Live Aid (TV 1985)

The broadcast of the biggest benefit concert in history.

Director:

Vincent Scarza

Writer:

Bob Geldof (idea)

Stars:

Bob Geldof, Bryan Adams, Stuart Adamson

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bob Geldof	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bryan Adams	...	Himself (at JFK Stadium)
Stuart Adamson	...	Himself (as Big Country)
Adam Ant	...	Himself
Nick Ashford	...	Himself
Joan Baez	...	Herself
Tom Bailey	...	Himself (as Thompson Twins)
Garry Beers	...	Himself
Big Country	...	Themselves
Black Sabbath	...	Themselves
Bono	...	Himself (as U2)
The Boomtown Rats	...	Themselves
David Bowie	...	Himself
Andrew Bown	...	Himself (as Status Quo)
Jeff Bridges	...	Himself - Host

Storyline

This show features Live Aid, the biggest benefit concert in history. Taking place simultaneously in two seperate stadiums in the USA and the UK, many of the top contemporary rock music acts play many of their most popular songs to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. In addition, short films illustrating the crisis in Africa are run with the appeal for aid.

---

Plot Keywords:

rock music | ethiopia | famine | live aid | pop music | 

---

Taglines:

Feed The World

---

Genres:

Documentary | Music

---

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 1985 (USA)

Filming Locations:

John F. Kennedy Stadium - 3601 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Music Television (MTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

960 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Even though several bands had reunited for the show, one band that was asked to but didn't was the Beatles. The surviving members of the band were asked to perform with Julian Lennon filling in for his father John, but they declined.

---

Quotes

Eric Clapton: I chose my songs for the show very carefully. I wanted music that would trace my development. I wanted to show my past and then my future, and also what I'm famous for.

---

Connections

Featured in The Wright Stuff: Episode #17.151 (2012)

---

Soundtracks

"Born As Angel"
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

User Reviews

The Global Jukebox - Relive a Musical & Cultural Touchstone

This is a cultural, musical and historical treasure trove of some of the greatest and most influential rock/pop musicians ever. Stand out performances for me were Queen, The Who and U2, I have watched them over and over. It is hours and hours of footage, and even after you have gorged yourself on it, there is still more! And then not even all the acts and songs were captured, as Geldof had originally requested that the event not be recorded!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3604680.stm

Live Aid was not only a great and memorable musical event, but a major technical achievement of its time. Remember this is in an era before the internet, mobile phones, when even sending and receiving an international fax was hit and miss. According to Wikipedia, an estimated 1.5 billion viewers, across 100 countries, watched the live broadcast.

It is also arguably the single biggest charity and cultural change event ever in terms of not only it scale, but its impact.

Bob Geldof always said, as acknowledged in the very name 'Band Aid', that the record and the ensuing concerts were a stop-gap - emergency relief. The point of the event was to raise money, yes, but also to put the issue of extreme poverty on the political agenda.

Bearing in mind that these kinds of immense social changes can take decades, it can be safely said that Live Aid did do just that by sowing some seeds of change.

The story of Live Aid and what it is about in its broadest sense has stayed with many people. It is bigger than its critics.

Fans of LIVE AID can also join a group on Facebook http://groups.to/liveaid