News

It Was 25 Years Ago Today

• 13th Jul 2010

The date: 13 July 1985. The event: Live Aid.

Yes, it is 25 years since the festival of music organised by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof to raise money for famine victims in Africa. It is estimated that some £150M was raised – an incredible figure for a one day event.

It was one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: some 2 billion viewers, across 60 countries, watched the live broadcasts from Wembley and its sister event in Philadelphia.

Over 70,000 attended the Wembley concert on a hot summer afternoon and 100,000 packed into the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.

The line up for the event was stellar. Queen, U2, Dire Straits and The Who at Wembley. Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Tom Petty in Philly. It really was one of the most amazing musical events ever to take place.

I was in London that day, but unfortunately not to go to Live Aid. I can remember watching parts of it on television and being enthralled by the sheer spectacle of such a massive event.

Live Aid now has a special place in the history of music. It grew from a charity single to one of the largest charity events ever to take place.

There have been many other concerts for charity since. But none will come close to what Live Aid achieved in raising consciousness as well as raising money.

It was truly a pioneering event.