Bob Geldof, Midge Ure and Brian May join other A-listers at star-studded Live Aid 40th Anniversary Gala

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

The Live Aid 40th Anniversary Gala took place this weekend - with the likes of Midge Ure, Sir Bob Geldof and Sir Brian May in attendance.
The original benefit, which lasted for 16 epic hours on July 13 1985, was organised by Bob and Midge to raise relief funds for Ethiopia as the East African country battled a devastating famine that would claim hundreds of thousands of lives in just two years.
Almost 40 years after 72,000 fans converged on London's Wembley Stadium for an epic string of performances from some of the biggest stars of the 1980s, the duo were seen at the Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical on Sunday.
Midge and Bob both looked smart as they turned up in shirts and blazers at The Shaftesbury Theatre.
The 71-year-old Scottish singer seemed in good spirits as he stood on stage during the curtain call.
Meanwhile, Irish icon Bob put on a performance for the crowd, wearing a black T-shirt and suede jacket.
Queen legend Brian May, 77, was seen hugging Bob, 73, as the pair appeared to get emotional.
Brian looked suave in a purple palm printed blazer as they embraced on the stage.
In May, Bob and Midge were back on familiar ground as they reunited to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Live Aid.
Echoing that hot summer's day in 1985, when stars such as David Bowie and Queen mesmerised fans across the world, the sun beat down as Bob and Midge took a trip down memory lane.
Just seven-months after the 1984 release of Band Aid charity single Do They Know It's Christmas?, Geldof and Ure brought together some of the biggest musical artists of the 1980s for two huge concerts at Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia's John F. Kennedy Stadium.
David Bowie, Sir Paul McCartney, Status Quo, Sir Elton John and Queen led a lengthy roster of performers in London, while Black Sabbath, Joan Baez, Run D.M.C and The Beach Boys joined a host of stars in Philadelphia.
Watched by an estimated 1.9billion people across the world, the two concerts raised an astonishing £150 million in total for famine relief.
BBC Two and BBC iPlayer announced plans to broadcast Live Aid at 40, revealing the behind-the-scenes story of the 1985 concert that brought the idea of charity to a new generation.
During an appearance at the ground, Bob quipped to The Sun: 'It doesn't look that sort of different. I expect it to be mega and new and it just looks as crappy as before. I'm blue in the face listening to f***ing Freddie Mercury.'
Reflecting on the musical, Midge added: 'I went in as a jaded rock star expecting cheese. But during the show this jaded rock star had a lump in his throat.
'One song jumped out in particular for me and I was never a big Bob Dylan fan. Blowing In The Wind, the interpretation that they've done on that was phenomenal.'
Archive of the performances and back stage of the record and the concert feature Paula Yates, Boy George, Status Quo and George Michael whilst interviews with Nile Rodgers, Lenny Henry, Phil Collins, Lionel Richie, Patti LaBelle, Roger Taylor and Brian May are set against the memories of the Ethiopian politicians at the heart of the relief effort, Dawit Giorgis and Berhane Deressa.