Bob Geldof has said Live Aid still resonates today, 40 years on from the two-venue benefit concert which brought together a stellar cast of celebrity musicians.
The campaigner and rock star, 73, said its resonance is why there are documentaries, radio programmes, and a musical dedicated to that day on July 13 1985, “when something weird happened”.
Ahead of a special gala performance of musical Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical, Geldof told the PA news agency: “I was at Oasis last night in Manchester, who were staggeringly brilliant.
“So I’m buzzing, and I’m still amazed that this old guy can be so thrilled by a great rock and roll band.
“But imagine 40 years ago, seeing all of the greatest rock and roll bands, one after the other, being exceptional for free, no contracts with anyone, they had to pay their own plane fares.
“For some reason, the performances were ‘other’, just like the day itself”, he added.
“They rose way above and everyone hung around to watch each other.”
He continued: “I’ve never seen it (Live Aid) because I can’t watch or listen to myself. I can’t stand all the stupid things I say.
“But I saw the end of Live Aid two weeks ago, which was the Christmas song.
“And here are the greatest creative talents of the rock era, and it’s like the worst ever nativity play in school, like the kids haven’t learned the lines, the teachers are going nuts, and they all hung around. They wouldn’t leave.”
He continued: “The sheer improbable exhilaration of it… that is what resonates… It’s a time when Britain did something profound with their American brothers.
“And I think it resonates particularly now, because in the sort of age of the death of kindness, which (Donald) Trump and (JD) Vance and (Elon) Musk have ushered in.”
Geldof said he think it resonates “more” than when it was “possible for the boys and girls with guitars to corral the political and economic structures of the world”, also encouraging “the entire electorate and population” to give over money that would help the situation.
“I think that’s why you’ve got musicals. It’s why you’ve got documentaries, it’s why you’ve got whole stations dedicated to that day 40 years ago when something weird happened”, he said.
Co-organiser Midge Ure told PA: “We were in the middle of this. We couldn’t see just how big this thing was.
“It’s like being in the middle of a cyclone or a hurricane or whatever.
“It’s all going on around you. There’s a weird stillness because you’re dealing with the nuts and bolts of the daily process.”
The Scottish singer, 71, added: “It seems to have grown over the last 40 years. It’s now a historic, social moment.”
Set up by Geldof and Ure, the movement started with the release of the charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? on December 1984 which featured a number of celebrities and soared to number one in the UK singles chart.
Then, in July, a concert was held in the US and in London, the latter of which was attended by the late Diana, Princess of Wales and the King, then Prince of Wales, who watched on as the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Spandau Ballet and Queen performed.
An estimated audience of more than 1.5 billion watched the broadcast and concerts inspired by the initiative were held in other countries across the globe.
The US equivalent was held at the John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia and saw performances from Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Sir Mick Jagger and Tina Turner.
A musical about Live Aid, which includes songs from Sir Elton John, Bowie and Queen, premiered at The Old Vic theatre in January 2024 and is currently showing at the West End’s Shaftesbury Theatre.
