Who played at Live Aid in 1985? The complete story and setlist of the iconic event

13 July 2025, 20:14

On Saturday, 13th July 1985, rock and pop music’s top table came together to raise money and awareness for the famine crisis then taking place in Ethiopia. Radio X looks back at the hugely influential set of gigs.

1. Why did Live Aid happen?

   It all began at the end of 1984, when the Boomtown Rats frontman responded to a BBC news report about the famine in Ethiopia by making a star-studded charity record, Do They Know It's Christmas?

   

2. When did Live Aid take place?

   It was only a matter of time before the idea of a one-off fund-raising show was floated and it quickly became a reality. The gig took place at London's Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia's JFK Stadium on Saturday 13th July 1985.

   

3. How much were tickets for Live Aid?

   Tickets for the Wembley show were priced at a very reasonable £5 - with a £20 chaity donation added on, of course. The crowds arrived at midday to watch Status Quo kick off proceedings. Hey, they were still quite big in '85.

   

4. Who were the royals at Live Aid?

   Of course, the "square" senior royals couldn't be seen at such a hugely important event, so Charles and Di stepped up. Diana's favourite Elton John was on hand to perform, thank goodness.

   

5. How did Phil Collins appear at both the UK and USA Live Aid?

   Collins broke a world record by jumping on Concorde and flying to the American leg of the show on the same day. Why not donate the ticket fare instead, Phil?

   

6. What did U2 play at Live Aid?

   Hard to imagine now, but Live Aid really put U2 on the world map. The band were due to play three songs kicking off with Sunday Bloody Sunday, but during Bad, the magnificently be-mulleted Bono went into the audience to dance with a female member of the crowd and they ran out of time. Oh, Bono.

   

7. What's the true story of Queen at Live Aid?

   

   Contrary to what the Bohemian Rhapsody film claims, Queen were not “rusty” and had just come off an enormous world tour in support of their album The Works. Playing Wembley was a walk in the park for Freddie Mercury, but the band surprised everyone by reminding them what a great live act Queen were and how many huge hits they had. Classic.

8. Who followed Queen at Live Aid?

   

   It would have been daunting for anyone to walk onto the Wembley stage after Freddie Mercury and co had just delivered the performance of a lifetime, but there was one artist who was more than up for the challenge: David Bowie.

   Our hero, then in his "Serious Moonlight" bleached-blonde pomp, kicked off his set with the less-familiar TVC15, but followed it up with a handful of classics: Rebel Rebel, Modern Love and the all-time anthem, "Heroes". He dropped a proposed version of Five Years to make way for an emotional video of news footage of the famine in Ethiopia set to The Cars' Drive.

9. What did The Who play at Live Aid?

   

   An appearance by the surviving members of The 'Oo was a big deal at the time as they hadn't played in three years. However, technical difficulties marred their set and the TV feed cut out just as Roger Daltrey sang "Why don't you all fade away..."

   After their rabble-rousing teenage anthem My Generation, the band played Pinball Wizard, the Quadrophenia classic Love Reign O'er Me and Won't Get Fooled Again.

10. What was Paul McCartney's technical problem at Live Aid?

    

    Fab Macca also had a technical hitch - his microphone didn't work properly for the first verse of his version of the Beatles classic Let It Be. In fact, there were strong rumours the surving Beatles would get back together, but George Harrison sourly noted: "Paul didn't want me to sing on Let It Be ten years ago, why should he want me to sing on it now?"

11. What was played at the Live Aid finale?

    

    Despite the egos, the technical challenges and dropping the F-bomb on live TV, Bob Geldof pulled it off and the Wembley leg ended with a rousing chorus of Do They Know Its Christmas? In July.

12. Black Sabbath played the US leg of Live Aid

    

    Meanwhile, over in Philadelphia... Sabbath crawled onstage at the unholy hour of 10am for a set of classics, clad in pure Spinal Tap threads.

13. Did Madonna play Live Aid?

    

    Ms Ciccone's star was in the ascendent when Live Aid happened and she rolled out the hits Holiday and Into The Groove to prove it. Less successful at the time were off-the-boil Brit act The Thompson Twins, who Madge later joined for a cover of The Beatles' Revolution. Nile Rodgers also showed up, which was nice.

14. Led Zeppelin reformed for Live Aid

    Perhaps the most notorious Live Aid set was for the reformed Led Zep, who enlisted a nervous Phil Collins to replace their late drummer John Bonham. Robert Plant was hoarse, Jimmy Page was out of tune and the band were under-rehearsed. They've never allowed the footage to be officially released. Ooops.

    

15. Did Mick Jagger perform with David Bowie at Live Aid?

    Sadly, Mick didn't team up with David Bowie for a chorus of Dancing In The Street, as he was on another continent entirely, but he did drag Tina on for an embarrassing version of the Stones standard It's Only Rock And Roll.

    

16. Did The Rolling Stones play Live Aid?

    The Stones were out of action, so while Mick teamed up with Tina, Keef 'n' Ronnie backed the legendary Bob Dylan. Old Zimmerman made some comments criticising the event, inviting the Wrath Of Geldof, but the show ended nicely with a chorus of We Are The World.

    

17. Was Live Aid a success?

    

    Despite bruised egos, controversy and several notable no-shows (Prince and Michael Jackson to name but two), the event was a huge success and set the template for subsequent fund-raisers. Geldof's own website estimates that the shows raised £150 million for famine relief.

18. 

    Live Aid Setlist Wembley Stadium 13th July 1985

    Status Quo

    • Rockin' All Over The World
    • Caroline

    Don't Waste My Time

    • The Style Council
    • You're The Best Thing
    • Big Boss Groove
    • Internationalists
    • Walls Come Tumbling Down

    The Boomtown Rats

    • I Don't Like Mondays
    • Drag Me Down
    • Rat Trap

    Adam Ant

    • Vive Le Rock

    Ultravox

    • Reap The Wild Wind
    • Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
    • One Small Day
    • Vienna

    Spandau Ballet

    • Only When You Leave
    • Virgin
    • True

    Elvis Costello

    • All You Need Is Love

    Nik Kershaw

    • Wide Boy
    • Don Quixote
    • The Riddle
    • Wouldn't It be Good

    Sade

    • Why Can't We Live Together
    • Your Love Is King
    • Is It A Crime?

    Sting & Phil Collins & Brandford Marsalis

    • Roxanne
    • Driven To Tears
    • Against All Odds
    • Message In A Bottle
    • In The Air Tonight
    • Long Long Way To Go
    • Every Breath You Take

    Howard Jones

    • Hide And Seek

    Bryan Ferry

    • Sensation
    • Boys And Girls
    • Slave To Love
    • Jealous Guy

    Paul Young

    • Do They Know It's Christmas (acapella)
    • Come Back And Stay
    • That's The Way Love Is (with Alison Moyet)
    • Everytime You Go Away

    U2

    • Sunday Bloody Sunday
    • Bad

    Dire Straits

    • Money For Nothing (with Sting)
    • Sultans Of Swing

    Queen

    • Bohemian Rhapsody
    • Radio Ga Ga
    • Hammer To Fall
    • Crazy Little Thing Called Love
    • We Will Rock You
    • We Are The Champions

    David Bowie

    • TVC 15
    • Rebel Rebel
    • Modern Love
    • "Heroes"

    The Who

    • My Generation
    • Pinball Wizard
    • Love Reign O'er Me
    • Won't Get Fooled Again

    Elton John

    • I'm Still Standing
    • Bennie & The Jets
    • Rocket Man
    • Don't Go Breaking My Heart (with Kiki Dee)
    • Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (with Wham!)
    • Can I Get A Witness

    Freddie Mercury & Brian May

    • Is This The World We Created...?

    Paul McCartney

    • Let It Be

    Band Aid

    • Do They Know It's Christmas?

19. 

    Live Aid Setlist JFK Stadium Philadelphia 13th July 1985

    Bernard Watson

    • All I Really Want To Do
    • Interview

    Joan Baez

    • Amazing Grace
    • We Are The World

    The Hooters

    • And We Danced
    • All You Zombies

    Four Tops

    • Shake me Wake Me
    • Bernadette
    • It's The Same Old Song
    • Reach Out I'll Be There
    • I Can't Help Myself

    Billy Ocean

    • Caribbean Queen
    • Loverboy

    Black Sabbath

    • Children Of The Grave
    • Iron Man
    • Paranoid

    Run DMC

    • Jam Master Jay
    • Kings Of Rock

    Rick Springfield

    • Love Somebody
    • State Of The Heart
    • Human Touch

    REO Speedwagon

    • Can't Fight This Feeling
    • Roll With The Changes

    Crosby Stills And Nash

    • Southern Cross
    • Teach Your Children
    • Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

    Judas Priest

    • Living After Midnight
    • The Green Manalishi
    • You've Got Another Thing Comin'

    Bryan Adams

    • Kids Wanna Rock
    • Summer Of 69
    • Tears Are Not Enough
    • Cuts Like A Knife

    The Beach Boys

    • California Girls
    • Help Me Rhonda
    • Wouldn't It Be Nice
    • Good Vibrations
    • Surfin USA

    George Thorogood & The Destroyers

    • Who Do You Love? (with Bo Diddley)
    • The Sky Is Crying
    • Madison Blues (with Albert Collins)

    Simple Minds

    • Ghost Dancing
    • Don't You (Forget About Me)
    • Promised You A Miracle

    Pretenders

    • Time The Avenger
    • Message Of Love
    • Stop Your Sobbing
    • Back On The Chain Gang
    • Middle Of The Road

    Santana with Pat Metheny

    • Brotherhood
    • Primera Invasion
    • Open Invitation
    • By The Pool
    • Right Now

    Ashford & Simpson

    • Solid
    • Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand (with Teddy Prendergrass)

    Madonna

    • Holiday
    • Into The Groove
    • Love Makes The World Go Round (with Thompson Twins & Nile Rodgers)

    Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

    • American Girl
    • The Waiting
    • Rebels
    • Refugee

    Kenny Loggins

    • Footloose

    The Cars

    • You Might Think
    • Drive
    • Just What I Needed
    • Heartbeat City

    Neil Young

    • Sugar Mountain
    • The Needle & The Damage Done
    • Helpless
    • Nothing Is Perfect
    • Powderfinger

    The Power Station

    • Murderess
    • Get It On

    Thompson Twins

    • Hold Me Now
    • Revolution (with Madonna and Nile Rodgers)

    Eric Clapton with Phil Collins

    • White Room
    • She's Waiting
    • Layla

    Phil Collins

    • Against All Odds
    • In The Air Tonight

    Led Zeppelin

    • Rock And Roll
    • Whole Lotta Love
    • Stairway To Heaven

    Crosby Stills Nash & Young

    • Only Love Can Break Your Heart
    • Daylight Again

    Duran Duran

    • A View To A Kill
    • Union Of The Snake
    • Save A Prayer
    • The Reflex

    Patti LaBelle

    • New Attitude
    • Imagine
    • Forever Young
    • Stir It Up
    • Over The Rainbow
    • Why Can't I Get It Over

    Hall & Oates

    • Out Of Touch
    • Maneater
    • Get Ready
    • Ain't Too Proud To Beg
    • The Way You Do The Things You Do
    • My Girl

    Mick Jagger

    • Lonely At The Top
    • Just Another Night
    • Miss You
    • State Of Shock (with Tina Turner)
    • It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (with Tina Turner)

    Bob Dylan & Keith Richards & Ronnie Wood

    • Ballad Of Hollis Brown
    • When The Ship Comes In
    • Blowin' In The Wind

    USA For Africa

    • We Are The World