Live Aid, a multi-venue concert held on July 13, 1985, was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure as a continued fundraising effort for Ethiopian famine relief following the success of their previous charity endeavor, Band Aid’s benefit single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Billed as the “global jukebox”, its two main locations were London’s Wembley Stadium (with 72,000 people in attendance) and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia (with 90,000 people in attendance). Other venues included Sydney and Moscow. As of 1985, Live Aid was the most ambitious international satellite venture ever attempted – reaching an estimated 1.5 billion viewers across 100 countries. The concert rapidly grew in scope as more and more acts on both sides of the Atlantic signed on to lend their fame to the cause. The concert commenced 7am Eastern time with Wembley opener Status Quo performing “Rockin’ All Over the World”. JFK kicked off at 8:51am, and soon after Joan Baez announced to the audience, “This is your Woodstock, and it’s long overdue.”

The overall event continued for sixteen hours. No previous concert had assembled as many famous yet singularly diverse performers. Memorable Live Aid moments are legion. Several bands reunited for the event – Black Sabbath, Crosby Stills & Nash and Led Zeppelin (with Phil Collins filling in for the late John Bonham, arriving in Philadelphia after a Transatlantic flight from his Wembley appearance). Despite technical glitches, both The Who and Paul McCartney performed sets. Mick Jagger and David Bowie dueted on video, hamming it up for a cover of Motown classic “Dancing in the Streets”. However, their original intention was to showcase the cover as a live intercontinental duet. Jagger also dueted with Tina Turner in Philadelphia. Their set notably boasted the original (though obviously staged) “wardrobe malfunction” when he tore off Turner’s breakaway leather skirt during “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll”. A few celebs appeared post-scandal – Madonna following her unauthorized Playboy and Penthouse pictorials as well as Teddy Pendergrass, making his first public appearance after a devastating car accident rendered him paralyzed. Two of the single most electrifying performances were U2’s starmaking turn and Queen’s confident, dazzling showmanship. During U2’s set, in addition to establishing themselves as the preminent live band of the era, Bono actually rescued a young girl being crushed by throngs of concertgoers excitedly pushing towards the stage. Queen’s set didn’t save lives in a literal sense but was arguably the strongest set of the entire concert - declared one of the best live gigs of all time in polls decades later. Each of the two main portions of the concert ended with their particular continental all-star anti-hunger anthems, with “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” closing Wembley, and USA for Africa’s “We Are the World” closing the U.S. concert.

Live Aid far exceeded its financial goals. Organizers initially hoped to raise £1 million, but the final figure was an astonishing £150 million (approx. $283.6 million). During the concert, the Republic of Ireland gave the most donations per capita, despite being in the throes of a serious economic depression. The single largest donation came from the ruling family of Dubai, donating £1m in a phone conversation with Geldof.

Geldof received an honorary knighthood for his efforts.

These listeners wrote in to tell us about their memorable Live Aid moments:

Paula Rogers, Assistant to the Associate General Manager at XPN

Connie Kreischer Slingbuam of Havertown, PA

Paul Altobelli, Cherry Hill, NJ

Trish Giordano, Haddonfield, NJ

Allen Goodrich, Ardmore, PA

James McWilliams, Drexel Hill, PA

Len Goldsmith, Haverford, PA

Katherine, Berwyn, PA

Tara Hughes, Marlton, NJ

Robert Magyar, Glenside, PA

Eric D, Wilmington, DE

Fran Daly, Pennsauken, NJ

Tricia, Redwood City, CA