NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Forty years ago, the aimed to do a lot of good 鈥� helping to raise over $100 million for famine relief in Ethiopia and inspiring worldwide awareness for a cause it might otherwise have ignored.
Simulcast from Philadelphia and London on July 13, 1985, Live Aid was the most ambitious global television event of its time: 16 hours of live music in two different continents featuring Queen, The Who, and more.
A lot has changed in the years since. 鈥淟ive Aid, '85 to now, is the same distance as the Second World War from Live Aid,鈥� notes , laughingly. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how long ago it was.鈥�
Artists who performed at Live Aid 鈥� Springfield, organizer Bob Geldof, Hall and Oates' John Oates and Judas Priest's Rob Halford 鈥� reflected on the event and its impact in interviews with The Associated Press ahead of the 40th anniversary on Sunday.
Here's what they had to say:
Reflections on an unprecedented event
At John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Springfield performed between Run-DMC and REO Speedwagon 鈥� just a taste of the diversity of performers featured on the transnational lineup. 鈥淩un-DMC, I remember thinking, 鈥榃hat is this? Three guys talking over a record player. What is that? Little did I know that it was about to change the whole game,鈥� he says, laughing. He remembers playing an electric set 鈥� no 鈥淛essie鈥檚 Girl,鈥� because 鈥渂ack then, it was just my first hit. ... It hadn't gone on to become this cultural thing."
had a different experience. His band also played in Philly 鈥� their hometown 鈥� and in 1985, his band was one of the biggest on the planet. They played near the end of the night, joined by the Temptations' Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin and remained on stage to back the Rolling Stones' The British rockstar had a trick up his sleeve.
鈥淗e didn't tell us that he was bringing out,鈥� Oates says. 鈥淲e had rehearsed a certain amount of songs with him. But then when he brought her out, it just jacked up the level of energy like you can鈥檛 believe.鈥�
Judas Priest singer Rob Halford counts 鈥淢ike and Tina, of course,鈥� as one of his Philly Live Aid highlights. 鈥淟ed Zeppelin, too.鈥�
But most exciting of all for the heavy metal frontman? Meeting folk hero The band had previously covered her classic 鈥淒iamonds and Rust."
鈥淚 thought, 鈥極h my God, she鈥檚 gonna come and kick me in the ass for wrecking her beautiful song,鈥欌�� he recalls. 鈥淪he gives me a quick hug and goes, 鈥楾he reason I鈥檓 here is because my son said to me, if you see Rob Halford from Judas Priest at the Live Aid Show in Philadelphia, will you tell him from me that I prefer Judas Priest鈥檚 version to my mom鈥檚 version?' ... It was a display of such kindness."
From Live Aid to Live 8 and beyond
Twenty years after Live Aid, Geldof organized Live 8 鈥� an even larger undertaking in the new internet era, with 10 concerts happening simultaneously and across the globe.
If the trend were to continue, there should be another event taking place this year. Notably, there isn't.
Geldof says that's because there couldn't be a Live Aid-type event in 2025. He cites social media as a cause. In his view, algorithmic fracturing has made it impossible to create monolithic musical and activistic moments. Instead, he views the current media landscape as bolstering "an echo chamber of your own prejudices.鈥�
For something like Live Aid to work, 鈥淵ou need rock 鈥榥鈥� roll as a creature of a social, economic and technological movement," he says. 鈥淎nd I think the rock 鈥榥鈥� roll age is over. ... It did determine how young people articulated change and the desire for it. ... That isn't the case anymore.鈥�
Springfield agrees. 鈥淚 think we are too divided,鈥� he says. He believes the world wouldn't be able to agree on a single cause to support, or even which musicians to back. 鈥淵ou could never do a thing with the size of Live Aid unless it was some kind of universal thing of, 鈥楲et鈥檚 bring everybody together.鈥欌��
鈥淣ever say never, but I highly doubt it,鈥� says Oates. 鈥淭he landscape of music and entertainment in general has changed so drastically."
He points to the 1985 charity single for African famine relief that included the voices of Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon and many more, as an example. 鈥淭he idea of that happening with the stars of today all in one place, I can鈥檛 even imagine that. And plus, who would they be? ... How many songs are released every day?鈥�
Hope for he Live Aid's legacy to continue
Halford echoes the other's sentiments. There's an undeniable 鈥渆xtremism in the world right now,鈥� he says, that would make a Live Aid event challenging to pull off in 2025. But he doesn't think it's impossible. He uses January's 鈥� the LA wildfire benefit concert featuring Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder 鈥� as a recent example.
鈥淭here will always be empathy from people,鈥� and in the right hands, maybe another event like Live Aid could take place. 鈥淚t was a tremendously beautiful, humanitarian example ... that provided us opportunity to do something ourselves to help.鈥�
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
