Live 8 Charity Concert: The Fight Against Global Poverty

Bob Geldof claimed Saturday's shows would be "the greatest concert ever," and it was hard to argue with him after the unprecedented gathering drew everyone from Snoop Dogg to Bill Gates, Mandela to Madonna.

But the ultimate success of the Live 8 extravaganza will be judged by whether the world's most powerful leaders, gathering next week for the Group of Eight summit meeting, listen to Geldof's demands for debt forgiveness, trade concessions and $25 billion in aid for Africa. (Interactive: Live 8 explainer)

"History and the generations to come will judge our leaders by the decisions they make in the coming weeks," former South African president Nelson Mandela said after taking the stage in Johannesburg, where the crowd of more than 8,000 people gave him a five-minute ovation.

"I say to all those leaders: Do not look the other way, do not hesitate ... It is within your power to prevent a genocide."

"This is our moment. This is our time. This is our chance to stand up for what's right," U2 frontman Bono told a crowd of 200,000 in London's Hyde Park.

"We're not looking for charity, we're looking for justice," Bono said. "We cannot fix every problem, but the ones we can, we must."

In Philadelphia, on the Independence Day weekend, actor Will Smith called the festivities a worldwide "declaration of interdependence."

"Today we hold this truth to be self-evident: We are all in this together," Smith said. Beamed around the world by satellite, he led the audience in snapping their fingers every three seconds, signifying the child death rate in Africa.

Neil Young performed rousing renditions of "Keep on Rockin' In The Free world" and "O Canada" before 35,000 roaring fans at Canada's event in Barrie, Ontario.

Paul McCartney and U2 opened the flagship show of the free 10-concert festival with a rousing performance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

In Philadelphia, on the Independence Day weekend, actor Will Smith called the festivities a worldwide “declaration of interdependence.”

“Today we hold this truth to be self-evident: We are all in this together,” Smith said. Beamed around the world by satellite, he led the audience in snapping their fingers every three seconds, signifying the child death rate in Africa.

The London crowd joined in as R.E.M. sang “Man on the Moon,” then heard U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan declare: “This is really the United Nations ... The whole world has come together in solidarity with the poor.”

The crowd went wild for the reunion of Pink Floyd — the first time guitarist David Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason, keyboard player Richard Wright and bassist Roger Waters appeared onstage together since 1981.

Geldof’s claim that 3 billion people around the world were watching Saturday seemed overblown, as did talk in Philadelphia that a million people were on hand. But Live 8 was huge nonetheless, with a mile-long crowd stretching from the front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and America Online saying that more than 5 million people sampled its live video streams, which broadcast all 10 concerts in their entirety.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.