Live Aid at 40

[IntelligentInputDarling]

Love it or loathe it, Live Aid is 40 years old next weekend.

How old were you at the time?
Do we have any MNs who was at Wembley on the day, or even the JFK stadium in Philadelphia?!
What was your favourite act?

It was my friend's 16th birthday party and live aid was on in the background. I remember watching Queen and Madonna. I knew people who went to Wembley.

Tracey Chapman just her and her guitar
i was 12, i saw not on telly. We had the single, and the next version every other cover after the 2nd is utter crap

Watched it on TV with my brother. We were 18 and 13. Loved it until the American section which, other than Madonna, was shite.

I was 12 and watched it with my older brother and younger sister.
We loved all of it and felt proper grown up because we were watching a concert.

I was 26. Lived in London. Watched it with a group of friends in a flat in Barnes.

Bob Geldof is incredible.

That wasn't Live Aid it was the Mandela concert, in 88(?)

I'm watching the documentary now and gosh, I'm feeling incredibly emotional seeing all these acts looking exactly as I remember them, and not 40 years older.
Of course, I'm still that 12 year old girl and not in my 50s!

Recently went to see ‘Just for one day’ musical based around the Band Aid and Live Aid story. It’s superb and well worth seeing. It captures the essence and excitement of that time, plus viewing it from a modern viewpoint also. Felt quite nostalgic watching it, and proud of what was achieved that day.

(Haven’t was watched the tv programme yet, but plan to)

I remember dashing home from my Saturday activity and getting in at about 12.15. Quo were still performing. Saw loads of it with breaks for tea and so on. Next Sunday Greatest Hits Radio is playing the entire audio broadcast of it all day.

Watched it all on TV.

For the youngsters on here, remember this was all done before mobile phones to connect and make arrangements.

I was 21 and in Wales, competing in canoe slalom. We were camping and I seem to remember we listened to it on the car radio as Saturday was practice run day for us and Sunday was competition day.

I went to Live8 and I also went to the gig for Nelson Mandela's birthday in 1988.

Yep, they were asking people to donate money by sending cheques or money orders to an address.

I can’t believe it was 40 years ago. I was 20 and a student living in halls. It was such a big deal.
Feels like yesterday, and a lifetime ago at the same time.

The documentary on BBC2 is bringing back such memories. It was a friend's 21st that night. We'd been at her house all day setting up the marquee and food and it was on in the house. We all slept at hers and stayed up watching the Philadelphia concert too.
Queen were absolutely incredible and the whole atmosphere felt like nothing we'd seen before.

I was there! Aged 16.

@Butteredtoast55 DH and I were just saying how poignant it is. Watching Bob Geldof obviously brings to mind Paula Yates, which in turn brings Michael Hutchence.

I wasnt there, I had to work that day but I started and finished early

I was working at NottingHill at the time and I finished work at 1pm and went across the road to the pub, with friends , and sat and watched

I was 21/22 at the time. Never had there been anything like it ever in my lifetime

The logistics of just getting donations paid through ........

We didn't have iPhones and such so you had to find your venue and watch. You had to find a phone ands dial in to donate

Phil Collins doing both concerts? Cant be done today - no supersonic flights

There's a lot of back lash with live aid. Bob is one of the first to say things weren't right, but you know Iit was the first time someone got a continant behind another. Me as an older teen, what did I care? it was on the news, - switch the mews off.

Only Band Aid got me questioning . Band Aid woke me up to the worlds problems and I started to get an interest in politics

I was very lucky to meet Bob a few years ago. He's a good man, may have mad a few mistakes in his need to want to help.Yet after chatting to him, ,maybe not the most intelligent and not giving a shit about world politics. He's done good. Not brilliant, but he opened eyes and hearts.

We are global after all

I was 12, nearly 13. Stayed at my friend’s house and we watched Nearly every second.
It was so emotional and impactive.
I wish I had been a few years older and experienced it in person

I remember it, I was 9. My dad had it on the TV and i remember him recording bits of it onto cassette (we didn't have a video recorder then).

I saw some of it, but it went on for what felt like ages, so kept going off to play 🤷‍♀️

I was 11, my parents were out for the day, as was DBro, Dsis was at a friend's birthday for a chunk of the day (because it was totally normal to leave your 11 year old home alone then) so my job was changing the tape in the video every 3 hours and making sure I didn't accidentally record over the earlier tapes later in the day!

I was 11. Such a memorable day. Not just the concert but we went to the new 7/11 for drinks you fill up yourself (never seen that before) AND had delivery pizza for the first time as the first pizza delivery service in my suburb had opened the day before! I loved Queen the best

So this isnt the first anniversary Ive watched

Live aid was the first of its kind

Before then we lived in our bubble. I was of the generation that was told treat what was on my plate because those poor Africans had nothing. I was of the generation who pout a picture for 2p - to get a child in Africa out of poverty

Band aid was clumsy. Looking back at it with our ideals , pretty bloodly shameful . Yet it was a fixture of its time and its allowed us to move, allowed us to accept we are global , that we all count

When I went to school we were expected to fid the 2pence to buy the picture of a black lass ( to ease suffering in Africa ( General non what county ) )

Bob got a lot of shit for what he did. And still does.

But he raised awareness and in his own way, got people actually thinking about the world they live in

It was great to see it all again on telly.

I was 15 and I turned 16, 2 weeks after the Live Aid concert at Wembley.

It completely opened my eyes to the bigger world. Yes, I was also of the age to be told to eat all my dinner as there were starving children in Africa. I probably rolled my eyes at my parents too.

To actually see that report from Michael Burke on the news was so shocking. And then to see the effort that the whole country went to, to send them money made me proud to be British.

I know every single word and which ‘pop star’ sang every line of ‘Do they know it’s Christmas’

I get goosebumps when I hear it played every Christmas. It literally sends me back in time!

Then the Live Aid concert took place in July 1985. It was so exciting 😁 I was waitressing in our local pub at lunchtime and we had a portable Black & White TV in the kitchen so we could watch it & we were all crowded round it while trying to work. The sun was shining & everyone was so optimistic & happy we were all doing something to help.

In the evening, I also lost my virginity to my first boyfriend! While the Live Aid concert was still on.
I thought I was so grown up at 15!

I know people slag it off, and roll their eyes about it but it was truly a different time and I like to remember it as a time when we all tried to help those who needed help.

I would go back to those times in a heartbeat.