Pop euphony did n’t abruptly discover selflessness in the 1980s . The idea of the star topology - constellate brotherly love concert dates at least as far back as 1971 , which is when former BeatleGeorge Harrisonorganized The Concert for Bangladesh , a benefit for refugees in the former East Pakistan . But do - gooder musician involve it to the next level in the ' 80s — the decade of “ We Are the domain , ” Farm Aid , Band Aid , and of course of action , Live Aid .
alive assistance , which take stead on July 13 , 1985 for a global audience of 1.9 billion mass , was a massive , bicontinental pop concert created to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief . It was the brainchild of Bob Geldof , loss leader of the Irish new waving band The Boomtown stinker . Geldof was spurred to philanthropic activity after seeing a BBC report in October 1984 that featured footage of famish fry . His first thought was to make a charity single .
Geldof enlisted his buddy Midge Ure , the frontman of the band Ultravox , to aid him write and record “ Do They Know It ’s Christmas ” just a few weeks later . The single , which was free on December 3 , 1984 , was credited to Band attention — an uniting of the day ’s big pop stars , includingGeorge Michael , Boy George , and Bono . It reached No . 1 on the UK charts and raise more than $ 28 million for the drive . But that was n’t enough for Geldof . At least not if the Band assistance organization was run to bribe a fleet of hand truck to move nutrient and supplies to Ethiopians in need , as Geldof hop . So he took the next consistent stair and planned a concert .
Setting the Stage
Much has been said and written about Live Aid over the last 35 long time . To some , it was a beautiful moment of idealism and compassion . Others question the motif and effectiveness of a bunch of moneyed celebrities — most of them white — trying to pounce in and save Africa .
To measure the achiever of hot assistance , one call for to consider three different thing : numerical data , entertainment note value , and overall encroachment . By the first of these metrics , sheer numbers , Live attention was an overpowering triumph . Geldof and fellowship secured both Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia to host the concert on two continents . Using industry connections , thought , and a little act of skullduggery , Geldof was capable to book more than 50 of the music industry ’s biggest names , includingQueen , David Bowie , Elton John , Paul McCartney , The Who , Bob Dylan , U2 , and Madonna .
“ He had to call Elton and say ' poove are in and Bowie ’s in , ' and of course of action they were n’t , ” product handler Andy ZwecktoldThe Guardianof Geldof ’s maneuver . “ Then he ’d call Bowie and say ' Elton and Queen are in . ' It was a secret plan of bluff . ”
With the help of producerMichael C. Mitchell , Live Aid deal broadcast right to 150 state , at least 22 of which aerate telethons . Both MTV and ABC carried the feed in the United States , the latter in the physique of a primetime special hosted by Dick Clark . All told , Live assistance raise approximately $ 140 million .
A Musical Twofer
Of course , Live Aid was n’t just about fundraising . It also had to be a neat show — or else why would mass bother to watch it in the first place ? As it happened , the daytime was filled with memorable performances on both side of the Atlantic . The consensus pickaxe for Live Aid MVP is Queen , whose 21 - minute Wembley curing included “ Bohemian Rhapsody , ” “ We Will Rock You , ” and “ We are the Champions . ”Mercury " strutted and preened , carry his mike on a metal pole that he treat as a vaudevillian ’s cane , an breeze guitar , and , of course , a phallus,“The New York Timeswroteof Mercury ’s carrying into action . " He was a rock star playing a stone star , leather - lunged and imperious but also grinning to rent everyone share the jape … For 21 minute , Freddie Mercury undeniably made the world his stadium . " In 2005 , Queen ’s Live Aid stage set was vote the greatestrock gigin history by a panel of music industry expert .
Less than two hours before Queen gain the microscope stage , U2 wow Wembley with a performance that cemented their status as future stadium kings . During their 11 - minute rendition of “ Bad , ” Bono plucked a 15 - year - old fan named Kal Khalique from the crowd and slowly - danced with her as if no one else was follow . Of naturally , U2 kneweveryonewas watching , and whileKhaliquehas claimed that Bono saved her from being crushed , the mulletted rocker may have organise the moment for TV cameras . Either way , it worked .
Live Aid was also a freehanded day for Run - DMC , and hip - hop in general . In 1985 , pop radio set station were still reluctant to run this new form of music , and the Queens rappers undoubtedly raised some eyebrows as they took the stage in Philly with no band — just DJ Jam Master Jay behind two turntables . “ We got a whole lot of rock ‘n’ roll groups backstage tonight , but D want y’ all to know one thing , " Joseph “ Run ” Simmons told the bunch , just before launching into “ King of Rock . ” Run - DMC afterward blow about their Live economic aid profits on 1986 ’s “ My Adidas , ” rapping , “ Stepped on degree , at Live help , all the people commit , and the hapless got yield ! ”
One man who literally went the distance for the lawsuit was Phil Collins . The Genesis frontman and chart - dominating solo artist perform withStingat 3:15 p.m. in London , then jumped on the Concorde and flew to Philly to play his own set and dish out as drummer for Eric Clapton and a reunited Led Zeppelin . Most people agree that theZeppelinset was a entire disaster — the band was under - rehearsed and out of tune . But decennary later , Collins ’s ocean - hopping stunt is what the great unwashed commemorate . “ I was in England this afternoon , ” Collins told the Philly crowd . “ Funny old world , innit ? ”
Other highlights admit Madonna getting into thegroove , Mick Jagger turning up theheatwith Tina Turner , and Elton John and George Michael dueting on “ Do n’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me . ” Bob Dylan planted the seeds for another Greek valerian concert , Farm help , when he aim amomentduring his performance with Keith Richards and Ron Wood of The Rolling Stones to indicate that some of the money be used to help struggling American farmers .
The Diversity Divide
In all , the show offered a good mixture of Baby Boomer favorites ( Dylan , Neil Young , Paul McCartney ) and hip younger acts ( Elvis Costello , The Style Council , Adam Ant , Thompson Twins ) . But Live Aid did have a diversity trouble .
About a calendar month before the show , fabled concert plugger Bill Graham said that “ every major Black creative person on the Billboard 200 chart and R&B chart ” had been approached . Many artists , including Michael Jackson , Diana Ross , andPrince , had simply decline to perform . But others , include Dionne Warwick , say they ’d never been pay for . As the concert engagement grow stuffy , Live tending organizers struggle to summate more dim artists , including The Four Tops , Tina Turner , and Patti LaBelle .
“ After the concert , we were call down for not have got enough Black artists on the bill . It became this anti - colonial diatribe , ‘ You Stanford White , telling us poor Black guys what to do , ’ ” Midge Ure told theIndependent . “ It was unjust but it happened . ”
The lasting wallop of Live Aid stay a far bully source of controversy . In 1986,SPINran a story titled “ alive Aid : The Terrible Truth ” which claimed that food and attention money were pad the government of potentate Lt . Col . Mengistu Haile Mariam , the man most responsible for Ethiopia ’s suffering . According toSPIN , Mengistu used food to lure multitude into camp that provide his government to forcefully relocate hundreds of 1000 of Ethiopians . Mengistu reportedly also used Western help to purchase arms from the Soviets to use in his fight against insurrectionist .
In a 2005 slice forThe Guardian , David Rieff paraphrased Ethiopia expert Alex de Waal and write that Live financial aid hack the famine death toll by “ between a quarter and a one-half . ” “ The problem is that it may have contributed to as many death , ” Rieff summate .
Geldof has always defended unrecorded Aid ’s use of fund . “ I say as betimes as January 1985 , I will didder hands with the devil on my left field and on my right to get to the people we are mean to assist , ” he said in reception to theSPINexposé . Geldoflater saidthat Live Aid was “ almost unadulterated in what it reach . ” He was knighted byQueen Elizabeth IIin 1986 in recognitionof his work in help Africa ’s hunger population .
The Live Aid Legacy
One matter resilient assistance unquestionably did was put Ethiopia on Americans ' and Europeans ' radars . It also make a raw templet for high-pitched - visibility melodious benefits . Farm Aid launched in 1985 ; three years later , in 1988 , Bruce Springsteen , Sting , Peter Gabriel , and others crossed the globe as part of the Human Rights Now ! tour on behalf of Amnesty International . There was The Concert for New York City after 9/11 and The SARS Benefit Concert in 2003 . In 2005 , Geldof revisit the Live Aid model withLive 8 , a serial of concert aimed at convincing the G8 leader to forgivedebtfor African country and ordain fairer trade wind law .
In 2007 , Al Gore helped to organize Live Earth , which was essentially Live Aid forclimate change . Geldof was critical of the event , which he said lacked “ a final goal . ” “ I would only organize this if I could go on stage and annunciate concrete environmental measures from the American presidential candidates , Congress , or major potbelly , ” Geldof say .
Geldof made newspaper headline again in March 2020 , amid theCOVID-19 pandemic , when he helped drink down Isaac M. Singer Rita Ora design anemblemto elevate the WHO and UN ’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund . In an audience with theToronto Sun , Geldof gave Ora most of the credit rating for the logo . The man who mobilise the Earth for a single cause 35 yr earlier also seemed less convinced that human beings — musicians or otherwise — were any mate for world itself .
“ The Achilles heel of humanity is its hubris , ” Geldof said . “ We think that we can dominate everything but nature just comes along and pass over us out .
“ What ’s positive is that mass empathise how fragile we are and they also understand the courageousness of all the multitude who are working to help … But that will fade over a very short period when we go back to the same older , same old . It ’s simply a use of globalisation and that ’s not go anywhere . ”
