Tuesday Tunes 208: Live Aid

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13 July 1985. If you were born by then, do you remember that day? Like this year, it was a Saturday, and the weather here was better then than it was now – the story of our summer so far! The date is etched in music history, though, as it was the day of the Live Aid concerts, which were aimed at raising funds for victims of famines in Africa. There were two main events – at Wembley Stadium in London, and at the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia – though there were many other events around the world: you can see a full list on this incredibly informative Wikipedia page. The shows have been estimated to have raised more than £150m in donations, following on from previous charity singles that were released with the same aim. In musical terms, the events were amazing, with stellar cast lists. The UK show began at noon, and we settled down in front of the TV with sandwiches, snacks and drinks, ready for the long haul – the whole shebang lasted ten hours.

As we have just passed an anniversary – 39 years – of the event it seemed a good idea to play you some of the performances from it. There are so many contenders for this that trying to do it justice in a single post is impossible, so I’m going with two. This week I’m playing you some of the London concert and next week it will be the turn of Philadelphia. Even that is barely scraping the surface, but it will give you a feel – either as a reminder of what you saw back then or as a taste of what you missed.

The UK show began with the ceremonial arrival of the then Prince and Princess of Wales – Chuck and Di – and a brief rendition of the national anthem by the Band of the Coldstream Guards, and then the first band took to the stage. They played three songs, and this was the first:

Status Quo have never enjoyed the same success in the US as they have here and in many other countries, which has surprised me. Maybe this is a taste of what you have been missing? I’m not going to be doing much commentary on chart positions and other background this week, as the music is very much to the fore from such a special day, and there are some long videos coming! Suffice it to say that this song has a special place in my heart as it is always played as the after game song at one of my football teams – Leyton Orient – after we have won the match.

Did I say there were some long videos? How about this one, an extended version of one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands:

Sultans Of Swing was the first hit single by Dire Straits, and the one which began my love of their music. The recorded version of the song is only about half the length of this performance, but I love the song and as far as I’m concerned they could have played it all day!

Dire Straits played from around 6pm, but this next clip is from a bit later in the evening. Elton John took to the stage at around 8.50pm and played several songs – more than most, in fact – including his first UK #1:

Elton has only had two UK #1 singles, and he needed Kiki Dee’s help to get this one. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart wouldn’t be the same without her!

One of the magic moments of the day for me came later in the evening, very near the end of the show, when a music legend enjoyed a little help from his friends on one of his best, and best known, songs:

Paul McCartney, with a pretty good collection of backing singers, on Let It Be. Need I say more? I think not!

By common consent the best act of the day played in the early evening, around 6.40pm. I’ve looked at various parts of their show and have found it impossible to separate out one or two to play you, so I’m going with the full twenty minutes of an epic performance by Queen:

The band have probably never played a better set than that – a real hairs on the neck feel throughout.

Two of them came back for an encore much later on:

I’ve said before about the ‘wow’ moment I experienced when I first played Queen’s album The Works, for which Is This The World We Created? is the closing track. I had another such moment watching this. An incredibly poignant song, and perfect for the occasion.

All that remains is the conclusion to the London show. What else could it be?

Do They Know It’s Christmas was where this all began, written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in response to a news report of the famine and hunger in Ethiopia. The single was rush recorded and released in December 1984, and the rest, as they say, is history. Bob and Midge then had the idea of staging a concert to generate more donations, shared the idea across the pond with the USA For Africa crowd, and this day was the result.

I’ve concentrated very much on the music this week, and I hope you’ve enjoyed more music and less of me! Next week’s Tuesday Tunes will, as I said earlier, focus on the American show, and there are some big names in that too. One of them will be the guy who played at both shows, with a little help from Concorde. Until then, have a great week 😊

52 thoughts on “Tuesday Tunes 208: Live Aid”

  1. Pingback: So Long, July | Take It Easy

  2. I’ve watched that amazing performance by Queen many times, and it never gets old. I don’t know how or why Philadelphia was chosen as one of the sites for Live Aid, but I’m proud of the fact that it was!

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    • That performance turned them into superstars. They were incredible! The site for the US leg is mentioned in the Wikipedia page I linked to: someone I’ve never heard of was a friend of the Mayor and persuaded him to host the show. I’ll be mentioning that on Tuesday 😊

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      • The cast list was pretty good for it there, too. I’ve yet to research videos, though, to see what is available. I fear I may have peaked with Queen, especially as Bruce didn’t play it!

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      • We (well my wife does) have a one cool connection with the band that started things off in Philly, the Hooters. My wife was the pre-school teacher for one of the children of one of the band members, several years after Live Aid. So my wife actually got to know him a bit…

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      • I think you may have told me that before, as it rings bells. I have always liked the band and have played them a couple of times. They made several really good albums, which I bought back in the day.

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  5. I remember Elvis Costello’s solo rendition of “All You Need Is Love”, with the whole Wembley crowd helping out on the chorus. (La, da da da da…) Lots of special moments like that one.

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  6. 13 July 1985. If you were born by then, do you remember that day?

    I was not only born by this date, but I would have been 35 years old at the time. And I paid Live Aid no attention. I have no idea where I was that day — probably in Manitoba, likely in Winnipeg — nor do I have any idea what I was doing that day. I did know something called Live Aid was happening, but it held no interest for me. I never was a person for spectacles, and neither was my then wife. Possibly we spent the day at home reading and playing with the pussycats…

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    • I hope you enjoyed whatever you did while the rest of us were enjoying the music! And don’t forget that the day was about raising money to support those in dire need.

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  12. I have the DVD of Bohemian Rhapsody and even though I know it is not the real Freddie Mercury after seeing the performance on Live Aid done to realistic perfection and the announcement Freddie Mercury has passed I am a blubbering mess and then at another time I watch the movie all over again. I think that is called an addiction. I have yet to get through all of Live Aid

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    • They opened here, but that would have been at 7am your time so maybe it wasn’t broadcast there? Status Quo have no pretensions to being anything other than a fun band. You should find more of them, I think you’ll enjoy them.

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    • It was unique, and a great way to unite people and maximise the donations. I hope you enjoyed those two, especially Queen. That was Freddie Mercury at his finest – the ultimate showman, sadly taken from us just six years later.

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    • It was an amazing day. I hope the little ones let you watch it! Our first was born in March 1986 so though we didn’t know it at the time she was already on the way – just!

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    • It’s a great song, isn’t it. I think Status Quo had a hit in N America with an early single, Pictures of Matchstick Men, from their psychedelic days, then they morphed into the three chord rock band we love here but with next to no chart success over there.

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