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ONE love, blood, life
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/cause/liveiad-thmb.jpg[/SIMG]
By Simone Schramm
2004.02
What Live Aid did was to make artists aware of their awesome power to create positive things,?? Bill Graham.
Live Aid happened nearly 20 years ago but the impact of that day in 1985 lingers on as the single most important charity even in musical history. Prior to Live Aid there were other charity music events like the No Nukes concerts with performers like Jackson Browne and The Police, and George Harrison?s Concert for Bangla Desh in the '70s. Those were all good but catered only to fans for a small number of bands and, while they were televised, they weren?t show to the massive extent that Live Aid was. Live Aid broke records on many levels as it was the first ever simultaneous satellite television broadcast from two different countries.
The idea for Live Aid and Band Aid began back in 1984 when Bob Geldof, former lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, saw a BBC documentary on famine in Ethiopia. In a collaborative effort with Ultravox?s Midge Ure, Geldof wrote "Do They Know It?s Christmas," a song that gathered many of Britain?s popular artists to record the single to raise money for Ethiopia.
The idea for Live Aid was to raise as much money as possible in one day to help feed the hungry and to make the world aware of Ethiopia?s plight. World renowned artists such as Queen and The Who performed at either Wembley Stadium in London or JFK Stadium in Philadelphia while television broadcasts jumped back and forth between venues. Phil Collins performed at both venues when he performed solo and with Sting in Wembley, then flew via the Concord to Philadelphia where he performed solo and drummed for Eric Clapton and Led Zepplin.
Live Aid was a major undertaking for Geldof and co-promoter Bill Graham who organized the event. According to echoes.com, the biggest problem was that Geldof wanted everyone from broadcasting companies, venues, bands and other entities to donate their time. He had trouble getting people to cooperate. Caterers did not want to donate time or food and telephone services offered only 20 phones. Eventually, though, Geldof was able to convince everyone the cause was worth them donating and volunteering.
"I explained that the purpose of Live Aid was to raise money," said Geldof. "If a band sold a million records, it meant more people would watch than if they sold a thousand. If more people contributed, more people lived. If I have a choice between Steel Pulse or Wham! on this show, I?ll take Wham,?? he said.
July 13, 1985 was a turning point in so many ways for people and artists alike, most notably U2. Their energetic performance was one of the biggest highlights of the day. It virtually catapulted them to international stardom. They electrified the audience with their two-song set of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and the extended 14-minute version of "Bad" (which was so long that the band had to cut "Pride" from its set). No one who watched their set will ever forget the moment when Bono jumped off the stage to grab a girl and dance with her. Other highlights included Queen and a Led Zepplin and Who reunion.
During this phenomenal event, Bono realized that there?s more to this world than just political problems in Ireland. Following Live Aid, Bono and his wife Alison Stewart visited Ethiopia for about a month and saw first hand the horror of thousands of people dying every day of hunger.
While both Band Aid, Live Aid, and even USA for Africa, were pretty much successes, no one really knew how the money would be spent nor how much would be needed to continue the effort. According to echoes.com, approximately $100 million was raised. The problem: it was only enough for one day of food and supplies for thousands of starving men, women and children. Basically, you?d have to have an event the equivalent of Live Aid every day to secure the end of famine and other problems in Africa.
But these days the amount of aid to Africa is decreasing. "The problem is enormous and it gets worse," said Geldof in an interview in 2002.
According to Geldof in 1990 Africa received $19 billion in aid from rich countries like America and England; by 2002 it received approximately $12 billion.
And today, the problem is far greater than just famine, HIV/AIDS and other sicknesses have ravaged the continent of Africa. Government corruption has also played a big part in hindering relief efforts. The money does not always go to helping the people who need it the most. The distribution of Live Aid funds raised questions on how to make sure the money actually got to where it was supposed to go. Though that part of it was a failure, it prompted the investigation of better ways to ensure success. Organizations such as DATA (Debt Aids Trade in Africa), which is Bono?s brainchild, will only deal with African governments who comply with DATA?s rules.
Despite some such problems, Live Aid set a new standard for celebrities involved in philanthropy. They know how powerful their fame is when it comes to getting their message acrosseven if it?s just for that moment in time.
By Simone Schramm
2004.02
What Live Aid did was to make artists aware of their awesome power to create positive things,?? Bill Graham.
Live Aid happened nearly 20 years ago but the impact of that day in 1985 lingers on as the single most important charity even in musical history. Prior to Live Aid there were other charity music events like the No Nukes concerts with performers like Jackson Browne and The Police, and George Harrison?s Concert for Bangla Desh in the '70s. Those were all good but catered only to fans for a small number of bands and, while they were televised, they weren?t show to the massive extent that Live Aid was. Live Aid broke records on many levels as it was the first ever simultaneous satellite television broadcast from two different countries.
The idea for Live Aid and Band Aid began back in 1984 when Bob Geldof, former lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, saw a BBC documentary on famine in Ethiopia. In a collaborative effort with Ultravox?s Midge Ure, Geldof wrote "Do They Know It?s Christmas," a song that gathered many of Britain?s popular artists to record the single to raise money for Ethiopia.
The idea for Live Aid was to raise as much money as possible in one day to help feed the hungry and to make the world aware of Ethiopia?s plight. World renowned artists such as Queen and The Who performed at either Wembley Stadium in London or JFK Stadium in Philadelphia while television broadcasts jumped back and forth between venues. Phil Collins performed at both venues when he performed solo and with Sting in Wembley, then flew via the Concord to Philadelphia where he performed solo and drummed for Eric Clapton and Led Zepplin.
Live Aid was a major undertaking for Geldof and co-promoter Bill Graham who organized the event. According to echoes.com, the biggest problem was that Geldof wanted everyone from broadcasting companies, venues, bands and other entities to donate their time. He had trouble getting people to cooperate. Caterers did not want to donate time or food and telephone services offered only 20 phones. Eventually, though, Geldof was able to convince everyone the cause was worth them donating and volunteering.
"I explained that the purpose of Live Aid was to raise money," said Geldof. "If a band sold a million records, it meant more people would watch than if they sold a thousand. If more people contributed, more people lived. If I have a choice between Steel Pulse or Wham! on this show, I?ll take Wham,?? he said.
July 13, 1985 was a turning point in so many ways for people and artists alike, most notably U2. Their energetic performance was one of the biggest highlights of the day. It virtually catapulted them to international stardom. They electrified the audience with their two-song set of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and the extended 14-minute version of "Bad" (which was so long that the band had to cut "Pride" from its set). No one who watched their set will ever forget the moment when Bono jumped off the stage to grab a girl and dance with her. Other highlights included Queen and a Led Zepplin and Who reunion.
During this phenomenal event, Bono realized that there?s more to this world than just political problems in Ireland. Following Live Aid, Bono and his wife Alison Stewart visited Ethiopia for about a month and saw first hand the horror of thousands of people dying every day of hunger.
While both Band Aid, Live Aid, and even USA for Africa, were pretty much successes, no one really knew how the money would be spent nor how much would be needed to continue the effort. According to echoes.com, approximately $100 million was raised. The problem: it was only enough for one day of food and supplies for thousands of starving men, women and children. Basically, you?d have to have an event the equivalent of Live Aid every day to secure the end of famine and other problems in Africa.
But these days the amount of aid to Africa is decreasing. "The problem is enormous and it gets worse," said Geldof in an interview in 2002.
According to Geldof in 1990 Africa received $19 billion in aid from rich countries like America and England; by 2002 it received approximately $12 billion.
And today, the problem is far greater than just famine, HIV/AIDS and other sicknesses have ravaged the continent of Africa. Government corruption has also played a big part in hindering relief efforts. The money does not always go to helping the people who need it the most. The distribution of Live Aid funds raised questions on how to make sure the money actually got to where it was supposed to go. Though that part of it was a failure, it prompted the investigation of better ways to ensure success. Organizations such as DATA (Debt Aids Trade in Africa), which is Bono?s brainchild, will only deal with African governments who comply with DATA?s rules.
Despite some such problems, Live Aid set a new standard for celebrities involved in philanthropy. They know how powerful their fame is when it comes to getting their message acrosseven if it?s just for that moment in time.
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