Live 8 And A Half?

Someone explain to me the logic of Live 8. Please.

I'm not so smart, so I can't say I understand everything, but what is the reason behind a huge, multi-city concert to spread awareness of Hunger in Africa by spending millions in stages, artists, and sound equipment and hiring the best, most popular, most loved artists in the world to perform and then NOT charge the audience?

Charge 'em, I say! Charge 'em twenty bucks each and take that money and use it for Africa. Is the general public so obsessed with themselves that they aren't aware of the problems in Africa? I think they are. What Africa needs is money. Money, food, volunteers. That's what should have been going on. Bring canned food, old clothes, donate blood, and then listen to some bands.

It just makes no sense to me. And the hypocrisy of it all saddens me.