Was Live Aid the best rock concert ever?
It was 30 years ago today that Live Aid, billed as the biggest rock event the world would ever see,had us all camped in front of our TV's for 16 hours.
The lineups at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium and London's Wembley Stadium featured some of the world's biggest pop stars, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and, on both continent, Phil Collins. More than 70 acts in all performed during the 16 hours of music, viewed by 1.5 billion people in 110 countries.
So dust down the shoulder pads and throw the Mr Freezes in the...well...the freezer as we look back at 5 of the most memorable moments from that incredible day.
U2 Hit The Big Time
Bono and U2 will make the most of any size platform given them. Not everybody knew that when drummer Larry Mullen Jr. counted off Sunday Bloody Sunday at London's Wembley Stadium, but they sure did 17 minutes later, when the band left the stage. During a 12-minute rendition of Bad that incorporated bits of Lou Reed and Rolling Stones songs, Bono climbed down from the stage to help security guards extricate three girls from the crush of the crowd. That bit of improvisation cost the band the chance to play its lone U.S. Top 40 hit, Pride (In the Name of Love), but it vaulted the group to a new career stratus.
Queen Rule
If U2's Live Aid performance turned the band members into superstars, Queen's secured its position as one of the greatest live acts ever. In fact, the group's 19-minute set at Wembley Stadium, during which they managed to squeeze in six songs, including Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Gaga and We Are the Champions, was ranked the great rock performance all of all time by a 2005 BBC poll.
Led Zeppelin Go Down In Flames
It wasn't all greatness...a few bum notes were hit on that day too. Who knows how musical history might have been different had this set at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium gone well? While it wasn't technically a Led Zeppelin reunion, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones hadn't performed together publicly since drummer John Bonham's death five years before. Problems began immediately, with the band members not being able to properly hear themselves in their monitors: Considering what everyone else was hearing, that was probably just as well. Page's guitar was out of tune. Plant was hoarse. The appearance caused severe damage to the band's reputation that wasn't fully repaired until a stellar 2007 set for an Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert at London's O2 arena that likely was the band's final performance.
Bob Drops The F-Bomb
You could scarcely question Bob's passion and commitment to the cause. It was a monumental undertaking that must have driven the man and those around him to distraction and or drink. If there was any doubt about what this meant to Geldof, his glorious use of the f-word here shook viewers out of their cosy stupor and reminded us that this wasn't just a free gig laid on for our lazy amusement. Often mistakenly remembered as “give us your f***ing money” ...this is actually what went down. G'wan the Bob!
A Fitting Finale
What better way to finish than with the song that started it all. An incredible end to what was an astonishing day as Bob Geldof bats away any sense of self congratulation or acclaim to change the lyrics and drive the message home once again.
what were your memories of that day?
