More than 150 of top artists performed at the Live 8 concerts held in 10 cities around the world including London, Philadelphia, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Toronto, and Johannesburg.

Tens of millions of people arrived to hear their idols live or tuned in for the live airing of the Live 8 oncerts.

Live 8 concert series was intended to pressure leaders from G8 nations due to meet in Scotland this week to consider the poverty, debt, disease and neglect of about 700 millions of Africans.

The aim of the concerts was to create attention and "political heat" ahead of the G8 meeting to persuade the leaders to agree to cancel Africa's unpayable debts, double aid for the continent and make trade fair, Geldof said.

"We don't want people's money. We want them," Geldof said prior when announcing the Live 8 concerts. "Twenty years on, it strikes me as being morally repulsive and intellectually absurd that people die of want in a world of surplus," Geldof said. "This is to finally, as much as we can, put a stop to that."

Africa is expected to be high on the agenda of the meeting of the group of eight wealthy nations - which includes Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Russia, Canada, Italy and Japan. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said he wants rich nations to write off the debts owed by the world's poorest countries and to double international aid, initiatives the White House has ruled out.

Geldof said after the concerts, people would be encouraged to get to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he expects a million people to gather for a mass protest as the leaders meet in nearby Gleneagles.

He also said he had invited Pope Benedict XVI to join the Edinburgh gathering. "I think he should show up. I think it should be his first gig," Geldof said.

"Twenty years on, it strikes me as being morally repulsive and intellectually absurd that people die of want in a world of surplus," Geldof said. "This is to finally, as much as we can, put a stop to that."

Bob Geldof said he had resisted any recreation of Live Aid, but relented to pressure from U2's Bono and others: "It seemed to me that we could gather again, but this time not for charity but for political justice."

The 1985 Live Aid concerts, held in London and Philadelphia on the same day, sold out both venues, drew a TV audience of millions around the globe and raised $40 million for poverty relief in Africa.

Since then, Geldof said, Africa has only become poorer. 

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