Live Aid (1985) (TV)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Vincent Scarza

Writer:

Bob Geldof (idea)

Release Date:

13 July 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Music

Plot:

The broadcast of the biggest benefit concert in history.

Plot Keywords:

Concert | Rock Music | Live Aid | Famine | Bass

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

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
Pete Briquette	...	Himself (as Boomtown Rats)
Charlie Burchill	...	Himself (as Simple Minds)
Geezer Butler	...	Himself (as Black Sabbath)
Tony Butler	...	Himself (as Big Country)
Warren Cann	...	Himself
The Cars	...	Themselves
Martin Chambers	...	Himself (as The Pretenders)
Chevy Chase	...	Himself (at JFK Stadium)
Eric Clapton	...	Himself
Dick Clark	...	Himself / host
Adam Clayton	...	Himself (as U2)
Albert Collins	...	Himself (with George Thorogood & the Destroyers)
Phil Collins	...	Himself
Billy Connolly	...	Himself
Elvis Costello	...	Himself
David Crosby	...	Himself (at JFK Stadium) (as Crosby Stills Nash and Young)
Crosby Stills Nash & Young	...	Themselves (at JFK Stadium)
Chris Cross	...	Himself (as Ultravox)
Simon Crowe	...	Himself (as Boomtown Rats)
Alannah Currie	...	Herself (as Thompson Twins)
Billy Currie	...	Himself (as Ultravox)
Roger Daltrey	...	Himself (as The Who)
John Deacon	...	Himself (as Queen)
Paul Denham	...	Himself (Sade's backing band)
Ronnie James Dio	...	Himself (as Black Sabbath)
Dire Straits	...	Themselves
Duran Duran	...	Themselves
Bob Dylan	...	Himself
John Entwistle	...	Himself (as The Who)
Andrew Farriss	...	Himself
Jon Farriss	...	Himself
Tim Farriss	...	Himself
Bryan Ferry	...	Himself
Sally Field	...	Herself
Johnnie Fingers	...	Himself (as Boomtown Rats)
Mel Gaynor	...	Himself (as Simple Minds)
David Gilmour	...	Himself (Bryan Ferry's backing band)
Band of H.M. Coldstream Guards	...	Themselves (as Regimental Band of The Coldstream Guards)
Tony Hadley	...	Himself (as Spandau Ballet)
Andrew Hale	...	Himself (Sade's backing band)
Daryl Hall	...	Himself
Michael Hutchence	...	Himself (as INXS)
Chrissie Hynde	...	Herself (as The Pretenders)
John Illsley	...	Himself (as Dire Straits)
INXS	...	Themselves
Tony Iommi	...	Himself (as Black Sabbath)
Mick Jagger	...	Himself
Elton John	...	Himself
Howard Jones	...	Himself
John Paul Jones	...	Himself (as Led Zeppelin)
Casey Kasem	...	Himself - Announcer
John Keeble	...	Himself (as Spandau Ballet)
Gary Kemp	...	Himself (as Spandau Ballet)
Martin Kemp	...	Himself (as Spandau Ballet)
Eddie Kendricks	...	Himself
Jim Kerr	...	Himself (as Simple Minds)
Andy Kershaw	...	Himself
Nik Kershaw	...	Himself
B.B. King	...	Himself
Mark Knopfler	...	Himself (as Dire Straits)
Patti LaBelle	...	Herself
Alan Lancaster	...	Himself (as Status Quo)
Simon Le Bon	...	Himself (as Duran Duran)
Joe Leeway	...	Himself (as Thompson Twins)
Madonna	...	Herself
Stuart Matthewman	...	Himself (Sade's backing band)
Brian May	...	Himself (as Queen)
Paul McCartney	...	Himself
Marilyn McCoo	...	Herself - Hostess
Darryl McDaniels	...	Himself (as Run-D.M.C.)
Robbie McIntosh	...	Himself (as The Pretenders)
Freddie Mercury	...	Himself (as Queen)
George Michael	...	Himself (as Wham!)
Jason Mizell	...	Himself (as Run-D.M.C.)
Alison Moyet	...	Herself
Larry Mullen Jr.	...	Himself (as U2)
Graham Nash	...	Himself (at JFK Stadium) (as Crosby Stills Nash and Young)
Jack Nicholson	...	Himself
Petter Nome	...	Programleder (host, Norway)
Steve Norman	...	Himself (as Spandau Ballet)
John Oates	...	Himself (as Hall & Oates)
Ric Ocasek	...	Himself (as The Cars)
Ben Orr	...	Himself (as The Cars)
Ozzy Osbourne	...	Himself (as Black Sabbath)
Jimmy Page	...	Himself (as Led Zeppelin)
Rick Parfitt	...	Himself (as Status Quo)
Teddy Pendergrass	...	Himself
Robert Plant	...	Himself (as Led Zeppelin)
Power Station	...	Themselves
The Pretenders	...	Themselves
David Quinn	...	Himself (as Children to Children)
Nick Rhodes	...	Himself (as Duran Duran)
Griff Rhys Jones	...	Himself
Keith Richards	...	Himself (as The Rolling Stones)
Lionel Richie	...	Himself
Andrew Ridgeley	...	Himself (as Wham!)
Tony Rivers	...	Himself (background-singer with Elton John)
Garry Roberts	...	Himself (as Boomtown Rats)
Nile Rodgers	...	Himself
Francis Rossi	...	Himself (as Status Quo)
David Ruffin	...	Himself
Sade	...	Herself
Carlos Santana	...	Himself (as Santana)
George Segal	...	Himself - Host
Joseph Simmons	...	Himself (as Run-D.M.C.)
Simple Minds	...	Themselves
Valerie Simpson	...	Herself
Mel Smith	...	Himself
Spandau Ballet	...	Themselves
Rick Springfield	...	Himself
Status Quo	...	Themselves
Stephen Stills	...	Himself (at JFK Stadium) (as Crosby Stills Nash and Young)
Sting	...	Himself
Style Council	...	Themselves
Andy Taylor	...	Himself (as Duran Duran/Power Station)
John Taylor	...	Himself (as Duran Duran/Power Station)
Roger Taylor	...	Himself (as Queen)
Roger Taylor	...	Himself (as Duran Duran)
The Edge	...	Himself (as U2)
The Thompson Twins	...	Themselves
George Thorogood	...	Himself (at JFK Stadium) (as George Thorogood and the Destroyers)
Pete Townshend	...	Himself (as The Who)
Tina Turner	...	Herself
U2	...	Themselves
Tracey Ullman	...	Herself
Ultravox	...	Themselves
Midge Ure	...	Himself (as Ultravox)
Tommy Vance	...	Himself (Announcer)
Bill Ward	...	Himself (as Black Sabbath)
Bruce Watson	...	Himself (as Big Country)
Paul Weller	...	Himself (as Style Council)
Wham!	...	Themselves
The Who	...	Themselves
Brian Wilson	...	Himself (at JFK Stadium) (as The Beach Boys)
Ron Wood	...	Himself
Neil Young	...	Himself (at JFK Stadium) (as Crosby Stills Nash & Young)
Paul Young	...	Himself

Runtime:

960 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:E

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

Queen almost didn't perform due to the fact that Freddie Mercury was afraid that their performance was going to be seen as a political statement. Bob Geldof eventually convinced the band that there was nothing political about the concert.

Quotes:

Tom Petty: Two minutes before we came on stage, we decided to play "American Girl", since this is, after all, JFK stadium.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Chevy Chase/Robbie Robertson, Bruce Hornsby (#17.11)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Is it a crime

The Day the World United

I say with great certainty that this was the greatest musical event of my lifetime. Yet there seem to be no video or audio copy that is available. This Live Aid album would have brought in Millions of Dollars in relief aid. Think about the cassette, album, CD, & DVD money we would have all paid? I am lucky enough to have a scratchy cassette recording off of the radio from that day. Long live Freddy!!!!