2 Acts Who Took Full Advantage of the Live Aid Showcase (And 2 Who Unfortunately Didn’t)

It’s doubtful that there will ever be another day in music quite like Live Aid. July 1985, when the concerts took place, arrived during the absolute pinnacle of pop music’s dominance. And the cavalcade of stars who performed rose to the momentous occasion.

Or at least most of them did. Looking back to that fateful day and evening, we’ve selected two acts who knocked it out of the park. And two others who were stuck in park.

Queen

The film Bohemian Rhapsody added some factual inaccuracies about Queen’s historic Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium. But those fibs really weren’t needed to capture the magnitude of what the quartet achieved. The only necessary context you need to know to appreciate the performance is to know that the band’s popularity had waned a bit in the years leading up to it. In their four-song set, they reminded everyone that no other band could please a crowd quite like them. To say that Freddie Mercury had the massive audience, both those on-site and those watching from all over the world, in the palm of his hand would be an understatement of the highest degree.

U2

At the time U2 performed at Live Aid, they’d just managed their first US Top 40 hit with “Pride (In The Name Of Love)”. But the Irish quartet had established themselves much more in the UK. They intended to play the aforementioned hit as the closing number of their three-song set. But lead singer Bono pulled an audible during the performance of “Bad”, the group’s second song that day. Leaving the other three members of the group vamping endlessly on the song’s circular musical pattern, he bounded into the crowd. This move enlivened the proceedings. It also made for a magical moment when he stumbled his way back up to the stage to close out the song and the set. U2’s popularity in the US shot upwards immediately.

Led Zeppelin

Don’t go looking for evidence of this performance on any of the sanctioned video releases of Live Aid that have popped up over the years. The powers that be within the Led Zeppelin camp have made sure that their maligned effort that day wouldn’t be rehashed. It’s too bad it turned out as it did. The quasi-reunion of the hard rock legends was one of the most anticipated moments going into the show. Unfortunately, a lack of rehearsal time showed up early and often during that attempt to recapture the magic. Ever since, the members of the group have been playing the blame game. Fill-in drummer Phil Collins (probably unfairly) often takes the brunt of it.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan was given pride of place as the closing act for the American portion of the show held in Philadelphia. The fact that he performed with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones should have added to the pomp of it all. But Dylan’s three-song set never really got off the ground. Some technical issues made things difficult for Dylan and his buddies to hear whether they were in tune or not. The scope of the show also was an odd fit for Dylan’s gentle songs. But all wasn’t totally lost. Dylan’s offhand comment in between songs about people doing something for American farmers indirectly led to the founding of the long-running Farm Aid concert series.

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