A Sneak Peek...
And this time, on one of the biggest events in the history of music -was the "Live Aid" that was held on July 13, 1985.
(Center Photo: Dave Hogan)
So today in 1985 the greatest artists in the world of music came up, one after another, for performances that took place simultaneously in several places in the world.
The event was organized by Bob Geldof known among others for his membership in the band "Boomtown Rats" and his memorable performance in the role of "Pink" in the movie "The Wall", and by Midge Ure known among others for his membership in bands such as "Ultravox", "Visage" and "Thin Lizzy ", In order to raise funds for aid to the victims of hunger in Ethiopia.
The idea for the show came to Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, in 1984, following the recording of the hit "Do They Know It's Christmas?", Which included a selection of British music artists. This is a song composed by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure with the aim of raising donations for the victims of the drought in Ethiopia. After the recording, Ure, ChristmasChristmas, and Geldof thought they should do it big, with a huge donation show that would include the entire top of world music.
The Live Aid included two major shows, the first held at Wembley Stadium in front of 72,000 spectators and the second at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia in front of 89,500 spectators. In addition, shows were also held in Moscow, Sydney, Christmas, and Christmas more.
At the same time, the show was broadcast live to the countries of the world. It was the most ambitious satellite broadcast in existence to date and was watched by over 1.9 billion viewers in about 150 countries.
All big acts of the music world in those days took part in the shows: "U2", "The Who", David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Sting, "Dire Straits", Paul McCartney, "The Beach Boys", "Status Quo", "Simple Minds", "Ultravox", Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, "Duran Duran", "Crosby, Stills and Nash", Joan Baez, George Michael, Madonna and more and more...
Some interesting data about the shows that happened on that historic day:
1. Elton John gave the longest show for that day, which lasted 32 minutes.
2. "Queen" gave one of the biggest shows of its career, and this show was later chosen as the best show of all time, so here it is in front of you, so that God forbid you won't miss a single note.
3. "Led Zeppelin's" reunited specifically for the show and it was their first time on stage since the death of drummer John Bonham. Phil Collins who played on Robert Plant's first two solo albums sat on drums alongside another drummer, Tony Thompson, but this reunion show will be remembered as one of the worst reunion shows, so much so that "Led Zeppelin" refused to have the show included on a DVD released later on.
4. "Santana" also asked that their show would not be included in the same DVD.
5. Another band that reunite especially in honor of the event was "Black Sabbath" which performed alongside Ozzy Osbourne who was fired from the band in the late 1970s. This show will also not be remembered as one of "Black Sabbath's" best performances.
6. This was not the only metal band on the show. "Judas Priest" also gave the Philadelphia audience a short set that included the songs "Living After Midnight," "The Green Manalishi" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming".
6. Phil Collins was the only one to appear on two different continents that day, both at Wembley and Philadelphia. Immediately after the show, he gave at Wembley (with Sting) he boarded a Concorde plane that took him to a show in Philadelphia.
7. Phil Collins was also the drummer on a set played by Eric Clapton in Philadelphia.
8. Billy Joel was scheduled to perform in Philadelphia but canceled at the last minute due to Geldof's insistence that he performs alone with the piano.
9. Another great artist who was absent from the Philadelphia show was Bruce Springsteen who did not want to cancel his band members' vacation.
10. "Tears For Fears" also had to cancel their appearance after two members of the band left.
11. The band "Thin Lizzy" was not invited to the show even though Phil Lynott was the one who helped both Midge Ure and Bob Geldof get recording contracts in their early careers.
12. The Philadelphia show hosted two couples who performed with two different bands. Jim Kerr appeared with "Simple Minds" and immediately after that Chrissie Hynde came up with "The Pretenders".
13. Japan also contributed its share of recorded performances that were broadcast between live shows, including a performance by the heavy metal band "Loudness".
14. Other countries that had parallel performances that were held for the same purpose were Austria, Russia, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia, and Germany.