Twenty-seven years ago today, one of the biggest musical events of all-time took place. Organized by Boomtown Rats member Bob Geldof, Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that happened simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, England and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Performers in the United Kingdom included U2, Dire Straits, Queen, David Bowie, The Who and Elton John. Performers in Philly included Tom Petty, The Cars, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin and Duran Duran. So, there was definitely something for everyone. The concerts raised over 18 million US$ towards famine relief.

The event was created to raise funds for the relief of the Ethiopian famine and the turnout was extremely impressive. The Wembley show had an attendance of 72,000 and the state-side counterpart managed to attract 100,000 fans, and since both were broadcasted on television, an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion people, from 150 different countries, saw the live broadcast. Those staggering numbers secured Live Aid a spot among the largest satellite link-up and television broadcasts of all-time.

 

The event had many memorable moments with many bands members appearing in other bands sets and many group contributions and uncommon team-ups. Queen's performance that evening is widely regarded by many respected critics and famous musicians to be the best rock performance of all time. Phil Collins was the only performer to play both events. After performing in the UK, he caught a plane and played in America.

 

Wondering what some of the bands played at the monumental event?
We got you covered!

Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom:
U2:
1. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'
2. 'Bad' (with snippets of 'Satellite of Love', 'Ruby Tuesday', 'Sympathy for the Devil', and 'Walk on the Wild Side')

Dire Straits:
1. 'Money for Nothing' (with Sting)
2. 'Sultans of Swing'

Queen:
1. 'Bohemian Rhapsody'/'Radio Ga Ga'
2. 'Hammer to Fall'
3. 'Crazy Little Thing Call Love'
4. 'We Will Rock You'/'We Are the Champions'

The Who:
1. 'My Generation'/'Pinball Wizard'

2. 'Love, Reign O'er Me'

3. 'Won't Get Fooled Again'

 

Elton John:
1. 'I'm Still Standing'

2. 'Bennie and the Jets'

3. 'Rocket Man'

4. 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'

5. 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me'

6. 'Can I Get a Witness'

 

John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
The Cars:
1. 'You Might Think'
2. 'Drive'
3. 'Just What I Needed'
4. 'Heartbreak City'

Neil Young:
1. 'Sugar Mountain'
2. 'The Needle and the Damage Done'

3. 'Helpless'
4. 'Nothing is Perfect (In God's Perfect Plan)

5. 'Powderfinger'

 

1. 'White Room'

2. 'She's Waiting'

3. 'Layla'

 

1. 'Rock and Roll'

2. 'Whote Lotta Love'

3. 'Stairway to Heaven'

1. 'A View to Kill'

2. 'Union of the Snake'

3. 'Save a Prayer'

4. 'The Reflex'

We're sure you love these fantastic artists, so tune into boom, and we'll play them for you! Deal?