Live Aid at 40: 10 moments that made musical history

RTÉ News​

2 days ago

Forty years after Live Aid rocked the world, Evelyn O'Rourke looks at ten ways the music event of a lifetime made musical history.
"A weird and wonderful crusade."
This was how Michael Buerk, the BBC journalist described the Band Aid song project that Bob Geldof, Midge Ure and their musician friends had released in Christmas 1984.
He noted that while many of the pop stars involved were wealthy beyond most ordinary people's experiences, it was these privileged people who shown impressive public empathy with the plight of the suffering Ethiopian people.
As the Ethiopian people who were enduring the horrors of the famine that he had reported on for the BBC, he was charmed that it was a dishevelled, cool, rock star, singer Bob Geldof who had seen his reports and was moved to act.
First came Band Aid, the Christmas charity single, and then an idea that was so ridiculous that it should never have worked - 16 hours of live music from some of the biggest music stars, across Wembley and Philadelphia - Live Aid.
The UK's Prince Charles and Princess Diana were joined in the royal box by Bob Geldof and Paula Yates, who watched along with 1.5 billion people who tuned in from around the world, with the event raising more than £110 million.
Forty years on, debates will rage this weekend again about the performers who stole the show, was it Queen, was it U2, was it Bob Geldof when he took to the stage with the Boomtown Rats or was it Bowie?
Bad - U2
Top of the list is Bad from U2. Bono himself has commented on how he was having a bad hair day and can barely look at the footage, but what stands out from the archive is that fresh faced 25-year-old singer who recognised that Live Aid was a TV event as much as a live gig.
U2's performances of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', and 'Bad' wowed the audience at Wembley and those watching across 150 countries.
Bono leapt into the crowd during 'Bad' to dance with a fan, and that impromptu decision from him meant that the band didn't have time to play their hit single 'Pride (in The Name Of Love)'. But it was a spontaneous act that helped catapult U2 to superstardom.
Queen
Freddie Mercury and Queen sang their hearts out for 'Bohemian Rhapsody', and 'Radio Ga Ga'.
Mercury's crowd interaction made it the undisputed highlight of the show, and it is often ranked the greatest live rock performance ever.
The crowd responding with the clapping for 'Radio Ga Ga' still thrills, and as BBC's Paul Gambaccini said: "Everybody realised that Queen was stealing the show".
These were the very words Elton John uttered when he rushed into Mercury's trailer after the set.
"You b*stards, you stole the show," joked the charismatic star. "Queen smoked 'em," he said.
Absence of female acts
Notable is the absence of female acts on either side of the Atlantic.
Only one woman performed at Wembley, and that was Sade.
Across in Philadelphia they did a little better with Madonna, Joan Baez, Chrissie Hynde and Patti LaBelle.
Alison Moyet and Kiki Dee were on stage for duets but were not main performers. Seriously. Next.
David Bowie
David Bowie or the Thin White Duke. His soaring performance of 'Heroes' was dedicated to children suffering from famine.
Each act had been allocated between 15 and 25 minutes but Bowie chose to drop his final song, and donate his time at the end of his set to introduce a video about "why we are all here today".
It was a montage of television reports put together by CBC in Canada, showing the horrors of the Ethiopian famine, backed by The Cars' song 'Drive'.
The music and footage blended powerfully, and led to a huge spike in donations, just as U2 took to the stage, making it a real moment on that Saturday afternoon 40 years ago that still stands out today.
'Let It Be'
Paul McCartney's 'Let It Be' on solo piano was a moving, understated performance.
Technical issues affected his mic at first, but the crowd joined in to sing before Bob Geldof joined in on backing vocals.
Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats performance of 'I Don't Like Mondays'.
The man who started it all was probably only on stage because of his philanthropy rather than his pop stardom by 1985, but he held the crowd in the palm of his hand for the iconic line "and the lesson today is how to die".
He held his fist in the air and the crowd roared in approval.
Led Zeppelin's reunion
'Rock and Roll', 'Whole Lotta Love', 'Stairway to Heaven' were the three songs that Led Zeppelin performed in their Philadelphia reunion at the JFK Stadium.
Their first reunion since John Bonham's death in 1980, with Phil Collins (who had flown in on Concorde having played with Sting in Wembley earlier that day) on drums.
Though the band were unhappy with their performance, it was a huge moment for fans.
'The Quo' sets the tone
'Rockin' All Over the World'. Say what you like about 'The Quo' (and many have), they kicked off the entire event with a high-energy performance, setting the tone for an unforgettable day of music and unity.
Springsteen helps save time and money
Bruce Springsteen had sung on 'Feed The World', the US charity single, but was not on stage for Live Aid.
He told Bob Geldof that he could not perform as he had to go on his honeymoon, but he gave a major helping hand out.
He played Wembley on 6 July and left his stage in situ so that Live Aid could use it the following week saving the charity time and money in the process.
Ireland's contribution
Not strictly a musical moment, but Ireland's fundraising response to Live Aid was a staggering £7 million contribution.
RTÉ TV producer Niall Matthews had the idea of running a telethon throughout the day, where viewers would be encouraged by presenters, including Fab Vinny Hanley, to pledge donations on a Bord Telecom free phone number.
Lessons were learnt and just under 12 months later, in May 1986, Ireland went on to host its own live musical event for the unemployed called 'Self Aid'.
The Boomtown Rats, Elvis Costello and U2 played at both Live Aid at Wembley and Self Aid at the RDS arena.
Live Aid. Sixteen hours of music that made millions laugh, cheer, cry, sing and empty their wallets. Just as Bob Geldof planned it.