The Live Aid concert took place on this day 24 years ago, an event organised by musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. It was the largest concert in the world, held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium, London and at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, with around 180,000 people present at those two venues, a live world-wide audience of 400 million people in 60 countries, and similar concerts held in other countries including Australia and Germany on the same day.
Co-ordination of the event was an extraordinary achievement, bringing together a large number of apparently self-absorbed musicians into a deeply emotional event focused on helping others. Performers at Wembley Stadium included Status Quo, Sting and Phil Collins, Bryan Ferry, U2, Dire Straits, Queen, David Bowie, The Who and Elton John. Performers at JFK Stadium included Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Bryan Adams, The Beach Boys, Simple Minds, The Pretenders, Madonna, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Duran Duran, Hall & Oates and Mick Jagger. The Australian concert, Oz for Africa, included Molly Meldrum, Mental As Anything, Men at Work, Australian Crawl, Goanna, Little River Band, the Angels and INXS.
The Live Aid concerts raised an estimated £150 million for famine relief, providing a substantial benefit for famine victims in Ethiopia although some of the funds were misappropriated by Ethiopia’s genocidal regime. The concerts also inspired a generation of young people to become interested in finding ways of serving the world’s poor.