Live Aid, one of the greatest events ever staged in the history of Philadelphia, was the focal point of the world 40 years ago.
The two-venue benefit concert, which was held simultaneously at the late, unlamented JFK Stadium and Wembley Stadium in London on July 13, 1985, was organized by the Boomtown Rats’ Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure to raise funds for relief for the victims of the 1983-1985 famine in Ethiopia.
The tandem co-wrote and produced the single “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” which was released in November 1984. The catchy tune, which is now a holiday staple, became a massive success. Geldof and Ure decided to create a global jukebox event.
Some of the most popular and impactful recording artists of the Reagan era were invited to perform in Philadelphia and London, to deliver 17-minute sets each.
Each city had its share of iconic music moments. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the Beach Boys with Brian Wilson regrouped to perform in front of 89,000 sun-splashed fans in Philadelphia. British rock royalty reunited on the JFK stage as the surviving members of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath performed. Queen and U2 rendered mesmerizing performances across the pond at Wembley.
Philly had to hustle to be host
However, what most folks don’t know is that Philadelphia, once again, was not the first option to host a historic event. Washington, D.C. was the initial preference, followed by New York City. However, Electric Factory Concerts co-founder and president Larry Magid convinced Geldof and Ure that Philadelphia was the ideal American location for the unforgettable concert.
“They wanted it to be at the mall in D.C. but we didn’t have enough time to apply for a permit,” Magid said. “The second option was New York, but I was able to convince them to do it in Philadelphia for a number of reasons. We had the stadium and I told them I would convince the city to let us have it rent-free.”
Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode initially turned down Magid. However, legendary television producer Tony Verna, the inventor of instant replay and (more importantly to this story) the brother of longtime City Councilwoman Anna Verna, convinced Goode to allow the aging venue to be utilized pro bono since the event would be a huge boon for Philadelphia. More than 2 billion people from more than 100 nations tuned in to experience the event.
The logistics helped make Philadelphia an easy choice. With a pair of interstate highways and an international airport just 10 minutes from JFK Stadium, Philadelphia was an ideal choice for Live Aid.
Magid had 5½ weeks to produce the event. “We had to build the festival site,” Magid said. “We had to build the compound and book the show.”
Magid had put on a number of massive one-day events such as “The Round Up,” a Southern rock concert in 1981, and “The Jam at JFK,” headlined by Foreigner and the Kinks in 1982.
Tickets, which were $35 each (which translates to about $104 today), sold out within two days.
“The price of the tickets was a little bit high at the time,” Magid said. “But in retrospect, we could have gotten more if we wanted to. But we wanted to make sure the tickets sold. It all worked out. It was best to have five weeks to put on the show. If we had three or four months before the event, a lot of things could have gone wrong. I liked that we had to build this event as quickly as possible.”
Almost every day, Electric Factory issued press releases. Additional acts were added until local fans, as well as those around the country and the world, descended upon the tier-less, horseshoe-shaped stadium.
‘Who the bleep are the Hooters?!?!’
The sound of Philadelphia echoed off the crumbling walls of JFK Stadium, which would be razed in 1992. Local recording artists made good as Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, George Thorogood and the Destroyers and Hall & Oates, who performed with the Temptations’ Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin, hit the stage. And there was one other local act, the Hooters, who were just about to take off.
Magid was approached by Hooters management about giving the band a slot, but he doubted it would happen even though he was completely behind the concept.
“It wasn’t going to be easy,” Magid said. “But I always loved those guys. I remember when (the Hooters vocalist-guitarist) Eric Bazilian would sneak into the Electric Factory when he was 13 years old and I would kick him out. I remember thinking, ‘How am I going to get the Hooters on the stage?’
“But (late, legendary impresario and event co-promoter) Bill Graham came in one day and said, ‘I just met the manager of this local band, the Hooters. What do you think about putting them on?’ I said, ‘That’s a great idea.’ “
However, not everyone felt that way.
“Who the bleep are the Hooters?!?” Geldof bellowed when he heard who was tabbed to open the Philadelphia portion of the event.
Hooters vocalist-keyboardist Rob Hyman laughed upon being reminded of Geldof’s quote. “In his defense, it was a fair question,” Hyman said. “Geldof was in Europe and people had no idea who we were at that time in Europe.”
Much changed for the Hooters. By the late ’80s, the Hooters had caught on overseas, particularly in Germany. The Hooters, who will perform in Dresden on July 13, are popular enough even today to headline festivals in Europe. “Most of our audience has relocated to Germany and Scandinavia,” Hyman cracked. “Yes, the fans in Europe have supported us for years and, for the longest time, we focused on touring in Europe … We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have such an audience in Europe. Live Aid was how we were introduced to Europe.”
During a European tour back in the ’90s, Geldof opened for the Hooters. The irony was never discussed between the two parties. “We didn’t have a lot of contact with him, but we did several shows with Geldof and the Waterboys,” Hyman said. “We did get a bit of a chuckle about Geldof opening for us and, of course, we knew who he was.”
The day and night in Philly had both highlights and subpar moments, which is what will happen during an epic concert when few acts had the opportunity to rehearse. The former members of Led Zeppelin ran through their set only three hours before hitting the stage.
The Zeppelin reunion was Spinal Tap-esque. Why in the world was Phil Collins freelancing behind the drum kit while the late Chic and Power Station drummer Tony Thompson thundered away during a classic Zeppelin track? Plant belted out songs with a hoarse voice. Jimmy Page’s guitar was out of tune.
Duran Duran’s Simon LeBon’s voice cracked while the singer tried to go falsetto during “A View to a Kill,” which was at the top of the Billboard pop charts that week. LeBon still notes that vocal misfire was the most embarrassing moment of his career.
Amazing moments
However, there were a number of amazing moments that fans reveled in while dealing with the sweltering heat. Eric Clapton’s incendiary set with blazing versions of “White Room” and “Layla” stoked the crowd. The chemistry between Mick Jagger and Tina Turner during their “State of Shock”/It’s Only Rock n’ Roll (But I Like It)” duet was undeniable. It was one of only a few times that the rock icons performed together during their storied careers.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers impressed. The aforementioned Hooters, who had nothing to lose, established themselves by blasting through “And We Danced” and “All You Zombies.”
It was a magical experience for this then-teenager, who worked the event as an usher. It was a long, hot day from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. which was no problem for the younger version of myself. There was no shade, save visits to the bowels of the crumbling stadium. There were long lines to flooding bathrooms and queues to the few concession stands were lengthy, but it was arguably one of the greatest days in Philadelphia history.
It’s hard to believe that four decades have passed since Joan Baez announced, “This is your Woodstock,” at 9 a.m.
“It really is surprising,” Magid said. “It’s almost a shock to the system that so much time has passed. So much of what I experienced at Live Aid is still so fresh in my mind. There was no event quite like it.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
