Al Gore's Global Rock Show

July 7, 2007 — -- Rock stars of the world are uniting this weekend to highlight the problem of global warming. It's an extravaganza called Live Earth.

The 150 best musical acts in the entire world will headline the concerts. In addition, there will be 10,000 other events in more than 130 nations, on every continent -- happening at the same time, connected to Live Earth. It's a big undertaking -- as big as hosting 10 Super Bowls, at once.

Madonna is singing a brand-new song in London; Bon Jovi and Kanye West are singing in New Jersey.

It's a big show, to be sure. However, some doubt in the modern day, when there are many concerts for many causes, whether it will have a big impact.

This particular concert event hasn't generated as much buzz as some of the other major concerts for charity. But former Vice President Al Gore is doing everything he can to get everyone to tune in.

The audience will be asked to take a pledge to fight global warming and Gore thinks music may help motivate people to follow through on that pledge.

"Music connects with people in a way that no other medium does," Gore told ABC News' Kate Snow. "And these artists are helping to deliver an SOS call for the climate in crisis. And then, we'll ask people to answer that call, and give them information on how they can help solve the climate crisis and be part of the solution.

"This is designed not as a one day event," Gore added, "but as the beginning of a three-year massive global campaign to get the world to cross a political tipping point so that the governmental and business and civic leaders in every nation will get the pressure and the encouragement and the inspiration to make the changes necessary to solve this climate crisis."

The concert will even reach Antarctica. Gore said it was important to include all seven continents.

"There is a group of scientists with the British Antarctic Survey who have a terrific band," Gore said. "They've been practicing for six months"

But will that message break through?

"Massive charity concerts have become almost run of the mill," said Evan Serpick, an associate editor as Rolling Stone. "People aren't as wowed by it anymore. … It's lost its novelty, for sure."

And there's another issue: Though the concert venues promise to be as green as possible, critics scoff at the idea of a global warming event that will pack parking lots with cars.

Veteran concert organizer Bob Geldof, the driving force behind the Live Aid concerts of the 1980s, called it just an enormous pop concert.

Gore disagrees.

"Actually, this seven-point pledge is extremely concrete. And we're going to ask people to be part of this ongoing, three-year global campaign," Gore said.

ABC News' latest polling has found a vast majority, 85 percent, believes global warming is probably occurring, up slightly from 80 percent in a 1998 poll.

Why then is there a need for a concert to raise awareness?

As Gore put it, the Live Earth project is part of a broad effort to get people around the world to cross a tipping point.

But Gore realizes that change won't come through a series of concerts alone. Public policy has to change.

He has said the next president will be key in dealing with climate change. But he won't jump into political prognosticating and try to plug a particular candidate.

"My job -- as I see it -- is to change enough minds at the grass-roots level so that whoever is elected will make this the No. 1 issue," Gore said. "There are still 500 days between now and the election, and so I'm gonna concentrate on making sure that whoever the nominees are and whoever is elected will make this the top priority."

Gore said he's fallen out of love with politics. But, he added, he respects people who are still in the political game.

"I respect people who are still in that process. I did it for a long time," Gore said. "I found that there are other ways to serve. But I'm focused on what I truly believe is the most dangerous crisis we've ever faced, but also the greatest set of opportunities that we've ever faced."

His goal behind his work on global warming -- from his film "An Inconvenient Truth" to his work on Live Earth, he said, "is to avoid the catastrophic damage, irretrievable damage to Earth's climate and Earth's environment, unless we act quickly. We will act. But the way we'll act is when enough people feel the sense of urgency that's appropriate."