Live Aid watch along part 2

[NooNakedJacuzziness]

Following on from previous thread

I recorded it and started watching the first half at 11 p.m. Calling it quits now and heading to bed.

I was 13 back then and sooo excited about Live Aid. Mam and Dad had agreed to me watching it and staying up late. Like, really late! I was a big fan of the New Romantics and couldn't believe so many big names were playing - it was a super concert really. I was a big Whammie and especially excited to see them play. I was really disappointed when George Michael turned up with an ugly, bushy beard. On his own. And he didn't even sing any Wham! songs.

I sort of fancied myself as a journalist and did a 'review' of Live Aid . I scribbled all the band names and songs into a copy and rated their performances. I was more interested in the English section of the concert - all those New Romantics - than the US part. I didn't recognise all of the US acts and my older brother's friend (who was watching it with us) had to help me out with the band names.

I had no idea how the whole pledging money thing worked. You ring up and say you're going to send money? That's fine. But how do you actually send the money? Do you post it in an envelope and send it off somewhere? I was baffled. I didn't know anyone who owned a credit card back then. But as it happened, I didn't have any money to pledge.

I thought Bob Geldoff was very rude, the way he kept telling people they needed to send more money.

Anyway, re-watching it 40 years later and the two acts who impressed me the most (in the first half) were Paul Young and U2. Paul Young was already a big name, but I'd only vaguely heard of U2. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' is still a really good song, all these years later. It's funny watching Bono just being a rock star, without all the preaching and pontificating.

Right, I'll tune into Part 2 tomorrow night.

went to bed during Layla
rewatching.
Bono still doesnt make any sense in his interview.

I was 18 at the time and remember listening to it on the car radio driving round London with my dad (RIP), can't remember watching much of it on TV afterwards.

Watched the whole thing last night and thought it was incredible, I knew every single song, so much brilliant music. I was kicking myself for not getting a ticket and was puzzled as to why I hadn't even tried, given we lived very close to Wembley. I then remembered that, back then, I would only have been interested in Spandau, Ultravox and a few others and would have considered myself too young for the likes of Queen, Bowie, Elton etc. It's only in more recent years that I've come to appreciate them. Music really was so much better back then even my kids agree!

Another thing did the Wembley concert actually start at 7am??

Ah, just realised it was 7am in Philidelphia, duh!

this is interestingLive Aid at 40: When Rock ’n’ Roll Took on the World - Series 1: Episode 1 - BBC iPlayer

I was 12 when Live Aid happened and it completely passed me by. I guess my parents had no interest in it so the TV would not have been on.

Same here @Onthemoooove. I wasn't really bothered with giants like Queen or Bowie. I'll appreciate them much more this time around (I'll watch Part Two later).

I remember there were rumours that the Beatles would reunite. But they didn't.

I always assumed Dire Straits were an American band and was surprised to see them in the UK Section. I've just googled them and they're British. My friend's Mam was taken on as a seamstress for their Dublin gigs (this would have been the early '90s) and met Mark Knopfler briefly. She said he was very nice. She got us free tickets to their concert.

I know @JaneJeffer has been posting on these threads. Do you remember Self Aid? It was a telethon (inspired by Live Aid) to raise money to tackle unemployment. Not quite the same calibre of musicians though. Oh and Bob's 'Phone wreckers are idiots' ad. Voiceover by Gaybo.

Live Aid inspired a lot of other telethons. There was Farm Aid in the US.

Oh and the tickets were only £25 from Wembley Box Office, that's still only about £77 today. Bargain! Can you imagine the scramble for tickets if it were today, a la Ossis etc, it would be a nightmare🙈

It's on the Internet Archive in several different forms (take your pick lol), but Led Zeppelin wouldn't sign the releases for their slot to be distributed or re-broadcast at all, so I think it will still be minus the Zep but I'd be pleasantly surprised if they're on one of these:
https://www.google.com/search?q=internet+archive+full+live+aid&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7

Also, I thought it was sweet when Tony Hadley said he was there with all his family and rattled them off. He wasn't married back then, so his family consisted of his parents, maybe a sibling or two and his Grandad. Awww! He knew it was going to be a historic concert.

I loved all the statement jackets.

I do remember that @Taytocrispsand I remember the write up in Smash Hits when they couldn’t believe everyone was singing along to all of Chris DeBurgh’s songs because they had never heard of him! Then Lady in Red came out and was a massive hit in the U.K.

DH wanted to know where Bob Marley was…oh dear

If anyone’s not Live Aided out then Greatest Hits radio have just started playing 10 hours worth now 😬

I was 5. I don't recall the concert, though my family do. I do vividly remember "Do they know its Christmas" when it was released 6 months prior as it was constantly playing.

What I also remember is the follow up event Sport Aid that happened in '86 as I ran 2 miles (older brother did too but he cheated and took a short cut across a field with his mate!).

Status Quo, what a great way to start the event.

I would be 104, so I suspect I won't be joining you, but have fun then! Just catching up with the second half now. Not finding the US bits nearly as good, but it's still an amazing line up.

What a voice Patti LaBelle had! I don't like Imagine but that's a good interpretation. Oh gosh, she's moving onto Forever Young. That has a direct connection to my tear ducts.

Same happened to me! I conked just before 11pm but had a fabulous time watching with DP and having a bed buffet.

Bloody brilliant night, so thank you all. It also got us talking about how we can best donate to a current famine relief programme that won’t enrich warlords or terrorists or crackpot ideologues. Hopefully when I catch up with the thread I will see some suggestions.

Well he wasn't at the Freddie Tribute concert, so there's that...
Judging him by his 70/80 year old voice is ridiculous. The man's a legend. Watch Get Back or listen to Maybe I'm Amazed.
Having said that, In guessing that nobody who's slagging him has ever actually seen him live? You can't judge anything by watching on telly. We saw him at the O2 (with Ringo!) in December and it was magical. Possibly the last chance ever to hear Beatles songs sung by a Beatle.

Went back and watched the Quo bit this morning and saddened to realise that two of them are dead now.
I must try to find the Hall and Oates bit on iPlayer. Their stuff with the Temptations was one of my favourite bits of the whole thing.

Lennon and McCartney, the most influencial songwriters of the 20th century, beyond dispute.

They will go down in the annals of history, our modern day Mozart and Beethoven.

Love Me Do made me cry. Just the sound of that harmonica set me off. Get Back gave me a whole new appreciation for Paul (and what a brilliant human Ringo is) and how beautiful was Linda McCartney back then.

I've just caught up with the whole show, really proud the only act I never saw was Sade (sadly, had tickets but broke my leg so couldn't go!)

Plus a load of the USA bands.

What a fabulous reminder of times gone by.

Just spotted that Apple Music have the Live Aid concert as a playlist. Looks like it was released on CD at some point.

I came across a Facebook page called 'I was at Live Aid in 1985'. Lots of lucky posters from both concerts sharing their photos and ticket stubs and memories of the day. Apparently there was a concert goer in the crowd at JFK Stadium waiting for a kidney donation. They made an announcement that a kidney was available for him at Massachusetts General Hospital and he had to leave the concert immediately and fly back to Boston. As if the day wasn't dramatic enough already! Somehow I must have missed that - or maybe I've forgotten.

@Taytocrisps- I’m surprised they didn’t get Phil Collins to fly out for the kidney and bring it back - they missed a trick there 😬