Climate change, your time has come – tomorrow, some of the world's most environmentally-aware acts are going to perform at the Live Earth concerts, and they've all promised not to stop playing until the polar ice caps have frozen up again.

There's probably not a lot you don't already know about Live Earth - Al Gore's slightly confusing plan to reduce global carbon emissions by asking performers, concert crowds and television viewers to gang together and use up more carbon than anyone else in history ever – but you probably didn't know that Live Earth will start with a top-secret show in Washington DC. The Washington Live Earth show, codenamed Mother Earth, hasn't been formally announced yet so we still don't know what it'll be like. However, since it's safe to say that the Washington Live Earth concert won't feature slots by David Gray, Keane, Razorlight or Madonna, we're willing to bet that it'll be better than the London show. 

Forget the Princess Diana concert – when it comes to giant, slightly charityish summertime concerts that don't really have a clearly-defined set of objectives, Live Earth is where it's at. Live Earth, as if you needed telling, is name of the climate change concerts spearheaded by Al Gore, the former politician whose environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth won not only Oscars but the unwanted attention of Lindsay Lohan.

Over recent days and weeks, though, the Live Earth concerts have been hit by a number of setbacks, like the temporary cancellation of the Rio de Janeiro Live Earth concert, the cancellation of the Istanbul Live Earth concert, the untimely drug arrest of Al Gore's son, the way that Muse think Live Earth is silly and the fact that trying to halt climate change by holding a string of massive global energy-gobbling concerts that people will either travel to by car or spend hours watching on their televisions is probably the most redundant idea ever. But despite all this, Live Earth still has a few surprises up its sleeve – like the top-secret Mother Earth concert planned for Washington, as ABC reports:

ABC News has learned that former Vice President Al Gore will begin the morning of the "Live Earth" concerts this Saturday in Washington, D.C., at a related concert that has yet to be officially announced. Called "Mother Earth," the concert will take place at the Outdoor Welcome Plaza at the National Museum of the American Indian. Gore will then head to Giants Stadium in New Jersey, one of the eight official larger venues of the all-star 7/7/07 concerts, meant to bring attention to "a climate in crisis."

Since this Mother Earth concert is still officially under wraps, we're not sure of what form it'll actually take, but – judging by its sub-spiritual name and the American Indian museum location – we expect we'll be in for an hour or two of interminable chanting of some kind. Ace. But don't let this new Live Earth concert detract you from the message of Live Earth – Al Gore still wants you to sign his weirdly noncommittal pledge and enjoy the musical talents of acts like Madonna and Spinal Tap at the same time. 

And word is that the Live Earth organisers have asked each act to write and perform their own Live Earth-based songs especially for tomorrow's concerts, too. This is a risk because a) science has proved that the quickest way to alienate a viewing public of two billion people is to announce "We're going to play you a new one now" and b) if all of these new tunes are as bad as Madonna's Life Earth song, tomorrow's going to be one hell of a long day. Let's just hope the sun gets the message early on and stops being so hot before Razorlight get to the stage. 

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Surprise DC Show Part Of Live Earth – ABC