. This 2-disc release is housed in a handsome foldout digipak case with a nice insert booklet tucked inside, rounding out a good presentation overall.

The bonus features are thin for this 2-disc release, as fans are only given a Behind-the-Scenes Documentary (28 minutes, located on Disc 1) to go with the main feature. It's an informative piece and includes participation from many of the featured artists, but it would've been nice to hear more from the festival organizers or get a peek at other Live 8 shows. Either way, it's still a fairly packed release for the asking price, and I'd imagine the chaos of organizing this one-day event (not to mention the language barrier) was the reason there aren't more extras included here.

For adventurous music fans, Live 8 at Eden: Africa Calling is a solid collection of live performances that's easily worth checking out. It doesn't always fire on all cylinders, but this 2-disc set offers plenty of entertainment value and the chance to broaden your musical horizons. The technical presentation is slight hit-or-miss and the bonus features are a bit slim, but this is still a good package for the asking price. Those who aren't entirely familiar with the Live 8 experience---or more casual music lovers, of course---will certainly want to give this one a rent first, but there's enough here to consider Africa Calling a worthy addition to your musical DVD library. Recommended.