Bob Geldof: 'I'm blue in the face listening to f**king Freddie Mercury'
The singer looks back on 40 years since Live Aid in a way only Bob Geldof can.
As we approach the 40th anniversary of Live Aid, nothing could be more appropriate than being able to step out into the sweeping stands of Wembley Stadium, while the iconic "Ay-Oh's" of Freddie Mercury's performance play over a speaker.
Experiencing this mythic moment, even as a Gen Z, I admit brought a lump to my throat, as we let the sounds of that historic day wash over us. Yet, the same cannot be said of Bob Geldof.
"I’m blue in the face listening to f**king Freddie Mercury!"
"Where are the Rats?" he laughed, before going on to squash any lingering nostalgia by adding: "Wembley doesn’t look that different, I expected it to look mega and new but it’s sort of as crappy as before really."
The Boomtown Rats star was all praise, however, when it came to the reason RadioTimes.com and other press were all gathered: to discuss the new Live Aid musical, Just For One Day, now heading to the West End this summer.
"It’s extraordinary, the musical is extraordinary," he said. "I’m not familiar with this sort of thing, I’m more of a Rodgers and Hammerstein guy, and when they approached me I was mortified by the script because, you know, you’re reading a version of the self."
Geldof continued that he had just one condition for the show: "My main thing was that it has to be politically pertinent. It has to be about what it was always supposed to be about, the charity, which everyone 40 years ago had understood. These days it's about Freddie – genius and all that – but what the musical does for us is put it in the contemporary perspective.
"What happened 40 years ago at Wembley was to lay that idea to rest that there is such a thing as society, it proved that human beings do care about each other."
Known as one of the greatest concerts in history, Live Aid took place on Saturday 13th July, 1985 in both London's Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia's John F Kennedy Stadium. The performing acts included Queen, David Bowie, Sir Elton John, Phil Collins and more, all organised by singers Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, as well as the other members of the Band Aid Trust.
While the legacy of the concert has been debated over the years, mainly due to accusations of perpetuating stereotypes surrounding African culture, its contemporary impact is still clear; at the time reaching 1.9 billion people across 150 nations and raising more than £150 million in famine relief.
Joining Geldof at the event, co-founder Midge Ure looked back on the concert and said: "We all turned up that day knowing why we were there. It wasn't about ego, it wasn’t about self, it was about something much, much bigger than we could become."
Geldof and Ure were also of course responsible for the hit 1984 track Do They Know It's Christmas? A charity single which raised £8 million at the time and was resurrected in 1989, 2004 and 2014 with the biggest artists of the day.
Ure said: "We’ve done various versions of the Band Aid song over the years to varying degrees of success, and every time we do that it’s our job as trustees to generate as much for the cause as we can."
In an interview with PA Media, Geldof admitted that another Live Aid concert would be "unlikely", but later added: "I would like if that spirit took over the country again.
"We couldn’t possibly know that 40 years down the track that the issues would still be this vital."
Alongside the musical's West End run, the 40th anniversary of Live Aid will be celebrated with a special programme on BBC Two which will allow viewers to relive over six and a half hours of extended highlights of the London and Philadelphia concerts.
On the announcement of Live Aid at 40, Emma Hindley, BBC commissioning editor, said: "The series takes the audience on an irresistible and entertaining ride through the 40 years since the biggest live concert ever was shown on TV.
"Featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews with an array of stars of rock and pop, Live Aid at 40 revels in the music, unravels the politics and explores the legacy of Live Aid."
Just For One Day will hit London's Shaftesbury Theatre from 15th May, and tickets are available at LOVETheatre.
Check out more of our audio and music coverage or head to the Going Out section to learn more about the Live Aid musical. You can also visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
