Thrilling: “Everyone goes nuts”: Bob Geldof recalled the most magical Live Aid moment

The 1985 Live Aid benefit concert, organised by Bob Geldof, was one of the most significant musical events in history.Aside from its charitable purpose, it was also deemed the “global jukebox,” bringing together names you could only imagine fitting on a bill, like Queen, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and more.

Held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London and John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Live Aid provided one of those seemingly impossible experiences where everybody felt they were there, witnessing this monumental moment in history, even if they weren’t in the crowd. Most remember the iconic Queen performance, mythologised by movies like Bohemian Rhapsody, but many moments will forever be associated with the standard of musical excellence.

Bowie, for instance, excelled at keeping the energy high despite the challenge of following Queen, leading with a four-song set that included unmissable renditions of ‘Rebel Rebel’ and ‘Heroes’. It also marked his first performance in 18 months, signalling an extraordinary return among a handful of his musical contemporaries.

Elton John, who also had a tough time following Queen, delivered a masterful performance with help from George Michael, while Led Zeppelin proved they could still light up the stage, performing for the first time since John Bonham’s passing. And then there was Dylan, who joined Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood on stage, delivering a riveting rendition of ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ after being introduced as “one of America’s great voices of freedom.”

Amid the countless memorable instances, however, there’s only one that Geldof felt led the charge, and it wasn’t any of those listed at all—not even Queen. In fact, Geldof regarded Paul McCartney’s performance as the most magical moment during the whole show, who returned to the stage for the first time since John Lennon’s passing with one song, ‘Let It Be’.

However, an already unnerving situation became slightly less smooth when his microphone stopped working, and McCartney’s voice was nowhere to be heard. After a moment’s confusion, the crowd suddenly started singing along, and the former Beatle was joined on stage with a little help from his friends—Geldof, along with Pete Townsend, Alison Moyet and David Bowie.

According to Geldof, the emotionality of the concert came full circle, and everybody reached out in support of McCartney, singing together for one perfectly powerful rendition of the Beatles classic. “Paul hadn’t played since John died, he was scared stiff,” Geldof later recalled to Virgin Radio, “[When his microphone breaks] he doesn’t quite realise it at first, and then I’m at the side of the stage with Bowie and Pete Townshend and Alison Moyet, and suddenly the crowd starts singing.”

He continued: “The crowd sing it for Paul. Pete says, ‘We’ve got to go out and help him.’ So, we go out on stage and we just start singing it, and then the mics come back on. When it happens at the end of the show, everyone just goes nuts.”

For some, it may seem as though such a technical mishap wasn’t as insidious, considering the camaraderie that ensued to keep the show going with a palpable dose of collective energy. For many, songs like ‘Let It Be’ were made to be chanted in groups, so the unexpected difficulty actually ended up concluding the show perfectly, waving the flag for all those in need of a unifying moment, even in the face of imperfection.