"Today there will be noise and music and joy, the joy of exuberant possibility. On Friday there will be great silence as the world awaits your verdict,"

"Do not disappoint us. Do not create a generation of cynics. Do not betray the desires of billions and the hopes of the poorest of our world."

Live 8, dubbed the greatest show on earth, began in Tokyo and Johannesburg followed by Berlin and London reports CNN. Paul McCartney launched the showpiece UK Live 8 in the capital's Hyde Park with Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, followed by U2 with "One."

"I think you've seen that ministers around the world have been affected by the strength of public opinion, churches, faith groups, and it does have an impact," British finance minister Gordon Brown, an advocate of debt relief, told BBC Television.

Pope Benedict, addressing crowds in St Peter's Square one day after Rome staged one of the Live 8 concerts, said he hoped the G8 summit would bring genuine and lasting relief to Africa.

More than 26 million people worldwide sent text messages on Saturday to support Live 8, setting a world record for a single event, organisers said. Several billion tuned in worldwide.

Live 8 has sparked debate over whether making money available to African governments encourages corruption reports Reuters.