LiveAid Turns 40
“In today’s episode of “How did I get this old?” (not a real thing), July 13th is the 40th (!!!) anniversary of Live Aid, the concert for African relief that took place at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK stadium in Philadelphia in 1985. To mark the occasion, CNN and the BBC will air a docuseries about the day including lots of never-before-seen concert footage, backstage interviews, and current interviews with musicians and political leaders.
A few cities will be hosting concerts to celebrate the anniversary. JFK Stadium may be long a thing of the past, but the City of Brotherly Love will host a Live Aid benefit concert at Union Transfer, hosted by Robert Drake of WXPN’s Land of the Lost fame. A bevy of local musicians will perform some of the most iconic songs from the original concert, such as Queen’s incredible set and Led Zeppelin’s reunion set.
A musical devoted to the all-star benefit concert opened in the Shaftesbury Theatre in London last month with a special performance planned for the anniversary.
In the “Huh” department, there is a cover band called “LiveAid Tribute” that seems to have been around since 2019, but weirdly doesn’t appear to have any upcoming dates.
You can pick up tickets to Philly’s Live Aid Tribute to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at Bowery Presents:
