History of Live Aid in Timeline
Live Aid, organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, was a dual-venue benefit concert held on July 13, 1985, at Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. It aimed to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief, following the success of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" The event, also known as the "global jukebox", featured numerous famous musicians and bands performing to a massive global audience through live television and radio broadcasts.
1980: Death of John Bonham
In 1980, Led Zeppelin's drummer, John Bonham, passed away. This event is significant as Led Zeppelin performed for the first time since his death at Live Aid.
1981: Queen Rock Montreal Concert
In 1981, Queen performed at The Forum in Montreal, Canada. The concert was later released on Blu-ray and DVD in 2007 as part of a special edition of Queen Rock Montreal, containing their Live Aid performance.
1983: Release of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
In 1983, Eurythmics, with Annie Lennox as the vocalist, released the hit song "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".
October 1984: BBC News Reports on the Ethiopian Famine
In October 1984, BBC News, reported on the famine in Ethiopia. Michael Buerk's report described the famine as "a biblical famine in the 20th century". The report highlighted the plight of a young nurse, Claire Bertschinger, who had to decide which children would receive limited food supplies.
November 1984: Recording and Release of "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
In November 1984, Geldof and Ure co-wrote "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and persuaded colleagues to record the single under the title 'Band Aid' for free. The song was recorded on 25 November at Sarm West Studios and released four days later, becoming a major hit and raising £8 million.
December 1984: Release of "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
In December 1984, the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was released to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. It was the start of the movement that would lead to Live Aid.
December 1984: Culture Club and Band Aid Encore at Wembley Arena
On 22 December 1984, during Culture Club's final night at Wembley Arena, artists from "Band Aid" joined them for an encore of "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Boy George suggested to Geldof that they should consider organizing a benefit concert.
January 1985: Geldof's Enthusiasm for Charity Concert Idea
In January 1985, Geldof expressed his enthusiasm for Boy George's idea of a charity concert in an interview with Melody Maker, stating that he would support the initiative and help organize it.
July 1985: Live Aid Benefit Concert
In July 1985, Live Aid, a two-venue benefit concert, was held at Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia.
July 1985: Paul McCartney re-records vocals for DVD release
In July 1985, Paul McCartney re-recorded his vocals for "Let It Be" in a studio the day after the Live Aid concert due to microphone problems during the live performance. This re-recorded version was used for the DVD release.
September 1985: Farm Aid Charity Concert
In September 1985, Bob Dylan's controversial comments at Live Aid inspired Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp to organize the first Farm Aid charity concert. The concert raised over $9 million for America's family farmers and became an annual event.
December 1985: Hill Pro Audio Details Wembley Speaker System
In December 1985, Malcolm Hill described the Hill Pro Audio speaker system used at Wembley for Live Aid in an interview with Studio Sound. The system included Hill J-Series Mixing Consoles and Hill M3 Speaker System powered by Hill 3000 amplifiers.
1985: Springsteen declines to appear at Live Aid
In 1985, Bruce Springsteen declined to appear at Live Aid despite being scheduled to perform, citing that he "simply did not realise how big the whole thing was going to be".
1985: Commercial impact of Live Aid
In 1985, Live Aid had an immediate impact on the charts. In the UK, albums such as Phil Collins's 'No Jacket Required' and Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' re-entered the top ten. Queen's 'Greatest Hits' rose significantly, and every U2 album available at the time returned to the chart.
1985: Phil Collins' performances and Cher's appearance
In 1985, Phil Collins performed at both Wembley Stadium and JFK, travelling by helicopter and Concorde. Cher, who was unaware of the concerts, attended the Philadelphia concert and performed in the finale.
1985: Live Aid Concert
The Live Aid Concert was held in 1985. On 12 September 2018 YouTube launched the Official Live Aid channel with a total of 87 videos from the Live Aid concert.
1986: Geldof receives knighthood
In 1986, Bob Geldof received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his efforts in organizing Live Aid.
1986: Publication of 'Is That It?'
In 1986, Bob Geldof's autobiography, 'Is That It?', was published. In the book, Geldof criticized Bob Dylan's remarks during Live Aid, calling them crass, stupid, and nationalistic.
1986: Spin Exposé on Live Aid
In 1986, Spin magazine published an exposé alleging that Bob Geldof ignored warnings about the Ethiopian government's role in the famine and that aid funds were used to purchase arms from the Soviet Union. Geldof responded by criticizing the article and Médecins Sans Frontières.
1991: Claire Bertschinger receives Florence Nightingale Medal
In 1991, Claire Bertschinger, the nurse featured in the news reports that sparked the aid relief movement, received the Florence Nightingale Medal for her work in nursing.
1993: Release of 'The Hits/The B-Sides' compilation album
In 1993, Prince's compilation album 'The Hits/The B-Sides' was released, featuring the video version of "4 the Tears in Your Eyes", which he had pre-taped for Live Aid.
1993: Ritchie Blackmore leaves Deep Purple
In 1993, Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple. As a result, a reunited Deep Purple was due to appear from Switzerland via satellite, but pulled out after guitarist Ritchie Blackmore refused to take part in Live Aid.
November 2004: Live Aid DVD tops UK charts
On November 14, 2004, the Live Aid DVD entered the UK Official Music Video Chart at number one and remained in the top position for twelve consecutive weeks.
November 2004: Release of Live Aid DVD set
On November 8, 2004, an official four-disc DVD set of the Live Aid concerts was released. A premiere was held on November 7 in London, featuring guests such as Brian May and Bob Geldof. The DVD was produced by Woodcharm Ltd. and distributed by Warner Music Vision.
July 2005: Release of '20 Years Ago Today: Live Aid' DVD
In July 2005, a 52-minute compilation titled '20 Years Ago Today: Live Aid' was released as a limited edition DVD.
July 2005: Woman Recalls Bono Saving Her Life at Live Aid
In July 2005, a woman recalled how Bono saved her life during U2's performance at Live Aid by helping her when she was being crushed by the crowd.
2005: Annie Lennox performs at Live 8
In 2005, Annie Lennox, who had to pull out of Live Aid due to a throat infection, performed at Live 8 in Hyde Park, London.
2005: Claire Bertschinger recalls trauma
In 2005, Claire Bertschinger, the nurse featured in the 1984 BBC News report on the Ethiopian famine, recalled the trauma of having to decide which children would receive food, comparing her experience to being a Nazi sending people to death camps.
2005: Queen's Live Aid Performance Voted Greatest of All Time
In 2005, Queen's performance at Live Aid, which began at 6:41 pm and lasted twenty-one minutes, was voted the greatest live performance in rock history by a poll of artists, journalists, and music industry executives.
2005: Pink Floyd Reunion at Live 8
In 2005, the classic Pink Floyd lineup reunited for Live 8, a follow-up to Live Aid. Roger Waters had previously been turned down when he offered to bring his new band to Live Aid.
2007: Queen Rock Montreal DVD and Blu-ray Release
In 2007, Queen released a special edition of Queen Rock Montreal on Blu-ray and DVD formats, featuring their 1981 concert and their complete Live Aid performance, re-mixed in DTS 5.1 sound.
March 2010: BBC World Service programme Assignment allegations
In March 2010, the BBC World Service programme Assignment reported that funds raised by Live Aid were diverted to the Ethiopian government, but the BBC Editorial Complaints Unit later found no evidence to support such statements.
2010: Claire Bertschinger made a Dame
In 2010, Claire Bertschinger was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for "services to Nursing and to International Humanitarian Aid".
2010: BBC Allegations and Apology
In 2010, the BBC World Service claimed that some aid funds were used to buy arms for the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front. Although the BBC initially did not implicate Band Aid funds, later programs made explicit references, leading to a complaint from The Band Aid Trust. The BBC later issued an apology, acknowledging there was no evidence money had been diverted.
2010: 'When Harvey Met Bob' television drama
In 2010, the background to the staging of the concert as a whole was dramatised in the television drama 'When Harvey Met Bob'.
September 2018: Official Live Aid YouTube channel launched
On September 12, 2018, YouTube launched the Official Live Aid channel featuring 87 videos from the Live Aid 1985 concert. All earnings from viewings go to the Band Aid Trust.
September 2018: Live Aid audio released for digital download
On September 7, 2018, an audio copy of Live Aid was officially released by the Band Aid Trust label on digital download. The initial release excluded Queen's performance.
2018: Queen's Live Aid performance recreated in 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
In 2018, Queen's performance at Live Aid was recreated in the band's biographical film 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The recreation was very accurate, with footage from the original performance included.
May 2019: Queen's set added to digital download
In May 2019, Queen's performance was added to the digital download of Live Aid, which had been excluded from the initial release.
2020: Queen + Adam Lambert reprised Live Aid setlist
In 2020, Queen + Adam Lambert reprised the original Queen setlist from Live Aid for the Fire Fight Australia charity concert in Sydney, Australia.
November 2023: Live Aid miniseries and documentary announced
In November 2023, Bob Geldof announced that a six-part miniseries about Live Aid was being produced by Disney, and an IMAX-format theatrical documentary from Geldof himself was also in production.
February 2024: Premiere of 'Just for One Day' musical
In February 2024, a jukebox musical based on Live Aid, 'Just for One Day', premiered at The Old Vic in London.
August 2024: Hayley Williams Tributes Freddie Mercury at Eras Tour
In August 2024, while opening for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium, Paramore's lead vocalist Hayley Williams paid tribute to Freddie Mercury's Live Aid performance. She donned an outfit reminiscent of Mercury's and led the audience in call-and-response refrains akin to those in Queen's Live Aid set.
2024: Geldof rejects 'White Savior' accusation
In 2024, Bob Geldof dismissed the accusation that organizing Live Aid made him a 'white savior,' calling it "the greatest load of bollocks ever."
2024: Live Aid's impact in 2024
In 2024, it was noted that Live Aid eventually raised $127 million ($370 million in 2024 terms) for famine relief in African nations. The publicity generated encouraged Western nations to provide enough surplus grain to end the immediate hunger crisis in Africa. The event's larger impact is that "humanitarian concern is now at the centre of foreign policy" for the west.
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