It was the gig that changed the history of music. And it all started with a Christmas song.
Activist, composer, and lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, Bob Geldof, teamed up with Ultravox’s Midge Ure to create the charity Christmas single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” This Christmas No.1 featured the biggest names in the music industry, with the likes of Phil Collins, U2, and Duran Duran all taking part.
It was released to raise funds as well as awareness for the Ethiopian famine crisis, which took the lives of an estimated one million people.
However, this was just the start. Fast forward seven months to July 13, 1985, the idea had spiralled into one of the biggest events in the history of music to ever take place: Live Aid!
More than two billion people around the world tuned in to watch the live broadcast; a 16-hour musical phenomenon held in both London and Philadelphia.
The concert quickly became one of the most successful charity events in the world.
Just For One Day, the musical portraying the sheer magnitude and cultural impact of the event, is currently playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre until January 2026.
Now, as we approach the 40th anniversary of the concert that got us rocking all over the world, we take a look at some of its most iconic moments.
Queen
Starting with the most iconic performance, possibly of all time, Queen’s Live Aid set.
Their six-song set spanned 20 minutes and saw Mercury, May, Taylor, and Deacon rock the Wembley stage like never before, performing hits such as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Are The Champions’, and ‘We Will Rock You’.
After finishing a flawless rendition of ‘Radio Ga Ga’, Mercury led the now-famous “Ay Oh” interaction with the Wembley crowd, which later became known as “The Note Heard Round the World.”
David Bowie
David Bowie wanted his set to be the biggest of his career, so there was only one thing for it: a duet with Mick Jagger singing ‘Dancing In The Street’.
The plan was to link up Bowie’s London show with Jagger, who was stationed at Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium, but sadly it didn’t work due to a video delay between the two locations.
Eventually, they decided to record a studio version of the cover instead.
The show marked Bowie’s first performance in 18 months, with his performance coming directly after Queen. A tough act to follow.
Bowie delivered a four-song set, performing Station to Station, before ‘Rebel Rebel’, ‘Modern Love’, and then finishing up with ‘Heroes’.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton was joined by Phil Collins on the drums for his rousing set Phil performed an extraordinary feat of performing ‘Against All Odds’ at Wembley Stadium before making the trip to Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium on Concorde to perform ‘In the Air Tonight’ and then team up with Eric Clapton.
Clapton performed a 17-minute three-track set that went down a treat with the American crowd. His set featured the hits ‘Layla’, ‘She’s Waiting’, and ‘White Room’.
Bob Dylan with The Rolling Stones
Legends well and truly assembled for this one!
In America, Bob Dylan was introduced in true style when arriving on stage: “Some artists’ work speaks for itself. Some artists speak for a generation. It’s my deep personal pleasure to present to you one of America’s great voices of freedom, it can only mean one man, the transcendent, Bob Dylan!”
For his hit ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’, Bob Dylan was joined by The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, who were both heartily wasted.
Paul McCartney
Beatles legend Paul McCartney only performed one song, but that was all he needed to do to etch himself into Live Aid folklore.
He performed a rousing rendition of the Beatles classic ‘Let It Be,’ which, despite a few technical glitches with microphones, was one of the most famous performances of all time at a Live Aid gig.
He was joined on stage by Bob Geldof, Pete Townsend, Alison Moyet, and David Bowie, who came on stage to sing the final chorus in unison with everyone inside the packed Wembley Stadium.
Led Zeppelin
This performance went down in history... for the wrong reason!
Live Aid saw the band reunite for the first time since drummer John Bonham sadly passed away in 1980.
Five years later, Bob Geldof managed to convince the remaining three members of the four cornerstones of rock and roll to reunite for Live Aid.
John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant performed on the Philadelphia side of the event, but, in a disappointing turn of events, the reunion was marred by a catalogue of errors. The band played for 20 minutes, dusting off three classics: ‘Rock and Roll’, ‘Whole Lotta Love’, and ‘Stairway to Heaven’. Robert Plant admitted that his voice was “hoarse” and had “gone” before he even got on stage. Not a good start!
Elton John
Elton John had the difficult task of being the warm-up act for Queen, but he was no one's understudy.
The pop icon performed a six-song set which included the likes of ‘I’m Still Standing’, ‘Rocketman’, a cover of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Can I Get A Witness’ and was then joined by George Michael for a simply iconic performance ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’.
The collaboration was such a hit that George Michael would regularly perform the song whilst touring and in 1991 the duet was released as a single.
Mick Jagger and Tina Turner
Among the many collaborations at Live Aid, the unlikely duo of Mick Jagger and Tina Turner created an unforgettable moment. Their combined energy on stage for 'State Of Shock' and 'It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)' was simply the best!
Madonna
By the time Live Aid kicked off, Madonna was already a global sensation, thanks to her second album, 'Like a Virgin,' released just nine months earlier. She launched into a three-song set, performing hits like 'Holiday' and 'Into the Groove,' as well as debuting 'Love Makes the World Go Round.' Though still early in her meteoric rise, Live Aid provided the perfect stage for her to truly cement her mark on the music world.
