Elton John's Live Hate

Music

13:30 05 August 2005

Elton John has blasted Live 8 as an "anti-climax" and has branded his duet partner Pete Doherty "a mess."

The outspoken star has confessed he was disappointed by the historic charity show - which featured some of the biggest names in music and was watched by millions of people around the world.

He claims there was "no sense of occasion" and few musical highlights - despite show-stopping performances from pop legends U2, Sir Paul McCartney, Madonna and Sting.

The superstar has also slammed British organisers for choosing the wrong venue and claims the concert was nowhere near as good as the original Live Aid show in 1984.

Elton moaned in an interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper: "Oh God, here I go. I thought it was a bit of an anti-climax to be honest. The thought behind it was fantastic but Hyde Park is a charisma-free zone.

"There was no sense of occasion and from a musical point, I didn't thing there were too many highlights.

"I was very pleased to be a part of it, but I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as the first one. How could it be?"

He added of wayward singer Doherty: "He's a mess, it's really sad."

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