Live Aid facts
Updated on 22 February 2024
Simultaneously held at London’s Wembley Stadium and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the music of Live Aid (with the help of two satellites) brought the world together in 1985.
A record-breaking concert spanning 16 hours (only slightly shorter than the portaloo queue at Glastonbury) raised more than £150 million for famine relief. Over three decades later, the concert is still considered one of the biggest music events in history. Until today’s musical adaption announcement of course…
The mega musical, announced by The Old Vic, features the music from David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and more, is written by best-selling author John O’Farrell (Mrs. Doubtfire) and directed by Luke Sheppard (The Little Big Things). The production will have a strictly limited run from 26 January, so you have plenty of time to refamiliarise yourself with the work of the 70+ artists (?!) that took part in the original gig, and memorise the below fun facts to impress your friends ahead of curtain up!
Phil Collins was a real jet-setter
The Genesis frontman and drummer, Phil Collins, performed at both venues, on the same day! The “In The Air Tonight” singer hopped on a Concorde after his London performance to get him from Wembley Stadium to Philadelphia in record time. It was no holiday for Colins when he reached the States however, as he packed in a double shift for his American audience (after already having performed a greatest hits set in the UK with Sting!). The award-winning singer played the drums for Eric Clapton’s performance, before taking centre stage for his own set. We have an unlikely hero to thank for Collin's impressive Live Aid schedule, and that’s Noel Edmonds. The broadcaster owned a fleet of helicopters (naturally) and offered to help out backstage, ushering artists into helicopters and ensuring the mammoth operation at Wembley ran smoothly. When Collins finished his set at the stadium, the House Party presenter whisked him away to the nearest chopper which got him to Heathrow in time to board his flight. A few hours later, Collins was standing in for the late John Bonham for Led Zeppelin’s set, and the rest is history.
Elton John cooked up a storm
It’s safe to say that the Tiny Dancer singer knows a thing or two about bangers, but what about burgers? The iconic singer donned a chef's hat and manned a BBQ behind the Wembley Stadium stage. Dishing out steaks and sausages over an open flame, thank god his costume wasn’t too flammable!
The food he was serving may have been fast, but his set wasn’t. At 25 minutes long, the Rocket Man singer had the longest performance of the day (even against The Who’s unscheduled overtime). John’s legendary set was packed full of his much-loved hits and included the very first performance of Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me with the late, great George Michael.
The Who saw red
As previously mentioned, The Who stayed on stage longer than planned. During the iconic rock band's set, a red warning light flashed at the front of the stage, alerting the act that their time was up. Not ready to hand over the baton to the waiting performers backstage, lead guitarist, Pete Townshend, stomped down on the warning light and broke it. No news (or in this case, light) is good news, and the ‘Pinball Wizard’ band continued to play for five extra minutes. Rock ‘n’ Roll!
All hail the Queen!
Queen were louder than any other band that took to the stage at Live Aid (both in the UK and in America). Already well-established music royalty, Queen had an advantage not many other bands did. They had played at venues bigger than Wembley Stadium before. Knowing the complexities involved in performing in such a large space, the band adjusted their technology accordingly. The roadies switched the limiters on their PA system, making them louder than other acts, and ensuring that Freddie Mercury’s already powerful voice, could be heard in the far edges of the stadium. Aware that everyone would be able to hear EVERYTHING, the band hauled up in a studio and practiced for three days straight.
Their hard work paid off too! Live Aid legend, and the organiser of the event, Bob Geldof, named the band his favourite act of the 16-hour show, and he wasn’t the only one that held them in high esteem. In 2005, a poll of more than 2,000 music lovers, named Queen's Live Aid performance as the greatest music festival performance of all time. Looks like Queen really are the champions, my friend.
Taxi for Mr. Geldof!
Despite being the reason for the concert in the first place, Bob Geldof had to hitchhike home after the gig as there were no taxis left! (surely the members of U2 could have budged up a bit to let the Boomtown Rats singer onboard?)
There was a cardboard sign displayed at the artists' entrance to Wembley Stadium informing the acts to ‘Leave your ego at the door’ Maybe the rockstar modified this to say ‘Chelsea, London,’ and headed off to the A406, sign in hand?
Pretenders by name…
The Pretenders made like their name and had to pretend that a nearby pub was a decent recording studio. With more than 70 bands taking part in a globally televised event, you can imagine that rehearsal spaces in London were hard to come by. The Pretenders clearly hadn’t expected such a demand in studio spaces and failed to commander one in time to practice for the big event. As a result, the ‘I’ll Stand By You’ band had to practice in a local boozer because all of the professional spaces had been fully booked by the other performers. Imagine nipping down your local and having The Pretenders as the house band!
Book Just For One Day tickets now
Playing at the Old Vic from 26 January - 30 March, relive the day music brought the world together.
