This Sunday is the 40th anniversary of LIVE AID – the historic fundraising concert event organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure that took place in London & Philadelphia on July 13th 1985 to raise awareness and money to tackle the famine in Ethiopia.
Staged in July 1985, following the huge success of the "Do they Know it's Christmas" single the previous December, Live Aid was a benefit concert and the brain child of Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats and his friend, Ultravox singer Midge Ure. The concert was aimed at raising funds for famine relief in Ethiopia, after Geldof grew appalled by the devastation in the country, which was depicted in BBC News report.
The concert featured live performances at both Wembley Stadium, London, and John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, USA, with both shows featuring a star-studded line up, including big names like U2, Queen, David Bowie and more.
Live Aid attracted approximately 162,000 concert-goers in person at the 2 live venues, and was broadcast to around 1.5 billion people across 100 countries (apparently showing on over 95% of all TVs on earth at the time!) - making it one of the largest global broadcasts of all time. It also went on to raise $245 million, thanks to ticket sales and donations.
Along with launching the careers of several superstar artists, Live Aid also shone a light on the ongoing crisis in Ethiopia, setting a precedent for future benefit concerts, and is a key point of reference in the history of humanitarian efforts via music.
This Sunday Matt Dempsey (10am-2pm) and Emily Brew (2pm-6pm) will be sharing our listeners memories of this iconic event – and playing seriously addictive music from the biggest artists of all time – including some legendary Live Aid headliners – right here on Radio NOVA!
