Adam writes…
(Updated 10th September 2024)
2024 sees the 40th anniversary of Live Aid/Band Aid. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure‘s famous charity single was released in December 21984. The record was written, recorded and released in response to the horrific pictures of human suffering on the BBC TV news from famine-ridden Ethiopia.
I was 15 when the single was released, and 16 when I spent the day watching Live Aid from afar. Every note and tech glitch from Wembley and Philadelphia. From Status Quo to Bob Dylan, I didn’t miss a minute.
And so it was with excitement that I headed down to the Old Vic theatre at Waterloo last February to see Just For One Day, the Live Aid musical. And I was not disappointed.
The play follows the story from two main angles: Suzanne the music fan (played and sung beautifully by Jackie Clune as the 50-something version and Hope Kenna as the 1985 Suzanne); and from Bob Geldof‘s point-of-view. Bob (memorably played by Craige Els) shambles in-and-out of the action, cussing and commenting in John O’Farrell’s excellent script. And the music is dynamite – from a powerfully soulful My Generation to an unforgettable rendition of Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall led powerfully by Abiona Omonua.
Gimme Yer Fu@*in’ Money…
O’Farrell’s script is great fun – lean but smart. And misses no opportunity for comedy. Geldof’s repeated annoyance at the misquoting of his “Gimme yer fuggin’ money” line grows funnier with every repetition. From a personal point of view, I was delighted to hear Bad by U2 – a band that I absolutely lived and died for in 1985 at the age of 16. And it was odd to think that my daughter who accompanied me to the play is now 16 – as was I when Live Aid was staged. One man’s nostalgia is another young woman’s history…
Any chance of a West End transfer? I do hope so.
(* As with all my reviews on this website, I pay for my own ticket to ensure a truly impartial review.)
Meanwhile on Netflix a 90-minute documentary takes a look at the American contribution to the cause. The Greatest Night In Pop looks at the making of We Are The World. And a fascinating look is certainly is.
Leave Your Egos At the Door
It’s a famous story to anyone who grew up in the 80s: the great Harry Belafonte led the American music community’s response to famine in Africa, and 46 superstars participated to release a single to raise money. But there are a great many surprises in the story revealed here.
Lionel Ritchie steals the show. I don’t know why I hadn’t hitherto imagined Ritchie to be a legendary raconteur, but here he is. His slightly perplexed, everyman tone as he discusses the vagaries of working with Michael Jackson and a Stevie Wonder who simply won’t return his calls makes for great comedy. And Lionel hits every funny note. Let’s not forget the man’s modesty: on the same night that the historic record is made, Ritchie spends the evening presenting AND sweeping the board for trophies at the American Music Awards. I mean, talk about All Night Long!
Long Gone Waylon
There are many fascinating moments. Waylon Jennings walking out (on camera) when Stevie Wonder suggests rewriting the lyrics in Swahili. Bob Geldof’s speech to the musical troops provides powerful counterpoint to the showbizzy Los Angeles backdrop. The handwritten sign that reads “Leave Your Egos At The Door” was certainly worth a try! The will-he-won’t-he shenanigans of Prince make a fine soap opera – and it’s pretty cool that they’ve left Shiela E‘s account in the final cut. She is treated in a pretty shabby manner, being used as bait to lure Prince, to no avail.
But my favourite moment of all was Bob Dylan’s smile when Stevie Wonder helps him find his groove. Bob had been struggling to get the pop tone right for his solo line. Stevie Wonder, famously an excellent mimic, gives Bob an outline of what to do by… doing a flawless Bob Dylan impersonation right in front of Bob. Bob’s joy just lights up the room.
Netfix has been putting out fantastic music docos almost on the down low for years (see the excellent ReMastered series, music storytelling at its very best) and this is up there with the best of them. Now… any chance that Lionel Ritchie could get his own chat show?
Watch the trailer here…
A map to a few London locations associated with Band Aid…
We discuss the Band Aid single on The Christmas Music Tour.
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