[Music] 35 years ago today - "give us your feckin money now"

[Is it PotG?]

Excellent section on Live Aid in Mark Ellen's brilliant book. He was co-hosting.

 

[Gwylan]

:
I totally refuse to believe that you didn’t like any act at all on Live Aid though

I can. I've just looked at the running order and the only act I'd have wanted to see was Bowie. That's probably why I didn't watch it, I couldn't imagine sitting through all the dross to see him.

 

[nicko31]

Live Aid turned U2 into a super group for sure.

Recall my Dad's Sony C7 VCR had a real workout that day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvBgRSSlVBA

 

[Is it PotG?]

I can. I've just looked at the running order and the only act I'd have wanted to see was Bowie. That's probably why I didn't watch it, I couldn't imagine sitting through all the dross to see him.

He was pretty poor/average. The only highlights were U2 and I can't stand them.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Joni Mitchell has written some great songs but she is totally unlistenable to me.

I totally refuse to believe that you didn’t like any act at all on Live Aid though

I had been a fan of U2. Saw them at Jenkinson's in 1980. But The Unforgettable Fire had some odd tracks on it that seemed to be hankering for America, which I found a bit cringeworthy. I think they'd started wearing cowboy hats, too. I thought they'd gone a bit wanky. One side of Joshua Tree (87) is good though, but....the downward spiral had begun....



Just checked the line up, yes some others I liked....Madonna was at her peak, Simple Minds (though they were past it by then), Tom Petty (though I only really liked him in 1977), Bowie (but he mimed in a duet with dullard Jagger who I dislike). Nowhere near enough to lure me to tune in, or watch a rerun or buy a vid.

Incidentally:

"The organisers of Live Aid tried, without much success, to run aid efforts directly, channelling millions of pounds to NGOs in Ethiopia. Much of this, however, went to the Ethiopian government of Mengistu Haile Mariam – a regime the UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wanted to "destabilise" – and was spent on guns.".

I give money to the Howard League and Amnesty, and occasionally to one off appeals (including things posted on NSC) but these big things.....I wouldn't even give money to the British Heart foundation - not since I realised how they spend the money

Sorry - feeling grumpy today.

 

[nicko31]

The awful and fragmented link to Collins on the plane didn't work at all.

Botham and Willis interview went for a ball of chalk.

The Who were pants (more sound issues).

U2 saved the day, although the boys at the back carried on playing whilst Bono went-a-marching off the front of the stage for the poor maiden in distress. Caused them to miss a song from their set, and they had no idea what Hewson was doing out of their sight.

It was feckin' hot that day. Worked in the morning in a/c office, home to the sweltering heat indoors. All the windows open due to the heat, cold beer.

There were many tech problems all day.

There were tech issues especially from the US, the audio feed from Philadelphia was sent to London via transatlantic cable, while the video feed was via satellite so there were sync'ing problems

Overall it was a huge technical challenge never attempted before on this scale

 

[Chicken Run]

Same for me. My excuse is I was living in Canada and didn't like stadium gigs, or Queen, or most of the other artists on the bill.

I’ve heard there’s a planned charity concert in Abbis Ababa next year for the people of Faversham.

 

[Icy Gull]

I didn’t appreciate this at the time, but I do now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECN_wgw55lc

 

[Goldstone1976]

"I was there", said an ex to me.

"Bollox", said I.

"Watch this", says she, sliding a VHS into the VCR.

"Oh yes, so you were".

Only in EVERY single shot of the audience

 

[beorhthelm]

Incidentally:

"The organisers of Live Aid tried, without much success, to run aid efforts directly, channelling millions of pounds to NGOs in Ethiopia. Much of this, however, went to the Ethiopian government of Mengistu Haile Mariam – a regime the UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wanted to "destabilise" – and was spent on guns.".

i read an account of someone from an NGO, trucking food to camps. their convoy was diverted to already full warehouses. turned out there wasnt much shortage of food in Etheopia generally, it was very regionalised and the government wanted to starve the region affected.

 

[Acker79]

[tweet]1282687370320650246[/tweet]

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

i read an account of someone from an NGO, trucking food to camps. their convoy was diverted to already full warehouses. turned out there wasnt much shortage of food in Etheopia generally, it was very regionalised and the government wanted to starve the region affected.

Indeed. I remember seeing pictures of kids dying in Biafra some years earlier and thinking how terrible it was and how important international aid and charity was.

Then in the 80s I rememember thinking 'how is this happening again?'

I just looked up Biafra......"After two-and-a-half years of war, during which almost two million Biafran civilians (3/4 of them small children) died from starvation caused by the total blockade of the region by the Nigerian government,.....".

Hmmm......

I have heard the argument that just because the starvation was caused by corrupt and incompetent governments, sometimed downright evil genocidal governments, doesn't mean we shouldn't be raising money through charity to help.

Call me harsh but this cycle of disaster and charity would be regarded as absurd if it were the sole response to domestic abuse; wife gets beaten up and the Red Cross patch her up and send her home. Again and again.....

I always felt if we were going to do something about starvation (the later Ethiopian crisis springs to mind, with a bit more honest reporting about the role of warlords and the like the causes were clear) the correct solution would be to invade, not send food parcels.

Unfortunately we have no 'world policeman' any more (not that we ever really did; when it was us it was forged in empire building, and when the Americans took over they turned it into a 'crusade' against communism).

 

[Wozza]

Bowie (but he mimed in a duet with dullard Jagger who I dislike).

Yes, in what's known as a 'music video'.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Yes, in what's known as a 'music video'.

I watched MTV, mate, so I know all about it

 

[Beach Hut]

The Philadelphia concert was heading for oblivion around a week before it was due through lack of acts but fortunately it was a game of poker so as soon as Madge agreed t had the domino effect.

I watched most of it and it really was a major global event as soon as the BBC agreed to the broadcast. As stated massive technical problems with microphones failing, think The Who lost a track due to a power cut.

Brucie bonus - which set did David Gilmour appear on ?

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Loved it - watched the whole thing changing video tapes every 3 hours.....

Actually went to Live 8 - not as good as Live AId though.

 

[Insel affe]

Pah, as others have suggested on this thread, the whole thing was not required and only aided failing rock stars another stab at the limelight....

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

"I was there", said an ex to me.

"Bollox", said I.

"Watch this", says she, sliding a VHS into the VCR.

"Oh yes, so you were".

Only in EVERY single shot of the audience

I was there, not with your ex but with my friends. Positioned ourselves near the sound/light box near the centre circle. Lifted the mat and picked some Wembley grass

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I watched it all on the tellybox. I was living in Yeading,West London at the time, and could see the blimp over Wembley from the house.

It's easy to be cynical looking back, but at the time the quality of the performances (or the performers) didn't matter one iota compared to the cause they were raising money for.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Pah, as others have suggested on this thread, the whole thing was not required and only aided failing rock stars another stab at the limelight....

Codswallop.