Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

The Latest Breaking News from Live Aid

"Iʼm not doing it out of guilt. Even if I didnʼt do it, the poverty would still be there." How getting stuck in a "rut", some tempting by Bob Geldof and the most A-list bill in history helped Queen pull off the greatest rock set of all time

Queen's Live Aid performance has become the stuff of legend – we look back at how the iconic set really happened

Louder

The most iconic moments from Live Aid, 40 years on

It was the gig that changed the history of music. And it all started with a Christmas song.

Evening Standard

“Freddie rose to the occasion. When we did Radio Ga Ga and the whole audience did the double handclap thing, I remember getting chills in that moment”: Brian May recalls the power and the glory of Queen at Live Aid

"When you watch it now, it's not without its tense moments"

MusicRadar

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

How to watch 'Live Aid at 40' online for free — stream three-part documentary from anywhere

See how to watch 'Live Aid at 40' online and stream for free no matter where you are to hear from the rock legends that put together the iconic 1985 concert.

Tom’s Guide

“Then his mic fails and Pete Townshend grabs me from one side and says, ‘Let’s help him'. David Bowie grabs me from the other, and with Alison we went out to sing along": Bob Geldof on how Paul McCartney’s Live Aid performance was almost a disaster

“He was driving up from Sussex, listening to U2 on the radio, and they were so good, he was getting really nervous,” remembers Geldof

MusicRadar

"We thought it was going to be a disaster." Brian May and Roger Taylor look back on Queen's now-legendary performance at Live Aid, and share Bob Geldof's blunt pre-show advice to Freddie Mercury

"The response from the crowd was so deafening, it took your breath away"

Louder

Bob Geldof told Freddie Mercury to ‘just play the hits’ before legendary Live Aid performance

Queen’s six-song set is often remembered as one of the greatest rock performances of all time

The Independent UK

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Bob Geldof quips he gets 'blue in the face' listening to 'f***ing Freddie Mercury' at Live Aid

The Live Aid co-founder was promoting the new album, 'Just For One Day - The Live Aid Musical (Original Cast Recording)', which sees hits by Queen, David Bowie, Sir Elton John, U2, The Police, Madonna and more reimagined by the show's cast.

BANG Premier

“Bob Geldof said, No, Queen have peaked. I don’t think they should play.” Queen would never have performed their iconic set at Live Aid if Band Aid mastermind Bob Geldof had his way, and Freddie Mercury initially wasn't that keen either

"Freddie smelt blood. He went for the throat."

Louder

"When we did Live Aid, we could barely play. Queen were in the middle of a tour, walked out there, took the whole thing, and turned it into an advert for themselves": Pete Townshend says that The Who invented stadium rock and then gave it away

He also prefers ABBA to Queen

MusicRadar

"If you watch the video, you can see Jimmy dribbling onstage, Robert not hitting the notes, and me miming, playing the air." Phil Collins' memories of Led Zeppelin's "dark, sulphurous" reunion for Live Aid are brutal, and spare no-one

The prospect of Led Zeppelin reforming to play Live Aid, the biggest music event of the 1980s, sparked great excitement. But their return to the stage on July 13, 1985 did not work out as anyone had planned

Louder

“We hesitated to say yes. The chances of making fools of ourselves were so big”: Live Aid was Queen’s crowning glory. But they nearly turned it down

In the brand new issue of Classic Rock, Queen reveal how one of the greatest live performances in history almost didn’t happen

Louder

Simple Minds: Everything Is Possible review – a straightforward portrait of unpretentious rockers

From their punk origins to their stadium-level success in the Live Aid and Breakfast Club era, this music doc finds the Glasgow band still sweetly and likably down to earth

The Guardian - UK

This Queen Live Aid Lego set is awesome… now go Radio Ga Ga with your own amazing ideas

Support Lego designs you love or create your own with Lego Ideas and help turn them into reality

Louder

Get all your
news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One news app.

People

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Organisations

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Topics

Places

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.