I wasn't there

13 July 1985.

A prominent day in music history.  Two concerts, one in London and one in Philadelphia, with a worldwide audience of billions, the brainchild of Bob Geldolf and taking place to help the countless people struck by famine in Africa.

The previous Christmas saw Band Aid reach number one with the song “Feed the World” and these concerts were the follow up to that.

I sat and watched the whole thing from start to finish, as a huge music fan and someone obviously concerned with the terrifying and difficult to fully grasp humanitarian issues highlighted.

There was one band among the many who took part either side of the Atlantic that really stood out though.  I already loved Queen and was looking forward to their performance.  But not even I could have expected what they actually delivered on the Wembley Stadium stage.  It’s gone down as one of (if not the) best live performances ever.  Twenty minutes or thereabouts of sheer magic, showcasing their biggest crowd-pleasing songs.

They had a huge advantage over many of the acts performing though.  They had recently made two tours of South America, regularly playing to stadium crowds of well over 150,000.  Wembley then must have seemed like a cosy nightclub in comparison.

Anyway, I defy anyone who saw Live Aid, whether they liked Queen or not, not to be blown away by their set.

I just wish I could have been there to see it in person.