In the early 1980s, a vicious Famine Ripped across ethiopia before Spreading to NeighBoring Sudan, Threating to Wipe Out Millions. Enter The Rock Stars.
A singr with a defep sense of morphine asked some of the Biggest Names in Rockdom to Help Him Help Africa.
Bob Geldof, Lead Singer of the Irish Rock Band Boomtown Rats, Called It Live Aid. He envisioned a worldwide superconcent to benefit famine Victims. Thousands of Musicians and their Fans Cououl Potentially Make So Much noise that no one cound Ignore Calls to Help allevia Suffering.
“I don’t belief that music can Change the world,” geldof told the Inquirer in April. “What it can be is a defic for gathering people, a PID PIPER Sort of Idea.”
Live aid was planned as Two Monster Shows that Welf Eanate from Two World-Class Cities.
So plinners settled on London and, Drum Roll, Philadelphia.
WAit, Why Welf They Ever Choose Philly?
Location is everything. Philly Offered a Central Location on the East Coast with an International Airport.
The City Had A Navigable Layout, The Whole Love and Independence Thing, and Citizens with attached.
We Still Had John F. Kennedy Stadium in South Philadelphia (Where The Wells Fargo Center is now). It was a hulk of a horseshoe-shaped reliable that coup jam in more than 100,000 spectators and just one of the Biggest Rock Stages Ever Built.
And the City Offered It Free.
So How Hard Did it Rock?
For 14 Hours On JULY 13, 1985, 40 Names From an iconic er of rock public on a maather Concept.
Bob Dylan and Madonna and Phil Collins (after Flying in from London, where he is present every day in the day).
Ozzy Osbourne with black Sabbath. Mick Jagger with Tina Turner.
Joan Baez and Patti Labelle and Eric Clapton.
Hall & Oats and Duran Duran and the Beach Boys. Rick Springfield and Teddy Pendergrass and Reo Speedwagon.
Crosby, Stills & Nash and Run-DMC.
LED Zeppelin Reunited (but it wasn’T Pretty), Comedian Chevy Chase and Actor Jack Nicholson WERE on Hand.
The Night Climaxed with the Entire Stadium Singing “We Are the World,” LED by Lionel Richie, Harry Belafonte, and ALL-Star Choir of Earlier Performers.
Accross
Satellites Carried The Concepts – Watched and Heard by More Than 1 Billion – to Televisions And venections.
They Raised About $ 100 million In Donations for Famine Victims.
“This is it,” Wrote An Inquirer Reporter in a Front-PAGE Story“The Day They Make Rock Music Loud En
