Joan Baez summed it up: “This is your Woodstock, and it’s long overdue.” It was July 13th, 1985, and she was kicking off the U.S. segment of what has become one of the greatest concerts of all time: Live Aid. Spanning two continents and a global audience of 1.9 billion, the 16-hour event took place simultaneously at London’s Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia’s John F. Kennedy Stadium, and featured more than 50 of the music industry’s top acts performing their greatest hits.
Conceived as a benefit to raise funds to combat the famine in Ethiopia, Live Aid was the brainchild of Boomtown Rats front man Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure. Seven months earlier, the pair had written the holiday hit “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, with proceeds also going to help Ethiopia. Around the world, high-profile charity was in the air: In March, the American equivalent of Geldof and Ure’s song, “We Are the World,” composed by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, had also become a smash, raising millions for African famine relief. Geldof wanted to up the ante, producing a once-in-a-lifetime event that would take place on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean and be broadcast via satellite live throughout the world.
That spring, A-list musicians were contacted, and most—realizing the significance of not only the charity but also the publicity—consented to appear. In the U.K., Geldof secured the likes of Sting, U2, David Bowie, the Who, Elton John and Paul McCartney—the last an important “get” for the impresario, who felt that the presence of a Beatle would lend the performance an air of legitimacy crucial to swaying political viewpoints. In the U.S., Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Beach Boys, Madonna, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan, among others, lent their talents. Phil Collins hopped aboard a Concorde to appear in both places, first in England and later that day in Pennsylvania. But of all the legendary artists who took the stage that day, critics, fans and history agree that the proceedings were dominated by Queen: Freddie Mercury took the stage as if he were Elizabeth II herself, owning and leading the crowd of 72,000 people through a blisteringly theatrical set of the band’s greatest hits.
Of course, not everyone was there: Refusals and no-shows ran the gamut, from Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson to the Talking Heads and Donna Summer. But their absence hardly spoiled the day: When the numbers were tallied, a total of $283 million had been raised to fight Ethiopian famine, an accomplishment that led to Geldof receiving an honorary knighthood. Today, we remember that amazing day 29 years ago, when a galaxy of superstars came together for charity.
Queen
The Who
U2
Madonna
Led Zeppelin
Elton John
David Bowie
Eric Clapton & Phil Collins
Duran Duran
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Mick Jagger
Paul McCartney
Performers at Wembley Stadium:
Coldstream Guards
Status Quo
The Style Council
The Boomtown Rats
Adam Ant
Ultravox
Spandau Ballet
Elvis Costello
Nik Kershaw
Sade
Sting, Phil Collins & Branford Marsalis
Howard Jones
Bryan Ferry & David Gilmour
Paul Young
U2
Dire Straits
Queen
David Bowie & Thomas Dolby
The Who
Elton John
Freddie Mercury & Brian May
Paul McCartney
Band Aid
Performers at JFK Stadium:
Bernard Watson
Joan Baez
The Hooters
Four Tops
Billy Ocean
Black Sabbath
Run-D.M.C.
Rick Springfield
REO Speedwagon
Crosby, Stills and Nash
Judas Priest
Bryan Adams
The Beach Boys
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Simple Minds
The Pretenders
Santana & Pat Metheny
Ashford & Simpson
Madonna
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Kenny Loggins
The Cars
Neil Young
The Power Station
Thompson Twins
Eric Clapton & Phil Collins
Jimmy Page, Robert Plant & John Paul Jones
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Duran Duran
Patti LaBelle
Hall & Oates
Mick Jagger, Eddie Kendricks & David Ruffin
Bob Dylan, Keith Richards & Ronnie Woods
USA for Africa
Refusals and no-shows:
Bruce Springsteen
Michael Jackson
Billy Joel
Boy George
Waylon Jennings
Kris Kristofferson
Tears for Fears
Stevie Wonder
Huey Lewis and the News
Paul Simon
Cliff Richard
Liza Minnelli
Yoko Ono
Cyndi Lauper
Deep Purple
Eurthymics
Frank Zappa
George Harrison
Diana Ross
Van Halen
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
The Smiths
Talking Heads
Donna Summer
Post written by Eric Newill
The post The Greatest Concert of the ’80s: Live Aid appeared first on Do You Remember.