Band Aid_ From Single to Concert

Band Aid: From Single to Concert

Band Aid, the charity supergroup, was originally formed in 1984 to record the single ”Do They Know It's Christmas?” However, it's important to note that Band Aid itself did not hold a concert. The confusion often arises because the success of Band Aid led to the organization of a massive benefit concert called Live Aid in 1985.

Live Aid, which took place on July 13, 1985, was the concert event that followed in the wake of Band Aid's success. Organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, Live Aid was a dual-venue benefit concert held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, England, and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, United States.

This groundbreaking event featured performances by many of the artists who had participated in the original Band Aid recording, along with numerous other high-profile acts from around the world. The concert lasted for 16 hours and was broadcast globally via satellite to an estimated audience of 1.9 billion across 150 nations.

Some of the notable performers at Live Aid included:

Queen

U2

David Bowie

Elton John

Paul McCartney

Mick Jagger and Tina Turner

Bob Dylan

Madonna

Sting

Phil Collins (who famously performed at both the London and Philadelphia venues)

Live Aid raised approximately 锟?50 million for famine relief in Africa and is often considered a pivotal moment in rock music history. It demonstrated the power of music to mobilize global audiences for a humanitarian cause.

While Band Aid itself didn't hold a concert, its impact directly led to Live Aid, which can be seen as the concert manifestation of the Band Aid initiative. The success of both Band Aid and Live Aid inspired numerous other charity singles and benefit concerts in the years that followed, establishing a new model for musicians to contribute to humanitarian causes.

It's worth noting that there have been subsequent events inspired by the original Live Aid. For instance, Live 8 was held in 2005, coinciding with the G8 conference and the 20th anniversary of Live Aid. However, these later events were separate from the original Band Aid and Live Aid initiatives, though they shared similar goals of raising awareness and funds for humanitarian causes.