Live Aid

I read that the Live Aid concert is being released on DVD this week. For those who don’t remember or don’t know, Live Aid was a day long concert in the summer of 1985 organized by Bob Geldof to raise money for famine relief in Africa – it followed on the heels of the Band-Aid "Do They Know It’s Christmas" and USA For Africa’s "We Are The World" singles. It’s probably hard to fathom now what a big deal it was. I didn’t go to the concert – I watched it on MTV. Here is what I remember:

In the summer of 1985, I had graduated college and was about to start law school. I was home with my parents for the summer, working as a cotton pest control consultant (i.e. I walked around cotton fields all day and looked for bugs ). Let’s set the stage: I never had cable television until I went to college and it was available in the dorm. At home, we got only 3 or 4 channels – and only a couple of those had good reception (I’ll save for another post how important it was that I get to see Midnight Special, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, ABC’s In Concert, American Bandstand, Solid Gold, and how bad reception often thwarted my ability to see these shows) . My parents, I believe, would have happily paid for cable – but it was not offered to those who lived outside the city limits. We were constantly told by the cable company that they were expanding their coverage area and that maybe next year…..never happened. I don’t think it is available out there even today. So, no cable and no VCR that summer (I didn’t get a VCR until the following Christmas). In those pre-DirecTV / Dish days, the only other alternative was one of those gargantuan satellite dishes. There was no way that my parents would have ever found that to be justifiable, although they did spring for one of those giant rotary antenna towers (meaning we got maybe 5 or 6 channels).

My older brother, however, did get a satellite dish.

Older brother (considerably older, and that’s another post, too) lived just a few steps away. Even though I knew he had all these great channels available, I never went over there to watch very much. The main exceptions were for sporting events that we couldn’t get – then Dad and I would happily go over.

The prospect of missing Live Aid, though, was unbearable. It sounded like the concert of a lifetime. I had to ask Older Brother if I could come over and watch it - - and I had to explain that I was asking him to allow me to tie up his television ALL DAY LONG. He (and family) were okay with it (barely).

I remember that the concert actually started VERY early in the morning – like 6 a.m. or so ( the London part of the show). I couldn’t ask to watch it at that hour, but it was being simulcast on the radio, so I got up and listened. One of the first acts was Bob Geldof himself and his band, the Boomtown Rats. In my senior year of high school, this was one of my favorite bands. My high school rock band may have played all the standard Nugent and Kiss songs, but we also played "I Don’t Like Mondays" ("The silicone chip inside her head gets switched to overload….and nobody wants to go to school today, she’s gonna make them stay at home….")

I finally got to go over and watch. What stands out in my memory is the weirdness of Judas Priest playing at 9:00 a.m. (Judas Priest and Iron Maiden are the two definitive old school metal bands – that’s another post….as is my absolute failure to ever have any inkling that Rob Halford might be gay)….the thrill of Ozzy and Black Sabbath reuniting (it was a big deal then; it’s certainly not a big deal now that they reunite every other Ozzfest)….the hype over the fact that Phil Collins played the London show and then got on the Concorde and came over and played the Philadelphia show also…..the fact that the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited (alas, they refused to allow their performance to be included on the DVD – they apparently felt that Phil Collin’s drumming in place of the late, great John Bonham was subpar)…..the continued hype by the MTV jocks that Bruce Springsteen might make a surprise appearance (he didn’t)….the realization that Queen was a certifiable Big Deal in England, although they had faded in stature in the U.S. by then (God help me, I didn’t realize that Freddy Mercury was gay, either…..I’ve got to do a post about how my musical gay-dar didn’t work….)…..the continuous showing of the new Mick Jagger / David Bowie "Dancing In The Streets" video (vaguely interesting the first showing; interminable thereafter)….the fact that Robert Palmer wouldn’t tour with the Power Station so they got Michael Des Barres to sing instead…..Madonna… Run-DMC……Patti Labelle…..Mick Jagger and Tina Turner together….the Who…..

As I recall, the final two hours of the concert (plus highlights from the day) were aired on one of the networks, so I went home and watched the rest.

And then….nothing. The concert was never aired again and has never been released. I’m curious to relive the event, so I MAY be interested in buying the DVD if it isn’t too expensive. I’m also curious about who played that may no longer be living – Robert Palmer, Freddie Mercury, Jam Master Jay, and John Entwhistle come to mind immediately, but I’m sure there are others.

I’m not sure that such an event could ever take place on such a scale again…I don’t know if the world is much more cynical now or if I am just so much more cynical. The images of starving Africans, sadly, is just not that shocking now. And back then, it was awe inspiring for the Who, U2, Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, most of the Stones to all get together for one big event. It just wouldn’t be that big of an event now (the Concert For New York notwithstanding) – young people would not be interested in seeing those old farts (well, maybe Ozzy….). Nowdays, you would have to include all of the bling bling rappers and I-hate-everything-and-everybody nu metal bands for any kind of validity – and I for one would seriously question their altruism (Remember the last Woodstock?) I could be totally wrong, but it’s hard to imagine Li’l Jon giving a shit about anyone except Li’l Jon.

Anyway, here’s hoping I get a chance to watch the DVD and spark a few more memories.