This will certainly make me dig out the DVD at the weekend. I spent the actual day at the AAAs Athletics Championship in Hull (my then girlfriend/now wife was reporting it for the local newspaper), so I'd set the video recorder before we left and prayed that it would record the acts I wanted to see. In the athletics stadium, I listened to everything I could on the radio. Just that alone was magical. It was a scorching hot day and you could sense that something legendary was happening. We got back to the hotel in the evening and watched everything we could on the tv. Getting home the next day, I'd lucked out in that the video had recorded most of what I wanted. Highlights for me were Bowie (I adored his set), Dire Straights (stunning guitar plus Sting), Queen (obvs), Madonna (I was surprisingly impressed), Tina & Mick (extravagant entertainment). Lowlights were Macca's microphone (🤬), Led Zep (although strangely, I found Stairway very moving, despite the sound and Page looking dreadful - am I alone in that?) and Duran Duran (but maybe this should be a highlight because I nearly wet myself laughing when Le Bon hit that bum note during A View To A Kill - so bad they wouldn't allow it on the DVD). It was indeed a very special occasion in the history of rock/pop music. I'm glad I was old enough to appreciate it at the time.
My recollection of Live Aid - I was 26 when it happened and watched some acts while it was broadcasted but never the whole thing, neither on the date nor afterwards. It was impressive from logistic and technical points of what could be done and left me wondering why not the same effort could solve the actual problem that it tried to address - but that is another issue. As a whole, it was mostly big names that were not at the top of interest in 1985 playing medleys of greatest hits. It is surely unfair to blame a single event here but it pointed to a change in Live music that may have led to the situation later on where live concerts became (expensive) choreographed shows of "perfect" performances. Gone was the idea that artists went on stage to present new material, improvise or respond to audiences - something that still existed in the mid eighties on a lot of open air concerts with the artists of the day (not those of Live Aid, of course). The next step were performances at Super Bowl breaks and other circus events. I admit that "Greatest Hits played live" was never my idea of fun, of a good concert or a good live record - so, I am a bad witness for that event. PS - the only of those performances in a similar context that I ever found impressive was the (then still almost unknown) young Tracy Chapman with her acoustic guitar at the Nelson Mandela event facing an audience of millions with an improvised last minute stand-in for a delayed Stevie Wonder...
I remember watching Tracy Chapman do that show, and she had the whole stadium spellbound. Wonderful stuff and a star was born...great points you make Roxanne.
I was 8 and watched it at home. I didn't have any favourite bands at that age but watched as I knew it was going to be a special moment in time. I think I watched up to about 7:30pm. I enjoyed watching the documentary Against All Odds and how Bob got it all organised, with all the ups and downs of it all while sorting it 6 weeks up until the big day. Queen's set is of course legendary; they had the sound system turned up for their set, plus they had the songs! I can appreciate some of the performances a lot more now as I became a fan of a few of the acts in later years. I think Ultravox's Dancing with tears in my eyes was great that day.
I also watched Live Aid from the comfort of my own home but my brother's friend was at Wembley and he said that Sting's voice sounded amazing in the stadium during his solo stint. I remember loving Roger Daltrey's steely , determined ,unflinching stare into the crowd/distance as he waited to get going as the Who's technical problems were being sorted out. Since Live Aid there has been a narrative that Queen were regarded at the time as being an over the hill 'hippy' band . However I was eagerly awaiting their set on the day because I knew that Queen were going to be brilliant ...
Never heard of Queen being regarded as "hippy". can't quite see how they ever fitted that description. They started as a rock band, slightly prog rock on some songs then became .pop/rock.
@@CB-xr1eg I seem to remember Geldof referring to them as such during a subsequent documentary . Of course they were never a 'hippy' band but I think that he was regarding them as a 70s band whose best days were behind them in the perception of the public at that time prior to their Live Aid performance.
@@TheHumbuckerboy A 70's band whose best days were behind them....that description would have applied perfectly to Geldof's band The Boomtown Rats in 1985. .
Sadly, I knew U2 was gonna come in at #2 (they always do) and I don't get it. Easily the most overrated performance of the day. I thought it was a pile of wank when I saw it in '85 and still think so when I see it on the dvd today. They would have been better served doing a "Red Rocks" style performance. Still a fine list you've compiled. I'd probably have Zeppelin on there, for the comedy value alone. "Here kids, come and see one of the greatest guitarists of all time, smashed out of his mind and taking a dump on his music"
Haha, yes sadly that's a pretty good summation of Zep's performance. U2 is up there as much for the emotional impact of their slot at the time as anything else, but fully accept your opinion on them being wank....! lol
![Live Aid (Queen) Full Concert [1985, London, Wembley Stadium]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PLIAp5nr0q0/mqdefault.jpg)
This will certainly make me dig out the DVD at the weekend.
I spent the actual day at the AAAs Athletics Championship in Hull (my then girlfriend/now wife was reporting it for the local newspaper), so I'd set the video recorder before we left and prayed that it would record the acts I wanted to see.
In the athletics stadium, I listened to everything I could on the radio. Just that alone was magical. It was a scorching hot day and you could sense that something legendary was happening.
We got back to the hotel in the evening and watched everything we could on the tv.
Getting home the next day, I'd lucked out in that the video had recorded most of what I wanted.
Highlights for me were Bowie (I adored his set), Dire Straights (stunning guitar plus Sting), Queen (obvs), Madonna (I was surprisingly impressed), Tina & Mick (extravagant entertainment).
Lowlights were Macca's microphone (🤬), Led Zep (although strangely, I found Stairway very moving, despite the sound and Page looking dreadful - am I alone in that?) and Duran Duran (but maybe this should be a highlight because I nearly wet myself laughing when Le Bon hit that bum note during A View To A Kill - so bad they wouldn't allow it on the DVD).
It was indeed a very special occasion in the history of rock/pop music. I'm glad I was old enough to appreciate it at the time.
Simon le Bon will never live that note down, but we've all done it at one point or another...just his bad luck it was at the biggest gig of his life!
@@rockrecordsreviewed1880 Yes, I must admit I did feel a little sorry for him as I laughed heartily!
My recollection of Live Aid - I was 26 when it happened and watched some acts while it was broadcasted but never the whole thing, neither on the date nor afterwards.
It was impressive from logistic and technical points of what could be done and left me wondering why not the same effort could solve the actual problem that it tried to address - but that is another issue.
As a whole, it was mostly big names that were not at the top of interest in 1985 playing medleys of greatest hits. It is surely unfair to blame a single event here but it pointed to a change in Live music that may have led to the situation later on where live concerts became (expensive) choreographed shows of "perfect" performances. Gone was the idea that artists went on stage to present new material, improvise or respond to audiences - something that still existed in the mid eighties on a lot of open air concerts with the artists of the day (not those of Live Aid, of course). The next step were performances at Super Bowl breaks and other circus events.
I admit that "Greatest Hits played live" was never my idea of fun, of a good concert or a good live record - so, I am a bad witness for that event.
PS - the only of those performances in a similar context that I ever found impressive was the (then still almost unknown) young Tracy Chapman with her acoustic guitar at the Nelson Mandela event facing an audience of millions with an improvised last minute stand-in for a delayed Stevie Wonder...
I remember watching Tracy Chapman do that show, and she had the whole stadium spellbound. Wonderful stuff and a star was born...great points you make Roxanne.
Sure do miss your videos Adam! Hope you'll come back soon!
Good coverage and Knowledge and thought provoking as ever. It brought some memories back too
I was 8 and watched it at home. I didn't have any favourite bands at that age but watched as I knew it was going to be a special moment in time. I think I watched up to about 7:30pm.
I enjoyed watching the documentary Against All Odds and how Bob got it all organised, with all the ups and downs of it all while sorting it 6 weeks up until the big day.
Queen's set is of course legendary; they had the sound system turned up for their set, plus they had the songs! I can appreciate some of the performances a lot more now as I became a fan of a few of the acts in later years. I think Ultravox's Dancing with tears in my eyes was great that day.
I also watched Live Aid from the comfort of my own home but my brother's friend was at Wembley and he said that Sting's voice sounded amazing in the stadium during his solo stint. I remember loving Roger Daltrey's steely , determined ,unflinching stare into the crowd/distance as he waited to get going as the Who's technical problems were being sorted out. Since Live Aid there has been a narrative that Queen were regarded at the time as being an over the hill 'hippy' band . However I was eagerly awaiting their set on the day because I knew that Queen were going to be brilliant ...
Never heard of Queen being regarded as "hippy". can't quite see how they ever fitted that description. They started as a rock band, slightly prog rock on some songs then became .pop/rock.
@@CB-xr1eg I seem to remember Geldof referring to them as such during a subsequent documentary . Of course they were never a 'hippy' band but I think that he was regarding them as a 70s band whose best days were behind them in the perception of the public at that time prior to their Live Aid performance.
@@TheHumbuckerboy A 70's band whose best days were behind them....that description would have applied perfectly to Geldof's band The Boomtown Rats in 1985.
.
@@CB-xr1eg lol
Queen, Status Quo, Costello, Bowie, The Who and Tom Petty were the highlights for me
Queen had to be 1st
That's because they were/are The Champions. Especially of Live Aid.
Sadly, I knew U2 was gonna come in at #2 (they always do) and I don't get it. Easily the most overrated performance of the day. I thought it was a pile of wank when I saw it in '85 and still think so when I see it on the dvd today.
They would have been better served doing a "Red Rocks" style performance.
Still a fine list you've compiled. I'd probably have Zeppelin on there, for the comedy value alone. "Here kids, come and see one of the greatest guitarists of all time, smashed out of his mind and taking a dump on his music"
Haha, yes sadly that's a pretty good summation of Zep's performance. U2 is up there as much for the emotional impact of their slot at the time as anything else, but fully accept your opinion on them being wank....! lol