In 1984, horrifying images of famine in Ethiopia inspired Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to turn music into action. What began with Band Aid and the record-breaking “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” soon grew into Live Aid, the unprecedented 1985 concerts at Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia that brought together many of the world’s biggest stars, from Queen and David Bowie to U2, Elton John and Paul McCartney, while hundreds of millions watched around the globe. But the story did not end with one extraordinary day. The movement evolved into a wider campaign against poverty, debt and inequality in Africa, eventually leading to Live 8 and direct pressure on world leaders. Presented here with all three episodes combined into a single video, the series revisits the music, personalities, political battles and enduring legacy of the moment when rock ’n’ roll tried to change the world.
But the story did not end with one extraordinary day. The movement evolved into a wider campaign against poverty, debt and inequality in Africa, eventually leading to Live 8 and direct pressure on world leaders. Presented here with all three episodes combined into a single video, the series revisits the music, personalities, political battles and enduring legacy of the moment when rock ’n’ roll tried to change the world.