Concerts - Live Aid

In this article we're going to review another veryhad been put on so close together to raise money for
popular benefit concert, the one they call Live Aid.the same relief effort.
Most people probably had very little clue that TheThe initial goals of this concert was to raise about $1.5
Concert For Bangladesh would start a trend thatmillion. But as the concert grew in scope and the
would continue for many years. Live Aid is anothernumber of acts increased the final number was
example of some of the world's greatest musical actsestimated at a staggering $254 million earned. Nobody
coming together in a common cause to help people incould have ever seen this coming. Because of
need.Geldorf's efforts and the success of Live Aid, he
What made Live Aid different from Bangladesh andreceived an honorary knighthood.
many other concerts was that this concert was notBecause there were so many venues and so many
held in just one place. The concert, held on July 13, 1985performing artists it would be impossible to list every
was broadcast live from a number of places, includingartist who performed and every song done. But there
Wembley Stadium in London, JFK Stadium inwere a few memorable highlights that deserve to be
Philadelphia, and a few acts performing from Sydney,mentioned.
Australia and Moscow, Russia.One of the most memorable moments at JFK
The concert itself was put on in order to try to helpStadium was when Bob Dylan was playing and broke
raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. The concerta guitar string. Ron Wood then took off his guitar and
was billed as sort of a "global jukebox." The number ofgave it to Dylan. Wood was then left standing on
people in attendance at just two of the sites totalledstage without a guitar. What does he do? He shrugs
over 150,000 people. Live Aid was the largest scaleto the audience and proceeds to play air guitar even
satellite link-up and TV broadcast of all time. It wasimitating Pete Townsend's windmill motion until a
estimated that about 1.5 billion people saw thestagehand brought Wood a new guitar.
broadcast live.Over at Wembley Stadium the highlight of the concert
The concert was conceived by master mind Bobthere was when Freddie Mercury and Queen got the
Geldorf who had previously put together another galaentire audience in attendance to clap and sing to
called "Do They Know It's Christmas" which was"Radio Ga-Ga," "We Will Rock You," and "We Are
known as Band Aid. That concert went off theThe Champions." It was reported that the sound at
previous winter featuring a number of British and Irishthat point was almost deafening with over 70,000
acts also for the purpose of raising funds for faminepeople singing and clapping.
relief in Ethiopia. This is the first time that two concerts