22 years ago I was working as a bartender in a restaurant in Ealing Broadway the day of the Live Aid concert, so I didn't get to see all of the show (unlike one of my friends who actually scored a ticket for the Wembley gig). But careful programming of my VCR on Extended Play meant that I still have most of the performances on tape. I recently came across them and was amazed at how well some of the performances stood the test of time, but the question remains - what exactly were the ten best performances of the show?
Take a look at my choices and then weigh in with your own opinion.
#10 Madonna - Holiday
I'll admit right at the start, I have serious doubts about including this one. I really wanted to make #10 Status Quo singing Rocking All Over The World, but I know most of the US audience would go "Status Who?" So here's Madonna, dancing her little tush off, from a time when I quite envied Sean Penn, if you know what I mean.
#9 Elton John & Wham - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
The only thing I ever really thought about Wham is that Andrew Ridgely must have gotten up every morning, and then got down on his knees and thanked God for George Michael. Not the best version of this song that George ever sung, but good enough to make the list.
#8 Simple Minds - Don't You Forget About Me
You American's should be ashamed of yourselves. Virtually all the great performances of Live Aid came from Wembley, and the best effort from Philly? A band from Glasgow. Even if Jim Kerr had sold his soul to a John Hughes movie, Simple Minds still rocked it.
#7 Queen - We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions
Anyone who remembers Queen's set at Live Aid may, at this point, be saying "WTF? Queen are only #7?" Patience, true believers. There's more to come. But there's no way I couldn't include this clip too, because Freddie clearly has all 72,000 people in that stadium eating out of his hand.
#6 Sting - Roxanne
Watching those terrible clips of the reformed Police gigs, it's sometimes hard to remember how fucking cool Sting used to be. So let's redress that balance.
#5 The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays
Ahh, Sir Bob. Can you imagine what he must have been feeling that day? in all honesty, it's not a great live performance by the Rats, who must have been feeling the pressure. But that moment when Bob raises his fist? That's one of the defining moments of 20th century pop history, right there. it's the pity the clip ends where it does because I remember right after this he said "I just realized, this is probably the best day of my life". And it probably was.
#4 David Bowie - Heroes
Bowie. Heroes. A perfect song from a perfect pop star. It may sound corny, but that day, most of us did feel like Heroes. Joan Baez said earlier in the day that this was "our Woodstock" and I think she was right.
#3 Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing
I seem to remember that Dire Straits were playing a gig across the street at Wembley Arena that night, and so went on early to perform their set. The extended guitar break on this one really sums up the 80s for me.
#2 U2 - Bad
It's not until you see the bucaneer boots that Bono is wearing that you realise how early in their career this was. It cemented U2's reputation as THE live band. The girl he dragged out of the crowd later claimed he'd actually saved her life as she was being crushed. All I remember thinking at the time was that he was SO going to get laid that night.
#1 Queen - Radio Gaga
In my mind, there's simply no contest here. This was the moment Freddie Mercury ruled the world, reclaimed Queen's crown as one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and it's probably the best 5 minutes of the man's professional life. Still brings a lump to my throat when I watch it.
So there you have it. My choice for the top ten performances at Live Aid. Agree? Disagree? Take the poll to choose your favorite - you can even add your own suggestion:
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The Sultans of Swing can't be 22 years ago. You've done some excellent picking and I'm too stunned thinking about how time flies to argue with any of them.
Hmm...if your list of 'greatest rock bands of all time' has, say, 25 names on it, then Queen might qualify. Frankly, we North Americans never quite saw what the fuss was all about.
I'm afraid that's a pretty crap rendition of "Mondays" by Sir Bob et al. I love the song, and the man did an amazing thing, but it's not their best performance, is it?
Good list, Scara. But Simple Minds definitely wasn't the highlight of Philly. I seem to recall Clapton, Page & Plant, and Dylan & the Stones.
Can't really argue with the order here..
I remember watching the "Radio Ga-Ga" performance live, and just being overwhelmed at how Freddie had the crowd.
Queen kicked so much ass it wasn't funny. They were HUGE in Montreal..
What a performer.
Still miss ya Freddie!
I disagree with dbarefoot. I have always loved Queen! I had to vote for Radio GaGa. But I was proud of the fact my 3 year old was singing along to We Are The Champions.
Jellio - Yep, Page & Plant singing Stairway to Heaven, Clapton singing Layla, Santana, The Who, Jagger - should have been a shoo in, right? Go check out those performances on YouTube, almost all abysmal.
Tom Petty put on a show at Live Aid. I think that should have been there in place of Mondays