Live Aid
Live Aid was a pair of linked benefit concerts held on a single day in July 1985, staged to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. Broadcast to a huge international audience, it became one of the most ambitious television events of its time and showed how popular music could be mobilized for humanitarian causes. It also helped set the template for the modern celebrity-driven charity campaign.
The immediate background was a devastating famine in Ethiopia, brought on by drought but worsened by civil conflict and government policy. British television reports from the region in late 1984, especially a BBC news report by Michael Buerk, shocked viewers and prompted an outpouring of public concern. Irish musician Bob Geldof, of the band the Boomtown Rats, responded by organizing the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in December 1984, performed by a group of leading British and Irish artists under the name Band Aid. The record sold extremely well and raised substantial funds, and Geldof, together with promoter Harvey Goldsmith and others, then turned to a far larger project.
The main concerts took place at Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, with some additional performances elsewhere. Acts across rock and pop played short sets, and the schedule was timed so that audiences could follow both venues through the day. Satellite links carried the broadcast to many countries, and organizers and broadcasters claimed an audience in the hundreds of millions or even approaching a billion or more, though such figures are rough estimates and hard to verify. Queen's set at Wembley is widely remembered as a highlight, and viewers were urged throughout the broadcast to phone in donations.
The concerts raised a large sum, commonly cited as well over one hundred million pounds when later donations and related fundraising are included, though totals vary depending on what is counted. The money went to relief efforts in Ethiopia and other affected regions. The use of the funds drew some later scrutiny, including debate about the difficulties of delivering aid in a war-affected country and the role of the Ethiopian government, and historians and aid workers still discuss how effective the assistance was.
Live Aid's legacy is both cultural and political. It inspired later events such as Live 8 in 2005, which focused on debt relief and aid policy in Africa, and it encouraged many entertainers to take up public advocacy. Critics have argued that such events can simplify complex problems and present Africa mainly as a place in need of rescue. Even so, Live Aid remains a landmark in the history of broadcasting, music, and charitable fundraising.