Bob Geldof on how David Bowie made the phone lines melt at Live Aid: “That’s the moment”
Plenty of infamous shows have been performed over the years, from Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock in 1969 to Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, but as astounding as these performances were, there will never be a repeat of something on the same scale as Live Aid.
The 1985 benefit concert was a one-of-a-kind event, bringing some of the most celebrated acts in the world to perform together in an effort to raise awareness and money to support the famine in Ethiopia. While it was a resounding success because of the collective efforts of all of the acts involved, it’s clear that it wouldn’t have been possible without the passion of both Bob Geldof and Midge Ure.
It may have come to fruition through a labour of love, but those who were privy to witnessing it at the time, whether in the flesh or on television, were treated to a truly unforgettable moment in music history. While the main event was taking place at Wembley Stadium in London, it sparked a series of other concerts in other countries being held in conjunction, and was, at the time, one of the largest broadcast events ever, having been watched by approximately 40% of the world’s population.
However, given that those involved were asking for donations during the live broadcast of the event, it meant that the phone lines were in constant use due to the outpour of support, and during an interview with Tom Power for CBC Radio in 2025, Geldof reflected on the event, and claimed that the performance of one artist in particular sent the communications into meltdown.
“The Queen movie has it that Queen do their piece and the world goes crazy and the phone lines collapse,” he said, referring to the event’s depiction in Bohemian Rhapsody, before adding: “That’s not true.” He then went on to explain how, prior to the event, he met with the show’s promoter and producer, Harvey Goldsmith, and David Bowie, to discuss the songs he was going to perform at the event.
During the meeting, Geldof sat Bowie down to watch a clip that had been produced by CBC Television of the famine in Ethiopia, after which Bowie reportedly broke down in tears. He would then request that they show this clip during his performance, and that he’d be happy to cut one song from his set in order to do so. However, Goldsmith was reluctant to agree, citing the fact that the BBC would pull the broadcast from air if they chose to show it, to which Bowie responded: “I don’t care, I’m not playing if I can’t do it.”
Cutting to the day of the event, Bowie’s performance was going down a storm with the Wembley crowds, and during the climax of ‘Heroes’, he interrupted to address the audience. “I’d like to introduce a video made by CBC Television,” Bowie said. “The subject speaks for itself. Thank you and good night. Please send your money.”
Geldof recalled the effect of the clip being shown at the stadium and at home in vivid detail. “Here’s the youth of the world,” he said, “At the height of their beauty and the peak of their health. Beautiful girls on beautiful boys’ shoulders, and they’re smiling and just so in love with that moment and Bowie, and they just look up at the screens. It’s fascinating. You watch their faces crumple. That’s the moment where the phone lines melt. I mean, literally, in some places, phone lines collapsed.”
In terms of the sheer power of the moment, it’s perhaps something that ought to be immediately thought of when Live Aid is mentioned, and in terms of the history of charity fundraisers and live events, nothing else could have so perfectly highlighted just how important and special the concert was.
