The concert Sting said was “more important than Woodstock”
Woodstock stands as a cultural milestone, emblematic of the vibrant spirit of the 1960s counterculture movement and, conversely, its shadow side. Held on a dairy farm in New York, the festival sparked a seismic shift in the musical landscape, leaving an indelible mark on history. Despite not participating in Woodstock, Sting holds a contrary view to the prevailing notion that it represented the zenith of live events.
While Woodstock has been romanticised in hindsight, the reality was far from idyllic. The seeds of disaster were sown a month prior to the event when organisers were compelled to relocate due to permit issues. They secured a farm venue capable of accommodating 50,000 attendees, a mere fraction of the actual crowd that descended upon the site, exacerbating logistical challenges.
Tragically, two festival-goers lost their lives during Woodstock, including one person who was killed by a tractor during their sleep. Despite the glamorising of the festival through nostalgia-tinted glasses, it’s essential not to forget the fatalities while celebrating the career-defining performances of Jimi Hendrix and The Who.
16 years later, the biggest stars in music came together once again, but this time for the charitable cause of Live Aid. Two concerts took place on July 13th, one at Wembley Stadium, which saw Queen steal the show, and another simultaneously happened in Philadelphia, featuring a Led Zeppelin reunion.
Sting took to the stage at the Wembley Stadium leg of Live Aid, performing with Phil Collins and saxophonist Branford Marsalis. His performance of hits, including ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Every Breath You Take’ was viewed worldwide by over a billion people, shining a light on the horrific famine in Ethiopia.
The two events raised an extraordinary amount of money for charitable causes. However, it later emerged that a significant portion of funds had stumbled into corrupt hands who didn’t allocate it to fighting famine.
Nevertheless, during an interview with Playboy’s David Sheff, Sting defended Live Aid, which he believed to be the most important event in musical history. He proudly remarked: “It sounds like a cliché, but it really was a wonderful day for rock ‘n’ roll. Even if no money got through, I think the symbol of goodwill and cooperation and togetherness was so important it was useful in itself. Beyond that, however, we also raised so much money that I’m confident it will get through, which makes it that much more important. Everyone said it was our generation’s Woodstock, and it was, but I think it was more important than Woodstock.”
For Sting, Live Aid is a success story that shows what can be achieved when everybody puts their differences aside and unites for a cause bigger than themselves. The singer explained: “We saw how the media can be used for good. We learned how much we can accomplish if we bypass the political process. In fact, we learned to hold the political process in some contempt since governments have not been able to confront the issue of starvation.”
“Yet here were people who got together, galvanised by [organiser] Bob Geldof, and did something. We’ve always heard that rock ‘n’ roll could change the world. That’s starting to mean something,” he added.
While Woodstock and Live Aid are incomparable in most senses, they are undeniably two of the most significant live events ever. However, the main discernible difference is the viewership; the whole eyes of the Western world watched at Live Aid, whereas Woodstock was untelevised and only impacted those who made the voyage to Bethel.
Watch Sting perform at Live Aid below.
