Friday, April 13, 2012

L is for Live Aid/Band Aid


Yes, Live Aid was a concert in 1985. No, this is not cheating. First, I couldn’t bump the B52s for Band Aid. But Band Aid… all of my favorite singers getting together for a CAUSE. After all those ex-hippie parents wound up being such disappointments, Band Aid gave me belief that we could really change the world.

(I’m aware we didn’t change the world. But I thought I could that year. And though I’m more jaded, I still keep trying.)

I watched the “Do they know it’s Christmas?” video over and over. I bought the 45 (look it up, young uns). It’s a Christmas song that actually tried to help people. I think it’s the only one. (Plus, the video has Bono, Sting, John Taylor, and Simon LeBon.)


My parents went on vacation the week that Live Aid was performing in the US. MY Woodstock. My father thought we were going out that day. Boy was he disappointed when I fixed myself on the couch and watched the color TV in our cabin for the entire concert. Really, he was lucky he’d chosen a place with a television. I may have actually insisted on it.

Here’s what Wikipedia says about Band Aid and Live Aid:

The 1985 Live Aid concert was conceived as a follow-on to another Geldof/Goldsmith project, the successful charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?". In October 1984, images of millions of people starving to death in Ethiopia were shown in the UK in Michael Buerk's BBC News reports on the 1984 famine.[3] Bob Geldof saw the report, and called Midge Ure from Ultravox, and together they quickly co-wrote the song, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in the hope of raising money for famine relief.[3] Geldof then contacted colleagues in the music industry and persuaded them to record the single under the title 'Band Aid' for free.[3] Performed by a collection of British and Irish musicians, the song was released on 7 December 1984 and became the fastest-selling single ever in Britain and raised £8 million, rather than the £70,000 Geldof had expected.[3] Geldof then set his sights on staging a huge concert to raise further funds.[3]

The concert grew in scope, as more acts were added on both sides of the Atlantic. As a charity fundraiser, the concert far exceeded its goals: on a television programme in 2001, one of the organisers stated that while initially it had been hoped that Live Aid would raise £1 million with the help of Wembley tickets costing £25.00 each, the final figure was £150 million (approx. $283.6 million). Partly in recognition of the Live Aid effort, Geldof received an honorary knighthood. Music promoter Harvey Goldsmith was also instrumental in bringing the plans of Geldof and Ure to fruition.

Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium inLondon, England, United Kingdom (attended by 72,000 people) and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (attended by about 100,000 people).[1] On the same day, concerts inspired by the initiative happened in other countries, such asAustralia and Germany. It was one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations, watched the live broadcast.[2]

Source: Wikipedia


Click on the link and scroll to the bottom to see how many singers and bands performed. It was truly a momentous occasion that raised 150 million dollars.


You can still buy the concert performances: HERE.

After writing this post, I kind of want them.


Honorable mention: LL Cool J, Lindsey Buckingham


30 comments:

  1. Hi Theresa. I watched it too! It was amazing seeing so many top singers/bands together for a good cause. I really admire those who give back something, which is why even though U2 is my favourite band I admire them also for their passion for 'setting the world to rights.'

    Denise

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  2. Ah yes, back when we were young and idealistic. :)

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  3. Wow...this post really took me back. I was in 7th grade and totally remember all this. It was really a magical time.

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  4. Queen and Tina Turner and Mick Jagger were my most memorable acts of Live Aid and of course lovely Bob Geldof getting annoyed with the BBC commentator and just telling people to ring in and "give us your money!" or something, bless his heart! Take care
    x

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  5. That was an amazing event! Lol, to you on the couch with colour tv.

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  6. Plus, the video stops right on Simon LeBon's face. Nice.

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  7. I feel like such an infant... and, in fact, I was when this song came out!

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  8. I think you should definitely buy those soundtracks!

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  9. Thanks for bringing back the memories of this time!

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  10. Wow, sounds like it was awesome! I'm glad you at least got to see it on TV.

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  11. Wow, has it been that long? 1985? Yikes--I did not see the concert, but sure saw the highlights over and over.

    Enjoy your weekend Theresa.

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  12. I remember the excitement of that day still. It was like an huge electric charge. Like Slamdunk, I didn't realize it had happened so long ago.

    Here's to that kind of spirit flourishing.

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  13. Still one of my all-time favorite songs. Good HM to Buckingham.

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  14. I like these charities that rock stars do. It's good to give back after they've accumulated so much wealth. Music should be for everyone and help everyone and not be strictly for profit.

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  15. I used to be able to tell you who sang every line of "Do They Know It's Christmas." Yeah, I was pretty cool back then.

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  16. This was THE COOLEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Giving back, my friend. That is what it's all about. :-) Great choice as usual.

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  17. I saw this after the fact since my parents were very into music so I listened to what they did. I remember being really weirded out by Freddie Mercury - I mean, he's a unique guy. And those teeth! My parents also made me watch the Woodstock documentary and a history of rock and roll series on PBS. And we'd listen to Beatles records. I suppose this was cool but it sounds kind of nerdy.

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  18. Great choice! Live Aid ignited the world's social conscience, a very good thing.

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  19. I admire the people who organize and perform in these charities. I remember when this happened.

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  20. I remember that! Great show! Too bad they didn't keep it going like Lollapalooza, another good "L" word

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  21. Oh, how I remember that! But, are you sure it was that long ago??? :)

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  22. I have a lot of the warm and fuzzies for this song and video. I still get choked up a bit when I hear the opening. ::sighs::

    Some Dark Romantic

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  23. I remember that day so clearly. I was watching a Queen documentary the other day, and it really sparked a resurgence in their fortunes - one of the highlight performances for me.

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  24. Wow - flashback. I remember being caught up in the wave of the event. Thanks for the reminder.

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  25. Oh wow, I remember sitting and watching this all day too. What an amazing collection of artists. I've been catching up on your 80s posts and I love them, such a fun walk down memory lane. :)

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  26. I still get a lump in my throat whenever they get to the "tonight thank god it's them instead of you" part of the song.

    I had a weird dream about Bob Geldof a few months ago and at first couldn't figure out why the hell that had popped in my head after all these years. Then I remembered we had watched an NCIS episode where Dinozzo talks about his Live Aid t-shirt. Ah. So that's it.

    Great post. Good luck with the rest of the challenge!

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  27. I missed the concert. I'm not sure why.

    And "Do They Know It's Christmas"... I can still sing that whole thing. And I know who sings every little bit of it. (I know, it's just sad.)

    Sometimes I still alter the lyrics to "Feed the squirrels ... Do they know it's groundhog day?". A friend did that around February when the radio stations were still playing it, and it sticks with me to this day. (The friend, however, did not.)

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  28. Liz, I know all the words, and I'm pretty sure I still know every person who sings them. So I'm sad right along with you. I prefer "cool".

    I've never heard the parody.

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