Special - Live Aid at 40 with Bob Geldof

It’s a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Live Aid!

Live Aid was grand in scope and ambition. It was largely the brainchild of an unlikely hero, Bob Geldof, the Irish singer who fronted The Boomtown Rats, and who had helped assemble the all-star cast of Band Aid. Watched by 1.5 billion people, Live Aid eventually raised $127 US million for famine relief in Africa.

But beyond that, Live Aid was also a cultural touchstone that showed the power of pop music and the determination of millions of people to make a difference in the world.

 

Hours before the event took place, Christopher Ward had a chat with organizer Bob Geldof, who, in his intense way, told of the importance of Live Aid.  He disputes the cultural significance in favour of the pragmatic view of delivering much needed aid to African famine relief.  It’s an extraordinary interview with a man who is firing on all cylinders, almost to the breaking point. 

 

And of course, we also talk about the music, including:

• Although Geldof didn’t want them in the lineup, Freddie Mercury and the band provided the most memorable 22 minutes of the day, perhaps the best ever performance in music history. 
• U2 – We have the full story of why they played only two songs that day… and how it became a major moment on their road to superstardom.
• David Bowie’s set was also memorable. But he almost didn’t play that day.  And it was all because of a CBC report on the famine.  We have the full story.
• Duran Duran. Simon LeBon made a considerable gaffe during one of their songs.  He considers it the most embarrassing moment of his career.
• Led Zeppelin - why Jimmy Page blamed Phil Collins for Zeppelin’s less than perfect performance.

 

There were also a number of artists who chose not to perform that day, including Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Prince, Culture Club and Huey Lewis.  At least two of those acts regretted that decision. 

 

And we talk about the importance of Live Aid as a cultural milestone. 

  Famous Lost Words, hosted by Christopher Ward and Tom Jokic, is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide and on radio stations across Canada, including Newstalk 1010 Toronto, CJAD 800 Montreal, 580 CFRA Ottawa, AM 800 CKLW Windsor, 610 CKTB St Catharines, CFAX Victoria, AM1150 Kelowna and 91x in Belleville.  It is in the Top 20% of worldwide podcasts based on the number of listeners in the first week.