Around 3,000 people are expected to attend the Shanghai segment of Saturday's worldwide Live Earth concerts promoting global warming awareness.

All the tickets, priced at 220 yuan (US$29), 550 yuan and 1,100 yuan, have been sold, according to event organizer Shanghai Oriental Pearl Live Nation Entertainment and Sports Co. Ltd.

The local portion of the global 24-hour Live Earth concerts will be held in front of the Oriental Pearl Tower and feature a distinctively Asian playbill.

Hong Kong's Eason Chan and Joey Yung, Taiwanese singers Evonne Hsu and Winnie Hisn and the renowned 12 Girls Band from the Chinese mainland have volunteered to perform at the three-hour event. The single international star is British singer Sarah Brightman. The organizer said the intention was to target a Chinese audience.

"The aim of the concert is to make more Chinese people realize the importance of environmental protection," said Wang Xin, who works for the organizer.

Practicing the Live Earth message, tissues and hand soap used at the concert site will be recycled, and volunteers will pick up litter around the site. To encourage more people to take public transport, the organizer changed the concert time from 8pm to 7pm to make sure those who attend can catch the last Metro train home.

Backed by former United States Vice President Al Gore, the international music event aims to promote awareness about global warming and explain what people can do to save energy.

The concerts, featuring more than 150 artists including Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bon Jovi and The Police, are also scheduled to be staged in Hamburg, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney and Tokyo.

A band of scientists will also perform in Antarctica, stretching Live Earth across seven continents and an intended audience of two billion people.

(Shanghai Daily July 7, 2007)