LONDON, July 7: Many of the world’s biggest pop stars performed at Live Earth concerts around the globe on Saturday to try to persuade fans and governments to go green.

Tens of thousands of people poured into venues in Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hamburg to hear Linkin Park, Rihanna, Shakira, Crowded House, Kumi Koda and others, while former US Vice-President Al Gore appealed for action on climate change.

Genesis, Razorlight and Snow Patrol kicked off the event at London’s Wembley Stadium, leading a star-studded cast there, including Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Spinal Tap, who will play before an expected 70,000 crowd. Live Earth hopes to reach up to 2 billion people through radio, television and the Internet.—Reuters