Live Aid | History, Date, Bands, & Facts | Britannica

Lineup and notable performances

With less than a month of preparation time, Geldof secured the services of an impressive array of artists. Groups reuniting for the event included the Who, Black Sabbath, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Moreover, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reconvened in Philadelphia, supported by Phil Collins on drums. 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.

Perhaps the most noteworthy performances of the day belonged to a pair of arena rock giants—U2 and Queen—with each excelling in its respective idiom. U2 devoted 12 minutes of its allotted time to its anthem “Bad,” and lead singer Bono spent much of that time directly interacting with the Wembley crowd. An hour and a half later, lead singer Freddie Mercury powered through a condensed set of Queen’s greatest hits, displaying a combination of superb vocal range, multi-instrumental mastery, and remarkable stage presence. (Queen’s Live Aid performance was re-created, down to Mercury’s mannerisms, for the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody).

Other notable performances were those of David Bowie (in London) and Mick Jagger and Tina Turner (in Philadelphia). The event also featured artists whose fame was on the rise, including Madonna (Philadelphia) and George Michael (London), who accompanied Elton John on a duet of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” (Michael’s Wham! bandmate, Andrew Ridgeley, sang backup vocals alongside Kiki Dee.)

Access for the whole family! Bundle Britannica Premium and Kids for the ultimate resource destination. Subscribe

The concert at JFK stadium marked the return to the stage of R&B singer and Philadelphia native Teddy Pendergrass, who had become paralyzed from the waist down after an automobile accident in 1982. Flanked by husband-and-wife singer-songwriter duo Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Pendergrass performed in his wheelchair, singing “Reach Out and Touch.”

Other celebrities who appeared at Live Aid, mainly to introduce the performers, include Jack Nicholson, Bette Midler, Billy Connolly, and Chevy Chase. Perhaps the most famous attendees were Prince Charles and Princess Diana, at Wembley Stadium.

The concert closed with renditions of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (in London) and “We Are the World” (in Philadelphia).

Quick Facts Date: July 13, 1985 (Show more) Location: London Pennsylvania United Kingdom United States England (Show more) Key People: Freddie Mercury Bob Geldof (Show more) See all related content