










Billed as "the day music changed history," the Live Aid concerts of July 13, 1985, were held to raise money to fight the horrifying famines sweeping Africa. The brainchild of Bob Geldof and representing the efforts of countless musicians and technicians, Live Aid was a genuine and inspiring effort to help the victims of an overwhelming calamity. Twenty years after the twin concerts (one in London, one in Philadelphia) were broadcast worldwide, the 4-DVD treatment furthers the cause, with proceeds going toward the Band Aid Trust.
The DVD set opens with a heartbreaking documentary on the crisis, followed by videos of the two hit songs that represented the collaborative nature of Geldof's efforts—Band Aid' s "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and USA for Africa's "We Are the World." Since Live Aid was never intended to be released in a recorded format, preservation of TV footage has been unreliable, resulting in some glaring omissions. Led Zeppelin's semi-reunion doesn't appear, and neither does a legendary session with Bob Dylan, Ron Wood, and Keith Richards. Some sets by performers who were popular at the time may inspire either nostalgic glee or head-scratching (Kiki Dee fans, you know who you are). Sprinkled amid these performances are a couple real gems, including a performance by Run DMC, the event's sole representative of the ascendant rap movement. Much of the music here was a passing fad, but the sentiment that brought it all together is timeless. -- Ryan Boudinot
Bob Geldof | Himself |
B.B. King | Himself |
Griff Rhys Jones | Himself |
Daryl Hall | Himself |
Tracey Ullman | Herself |
George Michael (II) | |
John Paul Jones | Himself (as Led Zeppelin) |
Darryl McDaniels | Himself (as Run-D.M.C.) |
Jim Kerr | Himself (as Simple Minds) |
Mo Amin | Himself - photographer |
Bryan Adams | Himself (at JFK Stadium) |
Roger Moore | James Bond |
Stuart Adamson | Himself (as Big Country) |
Yaphet Kotto | Kananga |
Jane Seymour | Solitaire |
Adam Ant | Himself |
Nick Ashford | Himself |
Clifton James | Sheriff J.W. Pepper |
Joan Baez | Herself |
Julius Harris | Tee Hee (as Julius W. Harris) |
Geoffrey Holder | Baron Samedi |
Tom Bailey | Himself (as Thompson Twins) |
David Hedison | Felix Leiter |
Garry Beers | Himself |
Big Country | Themselves |
Gloria Hendry | Rosie Carver |
Bernard Lee | M |
Black Sabbath | Themselves |
Bono | Himself (as U2) |
Lois Maxwell | Miss Moneypenny |
The Boomtown Rats | Themselves |
Tommy Lane | Adam |
David Bowie | Himself |
Earl Jolly Brown | Whisper |
Roy Stewart | Quarrel Jr. |
Andrew Bown | Himself (as Status Quo) |
Jeff Bridges | Himself - Host |
Lon Satton | Harold Strutter |
Arnold Williams | Cab Driver |
Pete Briquette | Himself (as Boomtown Rats) |
Charlie Burchill | Himself (as Simple Minds) |
Geezer Butler | Himself (as Black Sabbath) |
Tony Butler | Himself (as Big Country) |
Warren Cann | Himself |
The Cars | Themselves |
Martin Chambers | Himself (as The Pretenders) |
Chevy Chase | Himself (at JFK Stadium) |
Eric Clapton | Himself |
Dick Clark | Himself / Host |
Adam Clayton | Himself (as U2) |
Albert Collins | Himself (with George Thorogood & the Destroyers) |
Phil Collins | Himself |
Billy Connolly | Himself |
Elvis Costello | Himself |
David Crosby | Himself (at JFK Stadium) (as Crosby Stills Nash and Young) |
Crosby Stills Nash & Young | Themselves (at JFK Stadium) |
Chris Cross | Himself (as Ultravox) |
Simon Crowe | Himself (as Boomtown Rats) |
Alannah Currie | Herself (as Thompson Twins) |
Billy Currie | Himself (as Ultravox) |
Roger Daltrey | Himself (as The Who) |
John Deacon | Himself (as Queen) |
Paul Denham | Himself (Sade's backing band) |
Ronnie James Dio | Himself (as Black Sabbath) |
Dire Straits | Themselves |
Duran Duran | Themselves |
Bob Dylan | Himself |
John Entwistle | Himself (as The Who) |
Andrew Farriss | Himself |
Jon Farriss | Himself |
Tim Farriss | Himself |
Bryan Ferry | Himself |
Sally Field | Herself |
Johnnie Fingers | Himself (as Boomtown Rats) |
Mel Gaynor | Himself (as Simple Minds) |
David Gilmour | Himself (Bryan Ferry's backing band) |
Band of H.M. Coldstream Guards | Themselves (as Regimental Band of The Coldstream Guards) |
Tony Hadley | Himself (as Spandau Ballet) |
Andrew Hale | Himself (Sade's backing band) |
Michael Hutchence | Himself (as INXS) |
Chrissie Hynde | Herself (as The Pretenders) |
John Illsley | Himself (as Dire Straits) |
INXS | Themselves |
Tony Iommi | Himself (as Black Sabbath) |
Mick Jagger | Himself |
Elton John | Himself |
Howard Jones | Himself |
Casey Kasem | Himself / announcer |
John Keeble | Himself (as Spandau Ballet) |
Gary Kemp | Himself (as Spandau Ballet) |
Martin Kemp | Himself (as Spandau Ballet) |
Eddie Kendricks | Himself |
Andy Kershaw | Himself |
Nik Kershaw | Himself |
Mark Knopfler | Himself (as Dire Straits) |
Patti LaBelle | Herself |
Matt Lettley | Himself (as Status Quo) |
Alan Lancaster | Himself (as Status Quo) |
Simon Le Bon | Himself (as Duran Duran) |
Joe Leeway | Himself (as Thompson Twins) |