Live-Aid showed what humanity is capable of
By Lethbridge Herald on July 25, 2025.
Al Beeber
Lethbridge Herald
Forty years ago this month, Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats and Midge Ure of Ultravox created history with Live-Aid, a massive two-continent fundraising concert to provide relief for famine-stricken Ethiopia.
The concert on July 13, 1985 at Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, was viewed by nearly two billion people worldwide who saw it on television. Thousands more filled the two stadiums to see the biggest rock and pop artists of the time.
A documentary series on CNN running Sundays for the last two weeks has given an in-depth look at the background story behind the concerts and the monumental effort of Geldof and Ure to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia.
Geldof spurred music industry efforts to get involved in relief efforts after seeing the story of the famine on BBC in 1984. It touched a nerve, especially the tale of a British nurse who determined which children could be saved and which had no hope of surviving. Geldof began efforts to create a fundraising single which ended up being the hit âDo They Know Itâs Christmas?â
That, of course, led to the involvement of American artists Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson, who wrote the charity single âWe Are the Worldâ and, along with producer Quincy Jones who brought on American groups to perform it, further spurred relief efforts.
As anyone who was around at Christmas of 1984 will remember, those two songs and the videos made of them were on radio and TV constantly.
Culture Club singer Boy George actually came up with the idea of the  benefit shows and Geldof enthusiastically came on board and took over organizing the monumental endeavour.
The CNN serie,s which airs again Sunday at 7 p.m., examines the  background, the challenges and presumably in the upcoming episode, the result and fallout of the dual-continent effort.
Many of you probably watched at least a portion of the 16-hour long  concert which initially wasnât attracting much financial support until Geldof, on live television, got frustrated with a BBC host giving out an address for people to send their donations. He demanded the host focus on repeating the phone numbers for donors to call so that money could start flowing in. Geldofâs anger worked, and when David Bowie insisted on leaving out one song of his set so there was time to air a CBC short showing dying children to the tune of The Carâs âDrive,â audiences at the stadiums and on television were left in shock when they finally saw the magnitude of the situation. According to the documentary, the 300 phone lines operated by the BBC started getting 300 calls a minute.
The concerts showed the power of social activism and the enormous influence artists can have on the world. Often derided for involvement of social causes, musicians and artists are in a unique position to put the spotlight on issues that matter and Live-Aid showed to the  world how valuable that influence can be.
If not for Geldof, Ure and the talent they brought on board, the world response to the humanitarian crisis in Africa may never have been â probably wouldnât have been â so immense.
Live-Aid was a truly ground-breaking event which showed the immense power of music and its ability to unite humanity. And while there were criticisms of how the money raised was directed to relief efforts, the  fact remains undoubtedly Live-Aid did something brief TV news clips and newspaper stories couldnât do â it united the world to confront a human tragedy.
And it left music fans with performances that will be remembered forever â especially Queenâs set, which is widely regarded as the best live rock show in history.
If you havenât seen the series, itâs definitely worth catching while  you still can. Long live rock ân roll and its power to influence the world.
CONDOLENCES: A quick note of condolence to the family of  the late Cyril Serkin. Cyril and brother David were long the faces of the Progress clothing store downtown, where so many southern Albertans for generations shopped. The Serkins were part of Lethbridgeâs business and community fabric for decades and his passing is a loss not only for Cyrilâs family but for all of southern Alberta.
17-16
well, there was an impact, although rather temporary. and, it did not address the root of such an issue, which was the bold and unbridled emergence of the golden era of ego, self service and greed and the great power grab by an oligarchical world. and, just as bad, the masses gobbled it all up, clamouring to adore the rich and famous, and trying to be the rich and famous.
meanwhile, not sure the momentary concerns and money arising from the music stars was worth the overplay of two awful tunes.
btw – can we not go back a good bit further to george harrison’s assembly of music stars and what was the concert for bangladesh as “creating history”?