Live Aid was a dual-venue benefit concert held on Saturday July 13, 1985……in coordination with an ongoing music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine…..which was billed as the “global jukebox” when the event was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom and was attended by about 72,000 people there….and at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States…..which was attended by exactly 89,484 people…..while on the same day, concerts inspired by the initiative happened in other countries, such as the Soviet Union, Canada, Japan, Yugoslavia, Austria, Australia and West Germany…..as it was one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time….with an estimated audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations, watched the live broadcast….and folks, that was nearly 40% of the world population at the time.
The impact of Live Aid on famine relief has been debated for years. One aid relief worker stated that following the publicity generated by the concert, “humanitarian concern is now at the center of foreign policy” for western governments…..as organizer Geldof stated, “We took an issue that was nowhere on the political agenda and, through the lingua franca of the planet – which is not English but rock ‘n’ roll – we were able to address the intellectual absurdity and the moral repulsion of people dying of want in a world of surplus.”….then he added….“Live Aid created something permanent and self-sustaining”.
As seen in this video herewith….Elton John plays the famous Marvin Gaye song “Can I Get A Witness” at the 1985 Live Aid Concert in London, England at Wembley Stadium.
