Colombian singer Juanes, who organised the Peace without Borders concert, received death threats from Miami-based critics of the Cuban regime, but had the support from 20 high-profile jailed dissidents inside Cuba.
While critics have complained that Juanes is endorsing the island's communist system, the dissidents say the concert is an opportunity for reconciliation. Juanes said the show was about peace and tolerance, not politics, telling the audience that "the important thing is to swap hate for love". But at the end of the show, he caused some surprise by shouting "Cuba libre!" (Free Cuba!) and "One Cuban family", slogans associated with the Cuban exile community.
The location of the Havana concert was highly symbolic. The headquarters of the communist party is in Revolution Square, along with a giant metal sculpture of Che Guevara's head. The square was used by Fidel Castro to give five-hour speeches, and is also where Pope John Paul II celebrated a historic open air Mass in 1998.
The Way The Music Died - Gary Barlow and James Blunt have joined Lily Allen's campaign against music piracy amid a growing dispute among artists on the subject. Allen has set up a new blog to post messages against unauthorised file-sharing from fellow musicians. It comes after another group of performers, the Featured Artists' Coalition (FAC), said serial file-sharers should not be punished. "I want to put my hand up in support of Lily Allen," Blunt wrote. Describing Allen as "our leader", Blunt continued: "She's asking British musicians to galvanise over a serious crime: the death of a Great British industry - our music business."
The debate over what to do about file-sharing has been sparked by the government's suggestion that serial file-sharers could have their internet accounts suspended. The Featured Artists' Coalition, whose board includes Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien, Blur drummer Dave Rowntree and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, spoke out last week against the sanctions. They joined forces with the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and the Music Producers Guild to say they "vehemently oppose" the plans to punish file-sharers. The FAC said it did not condone file-sharing, but that "heavy-handed" tactics may turn fans away from music for good. O'Brien told BBC News: "It's going to start a war which they'll never win."
On The Big Screens - The Michael Jackson film This Is It is to have simultaneous premieres in more than 15 cities around the world. Cities hosting the premieres on 27 and 28 October include Los Angeles, London, New York, Berlin, Seoul and Rio de Janeiro. The movie is based on more than 100 hours of footage from rehearsals for the 50 London shows he had planned to do. "Michael Jackson has an army of fans everywhere around the world . . . we are giving the audiences an incredible opportunity to join together in celebration of Michael Jackson's incredible career," said Jeff Black, chairman of worldwide marketing and distribution for Sony Pictures.
(Jim Evans)
