Live Aid 1985

[Daydreamsinglorioustechnicolor]

Just watching the New Elizabethans programme on BBC 2 now. They've just covered Bob Geldof and Live Aid and I just wondered if any mumsnetters were there? I was only 4 in 1985 but some of you must have been? What was it like?

I was 18 and too cool at the time. I thought it was incredibly naff and patronising as a right on leftie student.

I watched it. Status quo were are a good start, I loved Simple Minds and Paula Yates telling Bob how proud she was.
Was crappy queen on? They always were shit.

I recorded some of it on a tape recorder off the TV and you can hear
next door's dog yapping.

I was 12. We were being driven from Scotland to Wales for a caravan holiday which would have been bad enough on any other day of the decade. My older sister and I were very much Not Happy at not even being able to watch it on telly.

When I told my teenage daughter this a few years ago she asked why we didn't just watch it on YoiTube in the car.

Submitted my MSc. thesis with minutes to go to the deadline then drove back home listening to Live Aid and singing along. To be absolutely honest, I didn't know much about it at the time as I'd been a tad busy but loved the music.

Caught up in the months to come and then bought my early teenage niece a copy of the tape for Christmas that year. Her first cassette tape.

I was 15 and watched the whole thing on the TV, it was amazing!

Watched it all day on tv. Amazing day. Queen. No words.

DH bought the dvd of it for me for Christmas when DS was 3. We watched it a lot and DS became a huge Tom Petty fan. Still is now at 19.

Ex boyfriend was there on the day and said it was incredible.

Fivefoot, yes roasting hot, and I'd taken no sunscreen. I was horribly sunburnt and it was a long and uncomfortable coach ride home afterwards!
I was also most excited to see Bowie and was disappointed he gave up one of his songs so the Cars video (Who's Going To Drive You Home) could be shown. I appreciated it was a massive impetus to people's charitable giving and a moving film, I just wished Howard Jones or some other B lister had given up some of their set instead!
I was also looking forward to seeing U2, who were amazing. I wasn't a Queen fan and had planned to fight my way to the loo when they came on (I figured they were huge so most people would be watching and there'd be no queues) but when the time came they were so amazing I couldn't tear myself away.

We were on holiday in Ibiza so watched part in San Antionio and the end bit in Manchester Airport.

My Dh was there with his kid sister. They got sunburned and apparently everyone was happy when there was a little rain shower.

My sister and I commandeered the living room & tv and watched all day.

I remember the announcement of Autograph playing from USSR and the film suddenly being some Russians picking cherries 🍒. But not very Chekhovian.

Plus the rest. Going over to USA all seemed very backwards music wise. (sorry but it was all a bit REO Speedwagon)

Massive memories for me. I was 23 and recently married, we had all our friends round to watch together. Elton John and George Michael "don't let the sun do down on me" was absolutely epic - when George introduced "Mr Elton John" it was amazing . And Queen were absolutely superb. Some of my best memories.

Remember watching it on the telly, I was 7. My dad was mardy because he thought it was all a load of rubbish (he only likes 60s music) but my mum loved the music so it was me and her watching.

Watched it on tv at a house party in Barnes.

Epic.

Good Thread idea Op
Well done
I too wish I could have been there at Live Aid Concert .
I would love to see Queen band Live
I allways think of Freddy Mercury whenever of Live Aid..

I watched it on TV with my family k was a teenager at the time..
Speacial times when my mother who adopted was still alive.bless her she was good to me..

11 years old and had my girlfriends round and we all watched it together. Was just amazing. And made better honestly but nobody holding up phones or catching it later. It was like everybody was right there at the same time in the moment. Life will never be like that again with catch up and phones etc etc.

My parents went; I was 3 so stayed with my grandparents. I vaguely remember watching on tv. It was my mam’s 35th birthday and they had a great day. Oddly, I was only thinking yesterday how she had a much more fun 35th than I did 🤣🤣

*because not but!

I was there too. My 21st birthday day gift from my sister. Me and 5 friends on the train from Dundee to London. Fab day. Drank lots of wine. Hot hot hot. That’s funny DesdamonasHandkerchief
I was exactly the same- I wasn’t a Queen fan and had planned to go to the loo when they were on but they were too amazing to walk away from.
Possibly the best birthday gift ever.

I think Freddie Mercury's stage presence must have been something else.

I wasn't there as a little bit younger but my Aunty who still lived with her mum (my gran) had it recorded and I used to stay over there a lot in the late 80s and she would always put it on usually a bit sloshed

I remember being in absolute awe at the size of the audience and all the famous musicians that our family listened to being on all together in the same place.

Some of my most favourite memories of childhood and my first experiences of live music (albeit through a video!)

I was 13 and we watched it on TV. Even my dear late Dad, who generally was stuck in the 60s music wise, loved it. Queen were amazing. Was it Phil Collins who performed in London then take Concorde to the States and perform again in Philadelphia?

I was 18 and on my first holiday abroad with my friends. We saw snippets but we were too busy getting drunk and partying, to pay too much attention to it.

We had lots of thunderstorms that day. I was playing with our town concert band at a fete at a local correctional school that afternoon and got a proper soaking.

Thanks for sharing your memories everyone, I've really enjoyed reading them all.

I was 13. I have no freakin clue where I was or whether I watched it. I dont have many memories of my childhood.
My sister probably watched it and I was probably in my bedroom reading a book.