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Both U2 and Coldplay, Live 8’s other headline act, have other concerts the same evening — U2 in Vienna and Coldplay in Glasgow — which is adding to the logistical problem of staging 25 acts in seven hours at Hyde Park.

Madonna had been rehearsing a duet with Sting, Geldof said, but the planned performance has since been dropped. Instead Sting is believed to be using Spitting Image-style puppets of Tony Blair, George Bush and other world leaders for a rendition of the Police song Every Breath You Take — with the words changed to “We’ll be watching you”.

All, however, is not sweetness and light among the G8 fraternity. Geldof has been branded an “arrogant prima donna” by the organiser of the Edinburgh Live8 concert.

Tensions between Pete Irvine, better known for organising Edinburgh’s official annual Hogmanay celebration, and Geldof emerged after the former Boomtown Rats singer decided he wanted to appear on the star-studded line-up at Murrayfield stadium on July 6.

Irvine confirmed that Geldof would be playing, but admitted that his appearance, and the length of his set, had been the subject of intense debate.

“We have no problems with prima donnas, except Bob Geldof,” he said. “His call to bring a million people to Edinburgh is a bit of arrogance. It is an arrogance to many people’s minds. He continues to be that kind of a guy.”

While Irvine paid tribute to Geldof’s efforts to raise the profile of poverty in Africa, he said: “I would like to withhold my comments about Bob.”

Geldof has ruffled feathers within the music industry by saying that some acts are not popular enough to play at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park. Big-name acts left off the bill include Status Quo, Ozzy Osbourne and Meat Loaf.

Geldof recently ruled out performing at Hyde Park himself, saying: “Frankly as a singer I don’t think I deserve it.”

After the Live Aid concert he fell out spectacularly with his fellow Live 8 frontman Midge Ure. In his autobiography, Ure said he had felt “stabbed in the back” after his band Ultravox were made to swap slots with the Boomtown Rats.

Ure later learned that his performance had been pushed back so that Geldof’s band could perform while the Prince and Princess of Wales were still in the stadium.

Geldof’s decision to perform at the Murrayfield concert has come as a surprise to many as his name was not on the list announced by Ure at the formal launch of the event earlier this month. Dido, Travis, Texas, Wet Wet Wet, Snow Patrol, Annie Lennox and the Zutons are among the bands confirmed for the show, which will coincide with the arrival of world leaders at the G8 summit at Gleneagles.

Earlier this month, Damon Albarn, the singer with Blur, criticised Live 8 as too “Anglo-Saxon” and called for performers to prove they were not trying to cash in on the free publicity by asking their record companies to give any increase in profits to a worthy cause.

Geldof responded by saying that Albarn’s present group, Gorillaz, does not sell as many albums as other artists.

Since its release in May, the band’s album, Demon Days, has sold around 2m copies worldwide, and has been No 1 in five countries. Geldof’s last solo album, Sex, Age & Death, charted at 134 and he had his last No 1 record 26 years ago.

The Sunday Times has joined with AOL to raise awareness of the Live 8 campaign against poverty. For the chance to win one of 50 pairs of tickets to Saturday’s concert, readers in the Republic of Ireland should call 1550 927 780 (calls cost 95c per minute).

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