The Complicated History of the World’s Biggest Charity Concert

The Complicated History of the World’s Biggest Charity Concert

Pop music suddenly did not discover altruism in the 1980s. The idea of ​​a star’s charitable music party returns George Harrison Bangladesh’s party, a benefit for refugees in East Pakistan, was organized. But the musicians who friendly were transferred to the next level in the eighties-the “we are the world” contract, agricultural aid, First aidOf course, live aid.

Live Aid, which was on July 13, 1985, for a world audience of 1.9 billion people, was a huge party for pop pop that was created to raise funds to relief the Ethiopian famine. He was a daughter of Bob Gildov, the leader of the Irish new wave band The Boomtown Rats. Gildoff was pushed to charitable work after seeing the BBC report in October 1984, which included footage of children who are starving. It was his first idea to make a charity.

Gildov has recruited his friend Midge Uri, the front man of the Ultravox band, to help him write and register.Do they know that it is Christmas?Just a few weeks later. The single song, released on December 3, 1984, was credited with Band Aid – a mixture of the largest pop stars per day, including George MichaelO Boy George, Bono. It reached the first rank on the UK charts and raised more than 28 million dollars to the case. But this was not enough for Geldoff. At least, not if Aid Band will buy a fleet of trucks to transport food and supplies to the needy Ethiopians, as he hoped for GELDOF. So take the next logical step and plans for a concert.

  1. Preparing the stage
  2. Double musician
  3. Division of diversity
  4. Living aid inheritance

Preparing the stage

Many have been said and written about direct aid over the past forty years. For some, it was a beautiful moment of idealism and mercy. Others question the motives and effectiveness of a group of wealthy celebrities – most of whom are eggs – try to swoop and save Africa. To measure the success of direct aid, one needs to consider three different things: numerical data, the value of entertainment, and the total effect.

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David Bouy Performance at the Living Aid Party in London on July 13, 1985. George de Curl/Holton Archive/Getty Pictures

By the first of these measures, the absolute numbers were live aid. GELDOF and Companyi secured each of the Wembley Stadium in London and the John F. Kennedy stadium in Philadelphia to host the party in two continents. Using industry, persuasion, and little deception, GELDOF can reserve more than 50 of the largest music industry names, including queenand David Bouyand Elon Johnand Paul McCartneyGlobal Health Organization, Bob DylanAnd U2 and Madonna.

“He had to invite the Tun and say,” The Queen in Woy in Woy, and of course she was not, “Production Director, Andy Zuik He said Guardian From Gildov tactics. “Then he was calling Boy and saying,” The Tun and the Queen in. “It was a trick game.

With the help of the product Michael C MitchellLive aid sold broadcast rights to 150 countries, at least 22 of which broadcast TELETHONS. Both MTV and ABC carried the feed in the United States, the latter in a special form, hosted by Dick Clark. Finally, Aid Live raised about $ 140 million.

Double musician

Of course, direct aid was not just collecting donations. It should also be a great show – or why do people disturb watching it in the first place? As happened, today it was full of unforgettable performance on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The choice of consensus for Live Aid MVP is the Queen, which included the 21 -minute Wembley collection.bohemian rhapsody“We will marry you,” and “we are the heroes”. Mercury is chosen and discharged. New York Times books From Mercury’s performance. “He was a star of rock music playing a star in rock music, attached to the skin, but he is also smiling to allow everyone to share the joke … for 21 minutes, Freddy Mercury undoubtedly made his stadium.” In 2005, the Great Queen Aid Group was voted Rock In history by a committee of music industry experts.

Less than two hours before the Queen’s arrival at the theater, U2 Wembley dazzled the performance of its reinforcement as kings in the future. During its delivery for 11 minutes from “”bad“Puno moved 15 years old, named Cal, free of the crowd, and its slow dates with it as if no one was watching. Of course, I knew U2 everyone He was watching, and ” Scandalous He claimed that Bono saved her from crushing it, perhaps the urine rock had designed the moment of television cameras. Either way, I succeeded.

Live Aid was also a big day for Run-DMC and Hip-Hop in general. In 1985, pop stations were still hesitant to play this new form of music, and Queens rapper undoubtedly raised some eyebrows because they took the stage in Philly with no band – only DJ Jam Master Jay behind two of the two holes. “We got a large group of rock groups behind the scenes tonight, but D wants to know one thing,” Simon’s Joseph Simons told the crowd.Rock“Run-DMC later boasted with her direct victory in” My Adidas “,” Save on the stage, in Live Aid, all the people who came, and the poor got their salaries! “

One man literally gone the distance to the case was Phil Collins. A single man of Genesis and a single artist recorded the graph with Bite At 3:15 pm in London, then he jumped on Concorde and went to Feli to play his own group and worked as a Drams player for Eric Kalpeon and LED Zeppelin. Most people agree that blimp The group was a complete catastrophe-the band was unwilling and out of the tone. But after decades, Collins’s trick in the ocean was what people remember. “I was in England this afternoon,” Collins told Feli’s crowd. “Funny ancient world, Innit?”

Other prominent points included Madonna to reach grooveMake Jagger raises heat With Tina Turner, Elton John and George Michael DettopingDo not let the sun come down to me“Pop Dylan’s seeds to attend another charity party, Farm Aid, when he took a Moment During his performance with Keith Richards and Ron Wood from Rolling Stones to point out some money to help American farmers who are struggling.

Division of diversity

In all, the shows offered a good mixture of children’s favorite (Dylan, Neil Young, Paul McCartney) and the younger (Elvis Costilo, style council, Adam you, Thompson twins). But live aid did not suffer from a problem with diversity.

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Run-DMC performance in Live Aid in 1985. Frank Mikkitia archive/Holton/Getti archive

Almost a month before the show, Bill Graham, legendary concert promoter, said that “every leading black artist on Billboard 200 and R&B chart has been dealt with. Many artists, including Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and princeHe has simply refused. But others, including debts and Royck, said they were never invited. With the history of concerts approaching, direct aid organizers were rushed to add more black artists, including the four peaks, Tina Turner and Patti Label.

“After the concert, we were disgusting that there were not enough black artists on the bill. This has become the anti -colonial Diatribe,” You are eggs, the poor black men tell us what to do. ” independent. “It was unfair but it happened.”

The permanent impact of direct aid is still a much more controversial source. In 1986, Wrapping A story titled “Live aid: terrible truth“He claimed that food and aid money was strengthening the government of the dictator Mingssto Haley, the man who is most responsible for the suffering of Ethiopia. WrappingMengistu used food to attract people in the camps that allowed its regime to move hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians strongly. According to Menesto, Western aid used to buy weapons from the Soviets for use in his battle against the rebels.

In the 2005 piece for GuardianDavid Reef has reformulated Ethiopia expert Alex de Wall and wrote that live aid reduced the death number of starvation by “between a quarter and a half”. “The problem is that it may have contributed to the number of deaths.”

Gildf has always defended the use of direct funds. “I said early in January 1985, I will shake hands with Satan to my left and right to reach the people who aim to help,” said in response to Wrapping He exposes. Gildf at a later time He said This live aid was “almost ideal for what it has achieved.” He was a knight Queen Elizabeth II In 1986 In appreciation From his work in helping African people hunger.

Living aid inheritance

One thing that was definitely presented is the placing of Ethiopia on the radars of Americans and Europeans. He also created a new template for prominent musical benefits. Aid Aid was launched in 1985; Three years later, in 1988, Bruce Springstein, Sting, Peter Gabriel, and others are now as part of human rights now! A tour on behalf of Amnesty International. There was a concert for New York City after September 11 and the SARS ceremony benefit from 2003. Live 8A series of concerts that aim to persuade the leaders of the eight group to tolerate religion For African countries and the enactment of the most fair trade laws.

In 2007, Al -Gore helped organize living land, which was mainly vivid assistance Climate. Gildf was criticizing the event, which he said lacked “a final goal.” “I would only like to organize this if I can go on the stage and announce concrete environmental measures from American presidential candidates, Congress or major companies,” said Gildov.

Gildf is topped the headlines again in March 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandem slogan To strengthen the Solidarity Fund for Solidarity and the World Health Organization and Covid-19. In an interview with Toronto SunGeldofo Ora gave most of the logo credit. The man who mobilized the world for one case 35 years ago seemed less convinced that humans – doctors or otherwise – were any match for humanity itself.

“The heel of the human Achilles is an arrogance,” said Gildov. “We believe that we can control everything, but only nature comes and wipes us.

“What is positive is that people understand how fragility and also understand the courage of all people who work to help … but that will fade in a very short period when we return to the same old, the same old. It is simply a function of globalization and this does not go anywhere.”

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A copy of this story was run in 2022; Updated for 2025.

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