The Live Aid concerts took place at venues across the world.
Organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, the concerts were a continuation of the fund raising efforts of the pair which had started the previous christmas with the charity single ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas‘. The event’s aim was to raise money for those affected by a large-scale famine which had hit parts of northern Africa, in particular Ethiopia. The developing disaster was brought to Geldof’s and the wider British public’s attention by a documentary on the famine made for the BBC by newsman Michael Burke.
The two main Live Aid concerts took place at Wembley Stadium, London and the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, with other smaller events also taking place throughout Europe and in Australia. Kicking off in London at 12:00 (bst), the concerts lasted for over 16 hours, with many of the biggest stars in music at the time taking part. In London, Status Quo kicked the event off, and were followed by acts such as U2, Queen, David Bowie and Paul McCartney. While in Philadelphia there were performances from stars such as Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys and Neil Young. An industry poll in 2005 voted Queen’s appearence at the event as the ‘greatest live performance ever’.
At the end of the concerts, it was announed that between £40-50 million had been raised by public donations, including a £1m donation from the Dubai Royal Family. It has since been estimated that over £150m has been raised as a direct result of the event.