The Chronic Curmudgeon: The Chronic Curmudgeon Pop Culture Influence #9: Live Aid

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October 28, 2005

The Chronic Curmudgeon Pop Culture Influence #9: Live Aid

9. Live Aid - 1985 Joan Baez opened the US portion of the show with the boomer-indulgent line, "This is your Woodstock, and it's long overdue." But the truth was, it was nothing like Woodstock. Rather than symbolizing its era the way Woodstock came to, Live Aid was an anomaly of its time -- a celebration of altruism in an era of greed and self-indulgence.

In the aftermath of "Do They Know It's Christmas" (still a classic that inspires to this day) and "We Are The World" (a self-congratulatory piece of schlock that's embarrassing to play on the radio 20 years later), Bob Geldof reached for the stars, seeking to mobilize the rock industry to aid the starving in Africa. It was a gesture that seemed futile to some, naive to others... but virtually no one said no. And the result was an incredible day -- July 13, 1985 -- where music and society intersected and helping the less fortunate was, for the moment, very cool. 50 million pounds (about $72 million dollars in those days) was raised on that single day.

20 years later, the concert's lineup causes a combination of awe and laughter; some of the greatest bands and musicians ever to play were on stage that day, and so were some 1980s pan-flashes who seem out of place. The Who, U2, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Madonna, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Santana, Ozzy Osbourne, B.B. King, Teddy Pendergrass, Elton John, the Beach Boys, and Sting played Live Aid; so did The Hooters, Autograph, Spandau Ballet, Style Council, Billy Ocean, Rick Springfield, and The Thompson Twins.

20 years later, so many musical moments still stand out: Bob Dylan busts a guitar string, so Ron Wood takes his own guitar off his shoulder and hands it to Dylan... then plays air guitar and mimics Pete Townshend's windmilling until a stage hand gets him a new one... Mick Jagger ripping off Tina Turner's skirt while they sang "It's Only Rock and Roll, But I Like It"... Paul McCartney's microphone giving out during Let It Be, but the showman going on with the show... Madonna, fresh off her first nude photo controversy, announcing to the crowd in Philadelphia that "I ain't taking s**t off today"... U2's incredible coming out party-style performance, which cemented their aura in the UK and busted through the doors in America; it was this performance that took them from being "some Irish band" to being U2.

But far and away, the moment memorable moment from Live AId was given to us by Freddie Mercury. His performance at Wembley Stadium is one of the seminal moments in rock history. Few singers, if any, have ever held such complete control of, and earned such reverance from, a crowd that large. His legendary performance, with 90,000 eating from his hand and clapping in unison and on cue to "Radio Ga-Ga" and then "We Will Rock You" go on any short list of the most arresting visuals in music history. When he died six years later, it was this footage that aired as his epitaph, this moment that served as his legacy. There have been few showmen like him, before or since, and if you've never watched that part of the show, I can't urge you strongly enough to rent the DVD and watch it... you'll never see a rocker do better or be in such synch with his audience; capturing, feeding off the energy of the masses, and them amping that energy up another 10 notches and giving it back to them. That day, Freddie Mercury channeled lightning.

Since LiveAid, celebrity charity efforts have begun to be seen with increasing cynicism (thanks, Bill O'Reilly), and it may never happen again that such an open-minded, altruistic, taken-at-face-value effort can be pulled off at such a scale. But in 1985, it still could -- and did. That, combined with the sheer power of the performances by Mercury, U2 and others, and the fact that the rock community came together to raise what would eventually become about $200 million for the starving of the world as a direct result of these concerts -- makes Live Aid the #9 pop culture moment of the last 25 years.

Posted by Christopher on October 28, 2005 06:42 AM