Live8 turns down some top groups

The promoter involved in London's Live8 concert has a problem -- too many groups want to be involved in the humanitarian effort.

Harvey Goldsmith told the Mirror that he has turned down 65 bands, including Motley Crue and Meatloaf. Ozzie Osbourne, who played at the Live Aid concert in 1985, and the Spice Girls, turned down by promoter Bob Geldof, the event's main mover, could still make the cut.

"This never happened for Live Aid -- it was the opposite," Goldsmith said.

The concert set for Hyde Park July 2 with simultaneous events in cities around the world has become mired in controversy. Geldof has come under fire for failing to invite black and African groups and has noisily criticized winners of free tickets who have been trying to sell them online.

Goldsmith told the Mirror that selling 1,000 tickets to corporate sponsors was probably a mistake, given the flap over online auction sales. But he said that organizers were unsure at first if concert costs would be covered.

© Copyright 2005 by United Press International