Live Aid information

According to History.com (2020) on July 13, 1985, at Wembley Stadium in London, Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially opened Live Aid, a worldwide rock concert organised to raise money for the relief of famine-stricken Africans. They go on to say that the 16-hour "superconcert" was globally linked by satellite to more than a billion viewers in 110 nations. The website also explains that in a triumph of technology and good will, the event raised more than $125 million in famine relief for Africa. History also states that Live Aid was the brainchild of Bob Geldof and in 1984 he travelled to Ethiopia after hearing news reports of a horrific famine that had killed hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians and threatened to kill millions more. This inspired him to record a single to benefit Ethiopian famine relief. "Do They Know Its Christmas?" was performed by "Band Aid". 

Oz for Africa, a benefit held in Sydney, was to have been part of the Live Aid simulcast, but time zone differences proved impossible to reconcile. Footage from Oz for Africa, along with recorded performances from more than a half dozen cities around the world, was ultimately woven into the main satellite broadcast. This signal was carried by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the United Kingdom and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States, with a separate feed for the American cable television channel MTV. To ensure continuity in the broadcast, artists were given no more than 20 minutes of stage time, and equipment needs were kept to an absolute minimum. 

A memorable performance of the concert was by Queen, particularly frontman Freddie Mercury, who unexpectedly stole the show with a fierce performance. With the group losing steam as they went into the early 1980s after a career of multiple hits, they offered the crowd an unforgettable 20-minute performance. Going from "Bohemian Rhapsody" to "We Will Rock You" and finishing with "We Are the Champions," Queen captivated the audience with a journey through their hits, with Mercury at the helm.

Another top moment was by Phil Collins in Philadelphia after flying by Concorde from London, where he performed at Wembley earlier in the day. He later played drums in a reunion of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin. Beatle Paul McCartney and the Who’s Pete Townsend held Bob Geldof aloft on their shoulders during the London finale, which featured a collective performance of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Six hours later, the U.S. concert ended with “We Are the World.”

I found this article useful as it explained in detail the event of the day while outlining the most important parts of the event. Tis will be useful for my final project as it will help in outlining the reasons why it could happen again. 

History.com Editors (2018). ‘Live Aid’ Concert Raises $127 Million for Famine Relief in Africa. [online] HISTORY. Available at: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/live-aid-concert