Philly Icons Celebrate 40 Years of Live Aid

"It's 12 noon in London. 7 am in Philadelphia and around the world, it's time for Live Aid!" That is how one of the most legendary concerts in human history kicked off on July 13th, 1985. The brain child of Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats, Live Aid was an all-day benefit concert to raise funds to fight famine in Ethiopia. It hosted performances from Wembley Stadium in London, along with JFK Stadium here in Philly. These shows connected the world via satellite to be broadcast globally. According to Philly Mag, Live Aid was estimated to have been viewed by an audience of 1.9 billion people (yes, BILLION!).

In order to accomplish this feat, it certainly would take a village. One such person is Electric Factory Concerts co-founder Larry Magid. He, along with legendary West Coast concert promoter Bill Graham, served as Executive Producers for Live Aid. Another gentleman volunteered his time helping to set up the show, which scored him an all-access pass that not even the international press could obtain. This allowed him to get incredible access to all aspects of the show from the moment it started until the final note rang out. That man is WMMR's own legendary Pierre Robert. Both Larry and Pierre came together recently to share memories in honor of the 40th anniversary of Live Aid.

At a recent luncheon of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, Pierre Robert and Larry Magid were the featured guests to reminisce about the iconic show. As Pierre puts it, "the eyes of the world were on Philly...and rock and roll flexed its muscles" with its ability to do a remarkable amount of good. Larry would agree stating, "It was when rock and roll music became the norm and...teenagers had a voice that was heard around the world".

The pair also dives into some of the remarkable new technologies implemented, like the revolving stage. As Larry recalls, it took 17 people to turn the thing, and it wound up collapsing moments after the show concluded! They also reminisce about the remarkable performances, like Teddy Pendergrass returning to the stage for the first time after his accident. Pierre recalls the only thing to calm the crowd after the Led Zeppelin reunion was the reunion of his favorite band, CSNY.

These stories and a plethora of others can be seen and heard below. A special thank you to the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia for hosting and recording the event. We also thank everyone who has tuned into our week-long Live Aid special during the Work Force Blocks. Sharing your stories in conjunction with Pierre and Larry's showcases how remarkable this show was and how powerful music truly is!