MORE AID: “We Are the World” was...
MORE AID: “We Are the World” was part of a triumvirate of landmark, high-profile pop charity events a decade ago. It followed a like-minded English session, “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” recorded by Band Aid, an all-star session spearheaded by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, and was in turn followed in the summer of ’85 by the twin Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia.
So what about plans for the 10-year anniversaries of Band Aid and Live Aid?
At this point, it seems that there are none. A London spokeswoman for Geldof says that the musician considers Band Aid and Live Aid part of the past and is frustrated that it has overshadowed all else in his career. London-based concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who organized the Live Aid concert there, was unavailable, but apparently is not planning any anniversary events.
Stateside, promoters and artist representatives say that there’s been no talk of a Live Aid anniversary event, with several stating that it would be impossible to undertake such a project without Bill Graham, the concert promoter who marshaled the U.S. Live Aid event. Graham died in a helicopter crash three years ago.
Greg Perloff, now president of Bill Graham Presents, says that the music industry’s charitable side is still strong, but that circumstances are not such that a massive event like Live Aid could happen at this time.
“We’ve done more benefit shows this year than I can ever remember,” Perloff says. “But to bring everyone together like that you need something going on at such an emergency level that people get involved.”
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