We’re hipper than Berlin, but that’s not really saying much

Our choices for who should be added to spice up roster

Is it just us, or is the lineup for the Canadian Live8 concert something of a sloppy-seconds serving of classic or neo-classic rock, Central Canuck roots acts and some London and Los Angeles visitors? At least the bookers managed to find a few actual African bands to perform, including tasty rapper K’Naan and the Juno Award-winning African Guitar Summit featuring Van’s very own Alpha Yaya Diallo.

But where’s the edge? The urban, and the youth-market acts?

Sure, our lineup is waaaaay hipper than Berlin’s, but we can do better.

Apparently, three acts remain to be booked for our show in that rock ‘n’ roll centre of Barrie, Ont. After careful consideration, here’s who we’d like to see fill out the roster.

Nelly Furtado: Uh, hello. After “Forca” became an anthem of the last Euro 2004 Cup, Nelly’s hotter than ever. And she’s actually one of those rare artists with a worldwide following in two languages: English and Portuguese.

K-OS: A complete package. He brings the funk, the fun and a social conscience in line with the event’s stated goals. He’s also an artist that could appeal to the under 50s in the audience who’ll be stifling yawns through all that dull Ontario roots music and those Maritime drinking songs.

Rush: Anyone who’s travelled the globe knows that this trio is arguably our most successful cultural export. From the Kalahari to the top of Kilimanjaro and all jungles in between, there are fans who know that there is trouble in the forest. Plus, there could be a really, really long drum solo in the set for guest percussionists to jam on.