This weekend has seen the 40th anniversary of Live Aid. Eleven (but v soon to be twelve) year old me loved pop music but it was not until last night that I finally watched the concert which was being replayed on tv. I had the Live Aid calendar for 1986, so knew very well many images from the concert and could name the artists, outfits etc.. I’ve also seen Bohemian Rhapsody and the live Aid set is a key part of the film yet it wasn’t until yesterday that I got to relive the day.

On July 13th 1985 I was on a school camping trip to Jersey for a week. Firstly, kudos to those teachers who gave up their time to take the trip. It was an eventful trip with a significant number of the group going down with food poisoning after a fish and chip takeaway, fortunately not me, cows poking their heads into tents and then a scary storm with impressive thunder and lightning whilst we were under canvas in a field with no emergency shelters. I’m presuming risk assessments weren’t so big in the 80s. Despite these mishaps it was a brilliant trip and I have such happy memories 40 years later.

One of the stand out memories was Live Aid. I was gutted to be missing the concert and had reluctantly accepted that it was not to be. However on the Saturday we were on the beach and the lifeguards rigged up their radios to broadcast the concert. I still get the tingles from the opening words ‘It’s twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it’s time for Live Aid’ and the opening notes of Rocking All Over the World. We didn’t get to listen to the whole concert but the atmosphere and sense of occasion were special.

There was a simplicity to the concert, bands playing on a stage with no gimmicks. I was surprised how well it had aged, I just kept on being blown away by the who’s who of the 80s music world, the exceptional Queen performance, a very young and innocent Madonna, Bono and Paul Young with the same spiky long hairstyles, such a 80s look, the Beach boys in suits (?!) Chrissie Hynde looking timeless. It was a fantastic watch.

I know since the occasion there have been arguments about the legacy and the way money was used. However it was ground breaking and should be celebrated and it was a real treat to finally watch the concert.