Live Aid

[oliveu2cm]

July 13th, 1985
Attendance: 72,000; sellout

"U2 are involved in Live Aid because it's more than money, it's music....but it is also a demonstration to the politicians and policy-makers that men, women and children will not walk by other men, women and children as they lie, bellies swollen, starving to death for the sake of a cup of grain and water.
"For the price of Star Wars, the MX missile offensive budgets, the desert of Africa could be turned into fertile lands. The technology is with us. The technocrats are not. Are we part of a civilization that protects itself by investing in life...or investing in death?"

*-*-*-*

I didn't realize how close we are to the Live Aid anniversary, but have been wanting to post this thread for a while. What a memorable night... what a SHOW. Changing U2 forever

There are some amazing stories out there and amazing pictures. Let's celebrate!!

 

[oliveu2cm]

 

[Foadie]

Yay for Live Aid!

Live Aid rocks!!!! Fantabulous cause and a rad band. (that was for you, Lilly )

Where's Desire? She'll want to contribute to the mullet-fest.

 

[UV2001]

The man behind Live Aid who is a man of many talents

 

[daisybean]

*sigh* I remember watching Live AID on TV.

I don't think I saw U2's performance thou...it was before I discovered them....

however I saw their performance on tape a bunch of years later....

*pulls out Live AID version of Bad*

 

[missmacphisto]

I was too young to appreciate them then, dammit.

But i do vaguely remember Live Aid, and my school was collecting money for it. We all got our parents to donate money. I gave a lot.
I'm disappointed that it doesnt seem to have done much good though.

 

[U2Kitten]

I watched it on TV and it was awesome! I was already a fan since Red Rocks and War and U2 was one of the bands I was looking forward to seeing. Bono looked SO HOT!! I loved his outfit, that coat, the shirt, the black bola tie, the heeled boots, the TIGHT PANTS! Oh baby when he bent over!! Yes, I loved his mullet too, and still do! I love all the Live Aid pics. I'm having pic problems right now but I will come back later and post some. I love all the ones that have been posted. Hey Icelady!! Are you around anywhere?

Oh, and yes, it was a very big thing in U2's career! To think Bono thought he had blown it and he drove around the countryside crying for hours! No, you did great Bono, and history has proven it!

 

[VelvetDress]

Live Aid is what made me run ... into the arms ... of U2. For that I will always be grateful! Those guys, on that stage at that time in their careers, beaming across borders to millions - it's overwhelming to think of now. And how Bono condensed his connection with the crowd down to the smallest point of light, the woman he danced with from the audience, and made everyone feel like they had been physically touched. An amazing, transcendent turning point in their career!

And to think Bono was morose and inconsolable afterwards, thinking he had utterly f***ed everything up. Wrong! He touched hearts and changed lives that day.

Sigh. Happy anniversary Saturday!

 

[oliveu2cm]

That must have been amazing U2Kitten to actually see it. I would have totally fallen in love with him then too!!

 

[verte76]

July 13, 1985. I don't think I'll ever forget that day. I was a student, but fortunately I didn't have any classes. I was feeling pressure from exams, but.......I got a lucky break from the pressure that day. There was some really cool stuff on that day before U2--Brian Ferry is still one of my favorite singers--but no one had really prepared me for what was to come. Remember, the only time I'd ever seen them perform was on the Red Rocks video. I missed the really early stuff; your student was pooped and banned her alarm clock. Then I turned on the TV and the show was on! I saw a tape of Bob Geldof's intro to the U.S. There was a huge picture/map of Africa on the set. After several acts, Bono and the boys took the stage. Wow! That set blew me away. It only lasted fifteen minutes, but I was speechless afterwards. Queen was fantastic also, but in my mind U2 had stolen the show. I still remember that feeling.......

 

[adamswildhoney]

I want to get U2 performance on tape. Ne 1 know where i might be able to?

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

i am so glad that i remember watching U2 perform on Live AID. I clearly remember that morning. I was up watching Live AID with my sister and brother and we were so happy when U2 came on stage

 

[Ashley]

I wasn't born yet.

*sigh* Bono in heels....with a mullet. So entirely wrong, yet so astoundingly sexy.

 

[hotpepper]

Thanks Olive for starting a cool thread. I don't remember where I was on July 13, 1985. Probably some beach in San Diego drinking too much beer . . . I was a U2 fan then but missed Live Aid. This thread made feel like I was there a little bit.

 

[verte76]

I wasn't born yet.

*sigh* Bono in heels....with a mullet. So entirely wrong, yet so astoundingly sexy.

That is *exactly* what it looked like. So wrong but so right.

 

[u2loopy]

I remember that day well. We were having a family barbecue. Me and sis had the vcr taping all day long. As soon as U2 started my mom decided that me and my sis needed to go to the corner grocery to get charcoal for said family barbecue.

But, like I said, we had the VCR going so I still saw it. (Mom's got great timing).
I also remember my parents flipping out that it was such a beautiful day outside, yet me and my sis spent the whole day locked in the tv room watching it.

I remember feeling a lot of pride in the fact that there were soooooo many U2 flags waving in the crowd.

 

[UV2001]

Well I have been told I sat and watched Live Aid but being 6 weeks old at the time I don't really remember it lol.

I was too young to appreciate them then, dammit.

But i do vaguely remember Live Aid, and my school was collecting money for it. We all got our parents to donate money. I gave a lot.
I'm disappointed that it doesnt seem to have done much good though.

It acheived what it set out to do. Live Aid was to help people in Ethiopia who were dying because of famine. It was never ment to be an event to cancel 3rd world debt at the time so it did alot of good to the people who would have died without the aid it provided

 

[UV2001]

I was too young to appreciate them then, dammit.

But i do vaguely remember Live Aid, and my school was collecting money for it. We all got our parents to donate money. I gave a lot.
I'm disappointed that it doesnt seem to have done much good though.

 

[U2Kitten]

Thanks Olive, this is a great thread! I love all the pics! Here's some more I don't think have been posted yet!

 

[oliveu2cm]

You're welcome It was such a stunning moment.

I'll post some articles later if no one else has any

 

[Bono's shades]

I was 18 when Live Aid happened. I had a summer job and had to work all day, so I didn't get to see much of it. I didn't see U2 perform, but at the time I didn't know who they were so I had no idea what I was missing. I sooo wish I had seen it because it was such a defining moment for the band.

I love the pictures everyone has been posting, and I can't wait to see the articles!

 

[U2Kitten]

I have a People magazine from 1985 with a big story and pics, including one of Bono posed with his leg up that says 'U2's Bono goes to the edge' I wonder if they even knew about Edge LOL? Anyway, I'd love to post it if I can get it scanned!

 

[oliveu2cm]

1985: '5:20 pm GMT : Following an introduction by Jack Nicholson("And now, to keep with the international and global feeling that we have, direct from London, a group who''s heart is in Dublin, Ireland, whose spirit is with the world, a group that''s never had any problem saying how they feel: U2!"), U2 storm the stage at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium, London, with a set that includes "Sunday Bloody Sunday", " and a stunning ten-minute version of "Bad", along with parts of "Ruby Tuesday", "Walk on the Wild Side". During "Bad" Bono motions for a girl to be allowed on stage. Security has been specifically told to not let any fans on stage--they stall for approximately 5 minutes, while Adam, Larry, and The Edge play the same chords repeatedly. Eventually security relents, and "Holly, [who] came from Miami, Florida"(from the Lou Reed song "Walk on the Wild Side) is allowed to slow dance with Bono in front of 1.5 billion people around the world. After the stunning performance of "Bad", Bono leaves the stadium wondering if he''s
ruined the band reputation--in his mind the performance at Live Aid was a disaster as the band didn''t even get a chance to perform "Pride(In the Name of Love)". However, Bono''s simple gesture of dancing with a stranger is taken as one of the pinnacle moments of the show. U2''s album sales triple over the next few months.

 

[Desire4Bono]

Re: Yay for Live Aid!

Live Aid rocks!!!!

Where's Desire? She'll want to contribute to the mullet-fest.

Here I am Foadie!! Shreeek!!! I love it! Thank you all very much!

Live Aid was great! They were so good and so sexy! It was also the start of Bono's work with the poor in Africa, so it's historic for lots of reasons!

 

[Desire4Bono]

I wasn't born yet.

*sigh* Bono in heels....with a mullet. So entirely wrong, yet so astoundingly sexy.

Not born, maybe that's why it seems 'wrong' to you. But for me, nothing is more RIGHT! Live Aid Bono IS BONO to me, more than any other Bono. He's my love, he is the Bono I swooned over and found incredibly sexy, he is the one I carry a torch for, he is what *my* Bono IS! Bono belongs in those heels. That's when he walked sexy. I don't like the way he walks now in those clunkers he wears now. Sometimes it's hard to believe that character in the sunglasses is the same guy. I do love current Bono. But Live Aid Bono is my favorite and always will be. SIGH!!!!!!

((((((HUGS BEAUTIFUL LIVE AID BONO)))))

 

[verte76]

Live Aid got my juices flowing big time! I was already a fan, with about a thousand pix and articles and every other thing about U2 all over my room! My folks didn't get it. They thought I was nuts. Looks-wise, I prefer Bono from both the ZooTV and current eras. Still, there was no match sexy-wise for our fave Irish singer on that day. They were shocked when the newspapers voted them best Live Aid act. I wasn't.

 

[Tabby]

Live Aid is really cool! It was a special moment for U2 and we should celebrate its anniversary!

 

[annalivia]

Thanks for posting all the cool pictures!

When Bob organized Live Aid I was a Boomtown Rats fan. All of a sudden I could tell all my friends: "Look, this is the guy I'm always talking about!" I felt kind of proud for him...

Watching U 2 on Live Aid I became pretty much interested in the band. I had seen their Pride video before and liked it very much. But after having seen them at Live Aid I really started getting a U 2 fan.

anna

 

[oliveu2cm]

I typed this up from U2 Live: A Concert Documentary


The band are warmly received by the crowd at Wembley, as well as by those at JFK watching the screens. Dozens of flgs stick out from the audience. When Bono announces Sunday Bloody Sunday, the stadium becomes on swaying mass of people. His voice is still powerful after a year on the road, though he has a slight lisp and sounds like he has bitten his tongue. The performance is spirited. Bono bows for Edge doing his solo, takes the onstage cameraman by the arm to point out the crowd, and spurs the crowd on to chant "No more". He announces, "We're an Irish band, we come from Dublin City, Ireland. Like all cities it has its good, and it has its bad. This is a song called Bad." Appropriate for a charity event televised all over the world, Bono opens the song with lines from Lou Reed's Satellite of Love. Bad is powerful, with Larry's loud bass drum blasting out the rhythm over the huge sound system. Increasing intensity as the song progresses, Bono looks for a dance partner, gesturing to the crowd below. While dozens anxiously push their way to the front, Bono trots around the stage. He points down to show the security guards which girl to pick out, then impulsively jumps down onto floor level. One girl is finally lifted over the barriers, and she falls into Bono's open arms. The audience roar as they follow their slow dance on the screens. Bono gracefully kisses her hand, leaving her dazed as he climbs back onto the stage. Continuing Bad, he sings snippets of Ruby Tuesday, Sympathy for the Devil, and Walk On The Wild Side, successfully prompting the crowd to sing along. He improvises, "Holly came from Miami Fla., hitch-hiked all the way across the USA, she could hear the satellite coming down, pretty soon she was in London town... Wembley Stadium, and all the people went Do-do-do-do..." Bono finishes the song and, looking somewhat distraught, walks off. Because Bad has lasted 15 minutes, there is no time left to play Pride as orginally planned.

Later, after memorable performances by Queen, David Bowie and Paul McCartney, Bono joins the exuberant all-star finale for Do They Know It's Christmas? Still, Bono leaves the stadium upset, confused about his own performance, and questioning the stupidity of rock & roll while millions are dying from starvation. When he sees his performance on video the next day, his feeling that he blew it is strengthened. He drives around the country, not speaking to anyone for days, until at Newross he meets a sculptor in his late fifties, who is working on a bronze statue. The artist explains it is called "The Leap" and is inspired by Bono's jump down the stage.

Despite Bono's own feelings, his gesture of breaking through barriers to unite with the audience hits home with millions of people all over the world. Though involving members of their audience has always been an important aspect of U2's live performance, Bono's 'leap' at Live Aid is particularly signficant as it clicked with the message of universal brotherhood that surrounded the event and, besides that, one third of the world population was watching.

Having always aimed to get through to people, U2 have now introduced themselves to the world in one go. Instantly winning a lot of new fans, U2's record sales treble in the months that follow and the demand to see them live increases dramatically.

Live Aid itself proves a great success. Ticket sales, television rights, merchandising and the worldwide telethon bring in 60,000,000 pounds. The festival ignites a huge collective sense of commitment and understanding for world issues, and will trigger a whole series of events in the years to come.

 

[GypsyHeartgirl]

Ah, Live Aid!

I remember that day very well. I went camping. Yes, I knew Live Aid was coming, but I had no idea just how grand and historical it would be. My husband did, (yes, I was already an old married lady of 23, almost 24, like Edge and Larry) and he refused to go. He stayed home and watched it.

I went to Lake Gaston on the NC/VA line with my parents, my teenage brother and his friend, and my older brother and his wife and kids (yes Autumn too, she was 8) We put Live Aid on the boat radio, and the battery radio in the tent. As I heard how cool it was, I really regretted not staying home to see it. Even on the radio, we could all hear the crowd and get the feeling that something extraordinary, important and memorable was going down. I ran to the camp store and called my husband long distance to tell him to videotape it. Too late, he said he had been taping it all day! Only the people we really liked though, but that was plenty! Later that day, there was a terrible lightning and wind storm on the water. We couldn't get anything on the radios! I never heard U2's performance because of that.

When I got home, I had a wonderful tape waiting for me! YES I had U2, Paul McCartney, the Led Zeppelin reunion, all the good stuff! I watched it over and over and adored Bono every second! As the years went by, the tape disappeared. I always meant to transfer it from beta to VHS but I couldn't find it. Later I did get people to make me copies of the U2 and Led Zeppelin parts, but I still hope the whole thing will show up someday. I can't believe it's been 17 years, no way!