10 Live Aid Moments to Rival Queen

It was advertised as “A Worldwide Juke Box,” and “A Once-in-a-Lifetime Event That Will Never Be Repeated,” and the general feeling seemed to be that it was going to be my generation’s “Woodstock.”

Conceived in late 1984 as a benefit for famine relief in Africa by British musos Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats and Midge Ure of Ultravox and christened Live Aid, the concert took shape as a 16-hour event on July 13, 1985, in both the U.K. and the U.S.A.

Initially beginning early in the day at Wembley Stadium in England, the event would later run concurrently with a concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia before finishing the final few hours there. During the course of the day, a satellite hook-up would broadcast it to nearly two billion people worldwide. Live Aid was going to be something special, and 16-year-old me was fortunate enough to be there. I was invited to attend with my friend Brant’s family for the princely sum of a $50 ticket (about $150 in today’s money), and my dad benevolently agreed to finance the adventure.

Thanks in large part to the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen’s twenty-minute Wembley set has taken on mythical status, making it almost synonymous with Live Aid. While Mercury and company were indisputably brilliant that day, it wasn’t necessarily the great comeback depicted on the silver screen. In fact, Queen were riding high, having just come off a successful world tour that included a memorable performance at the Rock in Rio festival. Their latest album, The Works, had spent a whopping 94 weeks on the UK album charts, reaching number 2 and producing the hit singles “Radio Gaga” and “Hammer to Fall.” Queen certainly graced the crowd with their unique kind of magic, but Live Aid USA produced many equally magical–if somewhat forgotten–moments that are worth looking back on.

10 OZZY REJOINS THE SABS

The four original Black Sabbath members–Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Terry “Geezer” Butler–hadn’t played onstage together since 1978. Following Osbourne’s firing in 1979, he had slowly and steadily built a solo career but was still seen as an occult-ish outsider by the mainstream. Sabbath had worked with various singers, including Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillian (who would leave to join a reunited Deep Purple).

Although their three-song Live Aid set wouldn’t mark a permanent reunion, it would open the door to later collaborations, albums, and tours, including the band’s farewell performance on July 5, 2025–almost 40 years to the day later. Meanwhile, as metal and all its sub-genres grew increasingly popular, Osbourne and Sabbath would come to be revered among the most iconic and influential artists of the rock era. Arguably, the preservation of their legacy started here.

9 SIMPLE MINDS PREMIERE A MASTERPIECE

Simple Minds were on their way to becoming the most commercially successful Scottish band of the ’80s and had just scored their first #1 album in the U.K. with Sparkle in the Rain. Stateside, however, they were mostly known for the atmospheric mid-tempo theme from the movie The Breakfast Club “Don’t You Forget About Me.” Although the band’s set would feature an energetic and uplifting version of their hit single, it was the world premiere of an as-yet-unreleased gem called “Ghost Dancing” that left an indelible impression

Amidst ricocheting guitar chords from Charlie Burchill, and a propulsive beat from Mel Gaynor (who had once been a member of the heavy metal band Sampson with Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson), lead vocalist Jim Kerr delivered an impassioned vocal about the human spirit’s ability to rise above adversity. It seems almost certain that “Ghost Dancing” heavily inspired U2’s 1987 song “Where the Streets Have No Name.”

8 THE BEACH BOYS CELEBRATE SUMMER

I’ll bet Brian Wilson isn’t a name you associate with Live Aid, but he, alongside original Beach Boys Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine, was all there onstage at JFK. Augmented by their top-notch touring band, America’s favorite surfer boys tore through a flawless set of their most celebrated pop gems like “Wouldn’t it be Nice,” “California Girls,” and “Good Vibrations”-the perfect soundtrack for the hot, sunny mid-summer day.

Although seen as something of a passe’ nostalgia act at the time, rewatching The Beach Boys’ performance now is an awe-inspiring reminder of their angelic harmonies and Brian’s unparalleled pop genius.

7 GEORGE THOROGOOD MEETS THE MASTERS

Gravel-voiced roots rocker George Thorogood was a last-minute addition to the JFK bill, having been summoned the day before to replace another act that had cancelled last minute (allegedly Tears for Fears). Sleepless and roadworn from a cross-country red-eye flight, Thorogood and his band nonetheless delivered their high-octane brand of blues-based boogie.

During his set, Thorogood reverently welcomed blues/r&b legends Bo Diddley (on “Who Do You Love”) and Albert Collins (on “Madison Blues”). The young upstart sharing an impromptu juke joint jam with the masters in front of 90,000 festival goers was the guitar highlight of the afternoon.

6 HIP HOP GOES GLOBAL

Compared to the classic rock and modern pop of Wembley, the lineup at JFK featured far more stylistic diversity. A prime example of this was the inclusion on NYC-based hip hop trio Run D.M.C. Hip-hop (then more commonly referred to as “rap”) had begun making inroads into the pop rock mainstream but it wouldn’t be until the following year when the group collaborated with Aerosmith on a reworking of “Walk This Way” that the genre scored its first Top Five single.

Despite the crowd’s general unfamiliarity with RUN D.M.C.’s material, their versions of “Jam Master Jay” and “King of Rock” were enthusiastically received. The fact that this was the first globally broadcast performance of live hip-hop marked the nascent beginning of what would eventually become a major sea-change in pop music.

5 THE CARS DELIVER JUST WHAT WE NEEDED

If ever a band managed to seamlessly bridge the gap between the classic rock of FM radio and the video-driven pop rock of the ’80s, it was The Cars. The Boston quintet seamlessly alchemized punk minimalism, rock muscle, synth-driven pop, and Beatlesque song-craft into a string of multiplatinum albums. Mixing hits from their latest release Heartbeat City like “You Might Think” and “Drive” with fan favorites like “Just What I Needed” and “Moving in Stereo,” the band’s talents were on full display with Rik Ocasek’s edgy warble proving the ideal foil for Ben Orr’s soulful tenor and Elliot Eason’s melodic guitar lines dovetailing perfectly with Greg Hawkes’ spacey synth sounds. Unfortunately for the band, Live Aid would prove to be their high-water mark. Their 1987 album Door to Door failed to crack to Top 20, and The Cars would disband the following year.

4 CARLOS CONJURES THE SPIRITS

Virtuoso guitarist Carlos Santana and his band turned in what was easily one of the tightest, most energetic sets of the day.

Amidst a fusillade of driving Latin percussion, they incanted the uplifting “Brotherhood” before shifting to the rock-oriented “Open Invitation,” which included a nod to Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile.”

For the remainder of his set, Santana was joined by virtuoso jazz-fusion guitarist Pat Metheny. On the finale barn-burner “Right Now,” he ultimately cedes the solo spotlight to Metheny, to grab sleigh bells and join the persuasion ensemble. Then, as each instrumentalist drops out, the band leaves the stage on the same thunderous groove they rode in on. In my humble opinion, Santana’s set deserves greater recognition, but perhaps his choice to avoid playing radio staples like “Black Magic Woman” or “Evil Ways” in lieu of material he ostensibly felt more passionate about worked against him. It shouldn’t have. His performance is 20 minutes of pure spiritual alchemy.

3 ROBERT REUNITES WITH SOME OLD FRIENDS

Although this performance has taken on a somewhat infamous status as “The Led Zeppelin Reunion,” it was officially listed on the bill as “Robert Plant and Friends.” Apparently the television audience was tipped off beforehand as to who the special guests would but it wasn’t until we heard the opening hi-hat swish of “Rock and Roll” and saw the images of Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones on the giant screens that we fully understood–the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin were reuniting for the first time since the death of summer John Bonham in 1980. At that point in rock music history, only a reunion of the original Beatles would have held more significance.

To be fair, what was unofficially known as “The Led Zeppelin reunion was a bit shambolic. Because it was a last-minute decision, the ensemble (which also included guest drummer Phil Collins, plus Tony Thompson and Paul Martinez from Plant’s touring band) was under-rehearsed.

Plant allegedly had trouble with his monitors (a common technical snag throughout the day), and his voice was a bit hoarse in places. Page–ostensibly in an altered state–seems to be struggling a bit with his guitar while tripping over a mic stand, and a quick camera pan catches guest drummer Phil Collins infamously flubbing a fill during “Whole Lotta Love.”

Still, when 90,000 fans incanted the inevitable set-closer, “Stairway to Heaven” in unison with Plant, it was hard not to get lost in the moment, and sometimes being in the moment is all that matters.

2 PATTI LaBELLE STEALS THE SHOW

Although LaBelle was well-known in the gospel, disco, and r+b world for years, she was just starting to break into the pop mainstream as a solo artist. Navigating both a rock audience that was generally unfamiliar with her catalogue and a late time slot following most of the other big names that had already performed, LaBelle and her band still came loaded for bear.

While many acts dressed conservatively in slacks, pastel short-sleeve shirts, and sneakers, Ms. LaBelle looked regal in a Larry LaGaspi-designed black-and-white gown, a futuristic oversized headpiece, and an array of sparkling jewelry.

Drawing on a mix of her own material (“New Attitude”) and familiar covers (a serene gospel-tinged sing-along on John Lennon’s “Imagine) LaBelle’s vocal mastery mesmerized the audience. The highlight came during the extended coda of her gospel reworking of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.” Kicking off her shoes, LaBelle hops down on the catwalk and prowls its length, while engaging in an impassioned call-and-response tour de force with her backup singers. At the song’s climax, LaBelle places her mic onstage and steps several feet back, intoning “Stay,” before dropping to her knees, her un-amplified operatic voice still clearly audible. Before any of us had even heard the term “mic-drop,” Patti LaBelle showed the world exactly how it was done.

1 A FAVORITE SON RETURNS

For decades, the husband and wife team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson were well-known in the biz as hit-making producers and songwriters for such artists as Gladys Knight and The Pips, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, and Marvin Gaye.

Their 1984 single “Solid” was the first Billboard Top 20 hit they scored as performers, though, and was thus an obvious choice as set opener. When the band launched into “Reach Out and Touch” (a hit the duo had originally penned for Diana Ross), they chose to share the spotlight with unannounced special guest Teddy Pendergrass, however. Pendergrass, a Philly native, had risen to fame as the lead singer of soul/disco pioneers Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes before embarking on a massively successful solo career.

A 1982 car crash left the singer paralyzed from the chest down and wheelchair-bound but still able to sing. Live Aid marked his return to the stage. Emerging to a thunderous hero’s ovation, Pendergrass was visibly moved to tears. His performance was pure inspiration, and many in the crowd exultantly raised their arms and swayed along with his emotional rendition of the lilting ballad.

Pendergrass had taken us to church and provided Live Aid USA’s most tangible example of the uplifting and transformative power of music.