As the biggest names in the business,came together to help fight hunger,.in the form of…
Live Aid.
Performances took place on both sides on the pond and included the likes of…
Queen.
Led Zeppelin.
Paul McCartney.
Patti LaBelle,.and many,many more.
Did you have a favorite moment.?
/Peder🙂
I went to the Marquee club in London for an IQ gig that evening, in what I think was one of the last gigs of theirs I saw, Prior to the band coming onstage, also after finishing, the Marquee screened Live Aid live on a big screen above the stage, played through the PA. Really excellent support for IQ!
I had watched before leaving home, and on getting back home watched more that night, and the next day. A wonderful event, and done for a truly great reason.
Later I learnt that my wife’s best friend’s husband had been given tickets through work, and wasn’t interested so gave them away(!!), and the only reason why they hadn’t been offered to my wife was because her friend knew we had something on. I was shocked and so disappointed - having seen IQ many times before I’d have dropped in an instant to go to Live Aid, partly because there were a good number of bands I like, and partly because the atmosphere promised to be (and surely was) once-in-a-lifetime, despite the size of the venue.
Innocent_Bystander,…Lovely story 
,.and it was as you say…
A fantastic atmosphere across large parts of the world.
The Power Of Music is great.
We actually have a music festival up here in northern Sweden called “Musikens Makt”.
Which means “The Power Of Music”,.but thats another story.
/Peder🙂
Bob Geldof…Mr Live Aid.Do you think we will experience something similar again.?
/Peder🙂
I watched Bob’s speech…then went for a walk.
Wasn’t the cause, just not into the music.
I was in the former Yugoslavia on motorcycle-holidays during Live Aid.
But even there I could see this.
/Peder🙂
Some of the music was great, other music not to my taste, but the atmosphere and event carried through the artists that had no interest for me - of course at home I could have a break etc when things were on that I didn’t like…
@steviebee,…This was a Historic Event,which only happens once in a lifetime.
Odd that not one of these artists above suited you,.all those in the picture were with…
And many,many more.
For me,.it was a magical event to experience this,.long before the Internet was born.
And the music created community between countries.
/Peder🙂
I referred to the Wembley event. I recall seeing only snatches of others. Of course, there are a few names on that list I like or love…but most of em, sorry…
Yes, it was a big event but, IMHO, so is any major festival - I dont follow those much either. I supported the cause - which is different to loving the spectacle.
In the interests of your positive thread, I’ll bow out now. Perhaps my post was not needed in this context.
Bad has since never been as good.
“Now just give us ya f@@kin money”
@steviebee,…All opinions are equally important.
Though,.this with Live Aid cannot be compared to an ordinary big,big music-festival.
This is on a completely different level.
Some facts…
Live Aid holds the record for the most watched television special in history.
On the same day…
Concerts inspired by the initiative,happened in other countries,.such as the
-Soviet Union.
-Canada.
-Japan.
-Yugoslavia.
-Austria.
-Australia.
-West Germany.
-Denmark etc,etc.
It was one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time;
An estimated audience of
-1.9 billion, across…
-150 nations,.watched the live broadcast,.nearly 40% of the world population.
London and Philadelphia were the sites for the main concerts…
The broadcast focused on the concerts at Wembley Stadium in England,72 000 people.
J.F.K. Stadium in Philadelphia,100 000 people.
Several groups who had not performed together in years,reunited for the concert. Among them were…
-The Who.
-Crosby Stills Nash & Young.
-Led Zeppelin (with Phil Collins and Tony Thompson filling in for the late John Bonham) and the original Ozzy Osbourne.
-Tony Lommi,.Geezer Butler and Bill Ward line up of Black Sabbath.
-John Taylor and Andy Taylor performed not only with Duran Duran.
They also performed earlier that day with their side project…Power Station.
-Neil Young,.who also performed that day doing a solo set etc,etc.
In 1986,.Bob Geldof would be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his efforts.
So now it’s Sir Bob Geldof.
Bob Geldof was nominated for Alfred Nobel’s Peace-Prize.
So Live Aid,.was a little bigger than a major festival 
.
/Peder🙂
England’s highest political leadership was also involved in Live Aid.
The woman in the picture next to Sir Bob Geldof probably needs no presentation.
Iron-Lady,.as she was called in Sweden,.and maybe even in other countries.
/Peder🙂
Politically it’s ultimate impact has been negligible other than for a few people feeling better about themselves. Musically it was of no interest to me whatsoever and that remains the case today.
i would be more pleased to assist at the 1973 Wattstax concert. More my kind of music.
Unfortunately i was too young.
I was pleased that Live Aid had some acts I liked, however the type of music was not the point, and comparisons with other festivals are rather meaningless. And anyway it was not like a conventional festival because it started in one location and continued at another as a continuous event,
I actually strongly dislike stadium gigs, but would have gone to that at the drop of a hat.
Innocent_Bystander understands Exactly what this Live Aid was…
Created by musicians to help starving people in Ethiopia from a famine catastrophe.
These World-Stars assumed their responsibilities,.and volunteed to help these starving people.
Therefore,.it feels rather pitiful to read comments like this…
As I said,.this is,according to me pitiful to read.
Try instead to raise your gaze,.and see the big picture.
It was a huge amount of money that was collected during Live Aid.
Money That Saved Human Lives.
All honor to all the artists who lined up,and to…
Sir Bob Geldof,.who was the “Source of Inspiration”,.and also managed to implement it all.
As I said,…Try to raise your gaze a little more.
/Peder🙂
Sorry Peder, but i don’t share your enthusiasm for this big event. Wattstax was a more true and spiritual event , with musicians that were playing against the war, racism. They were singing with their soul.
The Liv Aid was more an enormous commercial show, to advertise the musicians and collect big money which was probably marginally reversed really to Africa.
sorry to disappoint you
I think you hold a minority view on the impact and importance of live aid.
I don’t think it’s under question that some musicians careers picked up. However, at least in the UK it really did lift a generations’ consciousness about the famines in Africa and importantly showed that we could be ‘agents of change’. Maybe it was different in other countries and for other generations but for those in their late teens and early 20s (in the UK) it had a significant impact.
I can’t comment much on Wattstax because before this thread I hadn’t heard about it! I’m not disrespecting the event but it is in no way comparable with the international scale of live aid.
And mid 30s!
And according to Wikipedia an estimated 1.5 billion people across 110 countries watched Live Aid Live! That is almost 1/3rd if the world popualation at that time!!
I love and admire people who go “All In”.
That performs and creates results.
And that was the purpose of Live Aid…
Go All In.
Be visible.
Create results.
That to be able to help people from starving to death.
The picture above is from 2005,.and the celebration of,that it was 20 years ago since Live Aid.
The Day That Music Changed The World.
@frenchrooster,…?? Of course,.it was the purpose (see above).
In order to help people in Ethiopia from starving to death.
But all the artists participated voluntarily,.to help people in other countries.
So of course,it was soul and heart with everyone.
So,.as I said earlier,…Try to raise your gaze a little more .
@Innocent_Bystander,…I have these figures below,.as I have received from the organizing-committee itself.
These I have reported earlier,.in a post two up from this post.
“It was one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time;
An estimated audience of
-1.9 billion, across…
-150 nations,.watched the live broadcast,.nearly 40% of the world population.”
/Peder🙂
