How much did the Live Aid concert raise?
The Live Aid concert raised $38 million. A Concert for Life: The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness in 1992: What? The concert was held at London's Wembley Stadium. The concert acted as both a tribute to the late Queen singer, and a benefit for AIDS research.
What was the impact of Live Aid on the music industry?
Many artists and performers at Live Aid gained prominence and positive commercial influence. For all the cultural, charitable, and technological significance of 1985's Live Aid, its most immediate impact was on the charts. In the UK, for example, No Jacket Required by Phil Collins and Madonna's Like a Virgin leapt back into the top ten.
What was the purpose of Live Aid?
Live Aid concert. With the crisis continuing in Ethiopia, and the neighboring Sudan also stricken with famine, Geldof proposed Live Aid, an ambitious global charity concert aimed at raising more funds and increasing awareness of the plight of many Africans. Organized in just 10 weeks, Live Aid was staged on Saturday, July 13, 1985.
What are the Live Aid 8 concerts?
The concerts were a series of "8" concerts that took place during the 20th Anniversary of Live Aid. The events were held to raise money for Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty.
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Was Live Aid a benefit concert?
Live Aid was a benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative.
What impact did the Live Aid broadcast have?
The event itself raised more than $125 million in famine relief for Africa, as well as global awareness of a critical humanitarian issue. From Live Aid to the moon landing, Intelsat has transmitted the biggest moments in the world for everyone to share.
What did the Live Aid concert raise money for?
famine reliefThe 16-hour Live Aid marathon was watched by an estimated global audience of 1.5 billion and raised more than $140 million for famine relief. Organizer Bob Geldof recalled that his panic for the show to come off smoothly actually turned into physical pain for him: “I was frightened that nobody would show up.
Why was Live Aid so important for Queen?
12:0553:04HOW and WHY were Queen SO good at Live Aid in 1985? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipKnew about the strengths. And the strength that they had in freddie mercury as a front man but alsoMoreKnew about the strengths. And the strength that they had in freddie mercury as a front man but also the importance of putting on a show to the crowd.
Did they really turn up the volume for Queen at Live Aid?
While the 2018 film "Bohemian Rhapsody" pointed at the band secretly turning up the volume levels before going on stage, what was done in reality has been hailed as "genius" by Grohl, reports mirror.co.uk. Queen began with the legendary song "Bohemian Rhapsody" before turning to the crowd to bring them on board.
Did Queen almost miss Live Aid?
Queen didn't open or close the Live Aid show. They performed just before 7pm, uncharacteristically in daylight, bookended by gigantic acts like U2, Elton John and David Bowie.
What band raised the most money at Live Aid?
The famous rock band Queen stole the show for Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in 1985. The story of how Queen achieved this has become one of legend.
What artist turned down Live Aid?
The surviving members of the band were asked to perform with Julian Lennon filling in for his late father John Lennon, but they declined. Artists who were invited to perform but didn't were Tears for Fears, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson.
Was Live Aid Queen's last performance?
Was Live Aid Freddie Mercury's last performance? The Live Aid concert happened on July 13, 1985, but his last live performance was a year later at Knebworth Park on the 9th August, 1986. Freddy Mercury didn't die until November 24th, 1991. Queen live in concert in 1982.
Why didn't Michael Jackson play at Live Aid?
Michael Jackson "Michael is just about living in the studio, rehearsing and recording," his press agent Norman Winter told the New York Times. "I know, what could be more major than Live Aid, but Michael couldn't turn his back on his responsibility to the people he's working with.
What was Freddie Mercurys last words?
Freddie's long-time assistant Peter Freestone shares the last words Freddie ever said to him were: “Thank you.”
Was Queen last minute added to Live Aid?
Definitely not! Live Aid came in the year following the release of Queen's hugely-successful album The Works. The tour to support the LP started in August 1984 and ended in May 1985, two months before Live Aid. Queen were experts at playing stadium shows at this point, which is why they were so tight on the day.
Who was the singer at the 1985 Live Aid concert?
Organized by Boomtown Rats front man Bob Geldof and Ultravox vocalist Midge Ure, the event drew an estimated 1.5 billion television viewers and raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Ethiopia.
Who was the only artist to appear on both Live Aid stages?
Collins , who had performed at Wembley earlier in the day, had crossed the Atlantic on the Concorde to become the only artist to appear on both Live Aid stages. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now.
How many copies of Band Aid were sold?
The single, recorded in November 1984 and marketed under the name Band Aid, sold over three million copies and inspired similar all-star benefit projects. Most notable among these was Quincy Jones ’s USA for Africa, which hinged on the recording of “ We Are the World ” in January 1985.
What was the Live Aid concert?
Live Aid was a benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, UK, ...
When was the Live Aid concert DVD released?
An official four-disc DVD set of the Live Aid concerts was released on 8 November 2004. A premiere to launch the new DVD was held on 7 November and shown in DTS surround sound featuring a short compilation of the four-disc set. The screening was held at the Odeon Cinema in Kensington, London and included guests such as Brian May, Anita Dobson, Roger Taylor, Bob Geldof and partner Jean Marie, Annie Lennox, Midge Ure, Michael Buerk, Gary Kemp and The Darkness. Other theatrical premieres were held in Zurich, Milan, Rome, Vienna, Hamburg and Berlin. A 52-minute compilation was later released as a limited edition DVD in July 2005 titled 20 Years Ago Today: Live Aid. The box set contains 10-hour partial footage of the 16-hour length concert. The DVD was produced by Geldof's company, Woodcharm Ltd., and distributed by Warner Music Vision. The DVD has since been out of print and no longer available in stores. The decision to finally release it was taken by Bob Geldof nearly 20 years after the original concerts, after he found a number of unlicensed copies of the concert on the Internet.
Why was the concert never recorded?
Live Aid recordings. When organiser Bob Geldof was persuading artists to take part in the concert, he promised them that it would be a one-off event, never to be seen again. That was the reason why the concert was never recorded in its complete original form, and only secondary television broadcasts were recorded.
What did Bob Dylan say about farm aid?
Bob Dylan 's performance generated controversy after he said: "I hope that some of the money ... maybe they can just take a little bit of it, maybe ... one or two million, maybe ... and use it, say, to pay the mortgages on some of the farms and, the farmers here, owe to the banks". He is often misquoted, as on the Farm Aid website, as saying: "Wouldn't it be great if we did something for our own farmers right here in America?". In his autobiography, Is That It? (published in 1986), Geldof was critical of the remark, saying "He displayed a complete lack of understanding of the issues raised by Live Aid. ... Live Aid was about people losing their lives. There is a radical difference between losing your livelihood and losing your life. It did instigate Farm Aid, which was a good thing in itself, but it was a crass, stupid, and nationalistic thing to say." Although Dylan's comments were criticised, his remark inspired fellow musicians Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp to organise the Farm Aid charity, which held its first concert in September 1985. The concert raised over $9 million for America's family farmers and became an annual event.
How long was the concert at JFK?
Thus, the concert continued for just over 16 hours, but since many artists' performances were conducted simultaneously in Wembley and JFK, the total concert's length was much longer. Mick Jagger and David Bowie intended to perform an transatlantic duet, with Bowie in London and Jagger in Philadelphia.
What is farm aid?
Farm Aid, a Live Aid-inspired relief event for American farms, instigated by Bob Dylan. Live 8, Geldof's 2005 series of concerts aimed at increasing poverty awareness. Hear 'n Aid, similar joint effort from the heavy metal scene of the 1980s. List of historic rock festivals.
How many videos were there in the 1985 Live Aid concert?
On 12 September 2018, YouTube launched the Official Live Aid channel with a total of 87 videos from the Live Aid 1985 concert. According to the channel, all earnings from viewings go to the Band Aid Trust. As with the digital download release, a few notable performances are not included for unknown reasons, although Queen's set was uploaded to the channel with its inclusion on the digital download.
What was the significance of the 1985 Live Aid concert?
Explained: The historical significance of the 1985 Live Aid concert, and questions around Western relief efforts. The Live Aid set the template for fundraising concerts by raising approximately £150 million for famine relief, according to organiser Bob Geldof's own website. Freddie Mercury performing at the Wembley Stadium in 1985.
How many people attended the Phil Collins concert?
In the US, the Philadelphia Stadium saw a crowd of 90,000 people and a once-in-a-lifetime lineup featuring names like Madonna, Duran Duran, and The Beach Boys. Phil Collins flew in from London after wrapping up his Wembley show and performed at the US venue as well.
What was the goal of the artists at the Wembley?
The common goal of the participating artists was to stand in solidarity with Ethiopia and raise funds to bring relief to the people there, who were faced with a famine. The crowd packing London’s Wembley Stadium on a hot afternoon watched legends like Paul McCartney, Elton John, David Bowie, U2, and The Who perform.
What was the purpose of the Live Aid concert?
Live Aid, which took place on July 13, 1985 for a global audience of 1.9 billion people, was a massive, bicontinental pop concert created to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. It was the brainchild of Bob Geldof, leader of the Irish new wave band The Boomtown Rats.
Who were the celebrities that sang at the Live Aid concert?
George Michael, Bob Geldof, Bono, Paul McCartney, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, and Howard Jones gather together for the Live Aid finale at London's Wembley Stadium. Pop music didn’t suddenly discover altruism in the 1980s. The idea of the star-studded charity concert dates at least as far back as 1971, which is when former Beatle George Harrison ...
How much did Live Aid cut the famine death toll?
In a 2005 piece for The Guardian, David Rieff paraphrased Ethiopia expert Alex de Waal and wrote that Live Aid cut the famine death toll by “between a quarter and a half.” “The problem is that it may have contributed to as many deaths,” Rieff added. Geldof has always defended Live Aid’s use of funds.
How many countries did Live Aid broadcast?
It was a game of bluff.”. With the help of producer Michael C. Mitchell, Live Aid sold broadcast rights to 150 countries, at least 22 of which aired telethons. Both MTV and ABC carried the feed in the United States, the latter in the form of a primetime special hosted by Dick Clark.
What did Mercury carry on his microphone?
Mercury "strutted and preened, carrying his microphone on a metal pole that he treated as a vaudevillian’s cane, an air guitar, and, of course, a phallus," The New York Times wrote of Mercury's performance.
What did Bob Dylan do for charity?
Bob Dylan planted the seeds for another charity concert, Farm Aid, when he took a moment during his performance with Keith Richards and Ron Wood of The Rolling Stones to suggest that some of the money be used to help struggling American farmers.
What decade did U2 and Bono perform?
Bono performing with U2 at the Live Aid charity concert in London in 1985 . Dave Hogan/Hulton Archives/Getty Images.
What was the setting for Queen's live aid?
The old Wembley Stadium was the setting, on 13 July 1985, for one of the greatest live concerts ever staged: Live Aid.
Who performed in London in the 80s?
Sting, U2, Dire Straits, The Who, Elvis Costello, Elton John, and George Michael were among the acts performing in London that day ( Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Madonna and Tom Petty were at the John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia for the American counterpart). But of all the high-caliber artists on display that day, ...
Why are Foo Fighters considered the greatest rock band of all time?
“And that’s what made the band so great; that’s why they should be recognized as one of the greatest rock bands of all time, because they could connect with an audience. ”.
Who was the best band of 1985?
The choice of album title was apt. Queen provided magic on that summer day in 1985. Their impact was summed up by Geldof. “Queen were absolutely the best band of the day,” the Live Aid organizer said. “They played the best, had the best sound, used their time to the full.
Did Queen perform live aid in Bohemian Rhapsody?
The 2019 hit biopic Bohemian Rhapsody starts and ends with footage recreating Queen’s Live Aid concert – a performance that remains the high point of the band’s live history. Their participation was initially in doubt, however, and as recently as June 2019, guitarist Brian May admitted: “We definitely hesitated about doing Live Aid.”.
What was the 20th anniversary of Live Aid?
The events were held to raise money for Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty. The locations (which were more than eight) include Tokyo, Rome, Philadelphia, Paris, Moscow, London, Johannesburg, Edinburgh, Cornwall, Berlin and Barrie.
When is Ariana Grande's benefit concert?
Music Ariana Grande Facebook Instant Articles. Ariana Grande just announced a star-studded benefit concert June 4 to raise money for the victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack last week. The benefit concert, One Love Manchester, will occur at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground on June 4. Grande has enlisted A-listers Justin Bieber, ...
How much money did the Concert for Bangladesh raise?
At the time the concerts raised close to $250,000 for Bangladesh relief, which was administered by UNICEF. Due to money raised through the Concert for Bangladesh live album and film, an estimated $12 million had been sent to relief in Bangladesh by 1985. AP Photo/Joe Schaber.
What was the Queen's concert?
What? The concert was held at London's Wembley Stadium. The concert acted as both a tribute to the late Queen singer, and a benefit for AIDS research. The was an audience of 72,000 and broadcast live on television and radio to 76 countries around the world. There was believed to be an audience of up to one billion people. The money raised was intended to go to "AIDS projects worldwide."
Why was the Concert for Bangladesh created?
According to Yahoo Music, the events were created to raise money and awareness for East Pakistan refugees, who were struggling to become Bangladesh at the time. Packed with an all-star line up, The Concert for Bangladesh was the first benefit concert of its kind. The concerts were attended by a total of 40,000 people.
Who was the starving in Africa concert?
Who? Sir Bob Geldof 's famed concert for the starving in Africa, which was held on July 13, 1985, was at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.
Where were the concerts on September 11?
The concerts were recorded in New York City, Los Angeles, and London and aired on all the major networks.
Background
Influence
- Do They Know Its Christmas? was also a No. 1 hit in the United States and inspired U.S. pop artists to come together and perform We Are the World, a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. USA for Africa, as the U.S. ensemble was known, featured Jackson, Richie, Geldof, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Stevie Wo…
Performance
- A memorable performance of the concert was by Queen, particularly frontman Freddie Mercury, who unexpectedly stole the show with a fierce performance. With the group losing steam as they went into the early 1980s after a career of multiple hits, they offered the crowd an unforgettable 20-minute performance. Going from \"Bohemian Rhapsody\" to \"We Will Rock You\" and finishin…
Aftermath
- Another top moment was by Phil Collins in Philadelphia after flying by Concorde from London, where he performed at Wembley earlier in the day. He later played drums in a reunion of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin. Beatle Paul McCartney and the Whos Pete Townsend held Bob Geldof aloft on their shoulders during the London finale, which featured a collective perform…
Impact
- Live Aid eventually raised $127 million in famine relief for African nations, and the publicity it generated encouraged Western nations to make available enough surplus grain to end the immediate hunger crisis in Africa. Geldof was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his efforts.
Activities
- In early July 2005, Geldof staged a series of Live 8 concerts in 11 countries around the world to help raise awareness of global poverty. Organizers, led by Geldof, purposely scheduled the concert days before the annual G8 summit in an effort to increase political pressure on G8 nations to address issues facing the extremely poor around the world. Live 8 claims that an estimated 3 …
Overview
Live Aid was a benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a movement that started with the release of the successful charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in December 1984. Billed as the "global jukebox", Live Ai…
Background
The 1985 Live Aid concert was conceived as a follow-on to the successful charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" which was also the brainchild of Geldof and Ure. In October 1984, images of hundreds of thousands of people starving to death in Ethiopia were shown in the UK in Michael Buerk's BBC News reports on the 1984 famine. The BBC News crew were the first to document th…
Organisation
Among those involved in organising Live Aid were Harvey Goldsmith, who was responsible for the Wembley Stadium concert, and Bill Graham, who put together the American leg. On promoting the event, Goldsmith states, "I didn't really get a chance to say no. Bob [Geldof] arrived in my office and basically said, 'We're doing this.' It started from there."
Collaborative effort
The concert began at 12:00 British Summer Time (BST) (7:00 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)) at Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom. It continued at John F. Kennedy Stadium (JFK) in the United States, starting at 13:51 BST (8:51 EDT). The UK's Wembley performances ended at 22:00 BST (17:00 EDT). The JFK performances and whole concert in the US ended at 04:05 BST 14 July (23:05 EDT). Thus, the concert continued for just over 16 hours, but since many artists' performa…
Broadcasts
Broadcaster Richard Skinner opened the Live Aid concert with the words:
It's twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it's time for Live Aid.
The concert was the most ambitious international satellite television venture that had ever been attempted at the time. In Europe, the TV feed was supplied by the BBC, whose broadcast was presented by Richard Skinner, Andy Kershaw, Mark Ellen, David Hepworth, Andy Batten-Foster, Ste…
Stages and locations
The Coldstream Guards band opened with the "Royal Salute", a brief version of the national anthem "God Save the Queen". Status Quo were the first act to appear and started their set with "Rockin' All Over the World", also playing "Caroline" and fan favourite "Don't Waste My Time". "Bob told me, 'It doesn't matter a fuck what you sound like, just so long as you're there,'" recalled guitari…
Fundraising
Throughout the concerts, viewers were urged to donate money to the Live Aid cause. Three hundred phone lines were manned by the BBC, so that members of the public could make donations using their credit cards. The phone number and an address that viewers could send cheques to were repeated every twenty minutes.
Nearly seven hours into the concert in London, Bob Geldof enquired how much money had been …
Criticisms and controversies
Bob Dylan's performance generated controversy; while transitioning from "Ballad of Hollis Brown" to "When the Ship Comes In," he said: "I hope that some of the money ... maybe they can just take a little bit of it, maybe ... one or two million, maybe ... and use it, say, to pay the mortgages on some of the farms and, the farmers here, owe to the banks". He is often misquoted, as on the Farm Aid website, as saying: "Wouldn't it be great if we did something for our own farmers right here i…