POO: Worst moment in Live Aid

Okay, here ya go:

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such perfect teeth

And something else. With appropriate caption:

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...Remember on the day you die, there is someone alive in Africa 'cos one day you watched a pop concert."

wow!...OH MY WORD.

I just watched the DVD for the first time since the original Live Aid.

Moments of terror:

1. Daltrey can't remember the words in one verse of "Won't Get Fooled Again," skips verse entirely, Townshend glares at him.

2. Bono's hair. xpost. Especially the way it clung to his neck all sweaty-like. Also Bono's boots and shiny black leather pants.

3. The entire first several hours of poorly dressed and totally forgettable British hair-wave bands.

4. Madonna's set. Sang poorly. Seemed embarrassed.

5. Tom Petty miming "What? What?" during an otherwise OK version of American Girl.

6. Confused crowd response to Run-DMC.

7. Shocking lack of emphasis of David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks as backup singers for Mick/Tina (with Hall & Oates no less!).

8. Frighteningly horrible teeth: David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, Tom Petty, Neil Young.

9. Who picked all the waistcoats? Did nobody realize it was going to be hot in July? Midge Ure looks like he's about to step into The Matrix.

10. Mike Love's outfit -- yellow Hawaiian shirt, purple pants and flat black old-man's cap. Otherwise, the Beach Boys were actually good.

11. DVD reissue skips about 85 songs, including all of Led Zeppelin.

12. Mark Knopfler's headband.

More Ferry to offset the worsts.

http://img9.imagepile.net/img9/384liveaid4.jpg

Did anyone else do themselves proud? Honestly, all I can remember are the traumatic bits.

i remember zeppelin being good, didn't they do wearing and tearing?

Bowie was excellent! His version of "Heroes" has not been surpassed.

The Pretenders, Paul Young, and Hall & Oates were very solid (Daryl Hall, looking coked to the gills, also doubled as Mick Jagger's keyboardist).

IIRC Bowie's backup group included Thomas Dolby and Matthew (Soft Boys) Seligman. Definitely the latter, I may be imagining the former.

Did Paul Young have Pino Palladino in tow?

"On keyboard and synthesizers, Mr. Thomas DOLBY!" Bowie shouted.

keyboard AND synthesizers

This WAS the eighties.

Yeah Bowie was awesome, Queen were fantastic too and theyre about the only two acts I recall being any good at all.

Beach Boys?!? I don't remember that at all - was Brian there?

Ferry also had Gilmour playing guitar for him:

http://liveaid.free.fr/rewind/bbc/images/033bryanferry/05.jpg

Yes, Brian was there and in decent voice. Good Vibrations was a highlight of the DVD -- the Boyz didn't interact much but they pulled it off, harmonies and everything. Whenever Love threatened to go off on a preening tangent, Carl (in kempt beard and gray suit) reined him in.

Bowie and Queen were especially great. But why did Freddie cut off "Bohemian Rhapsody" after the first piano bit? What a tease.

Pete Townshend had the only haircut of the entire festival that still holds up today. I hope Bono preserved his for the R&R Hall of Fame.

All I remember is Simon Le Bon way flubbing a high note in that James Bond song, and the control-room guy quickly cutting to a shot of the bass player wincing. I rewound that part a few times.

One other thing, is this the only documented evidence of Aimee Mann and Madonna hugging in public (twice)? That seems footnotish.

Hahah I rember Le Bon fucking that high note in "View to a Kill". He does that a LOT live.

I adore Simon's attempt to play an acoustic guitar during "Save a Prayer."

You all forgot Elvis Costello doing the worst busker in the world impersonation with a cover of 'All you need is love'

That was pretty good, actually: he couldn't hide his contempt.

It all seems so weird watching it now, it seemed genuine and heartfelt to me as a 15 year old but god, now, it reeks of 80s overblown excess and pomposity.

Ultravox also do a pretty good rendition of "Vienna," with Midge wearing a pretty rad stiff-collared striped oxford and taking a great synth solo.

Ultravox @ Live Aid were fairly amazing overall. Their performance there was what got me into all the New Romantic stuff in the first place. Plus *embarrasing admission* it made me run out to the Generra store at the local mall and plop down nearly $200 on a black trench (busboy at a North Jersey m4fi4 hang back then meant no-joke tips.)

Oh, yeah: Worst Moment: The embarrasing Zep reunion. Made me stop listening to them for years after that debacle.

Best: Judas Priest/Queen/Kenny Loggins & Sheena Easton presenting Prince's awesome "4 The Tears In U're(sic) Eyes" video in full 80's mullet glory.

Just 'cos Bono looked like a complete tit still doesn't negate the fact that U2's "Bad" happened to be awesome.

Okay, that wasn't a worst moment, but still, all this hatin'...

1. Daltrey can't remember the words in one verse of "Won't Get Fooled Again," skips verse entirely, Townshend glares at him.

i'd put that (and the who's entire set) as one of the best live aid moments. they were called on to be TRIUMPHANT SELF-SERIOUS ARENA-ROCK GODS and instead came on as the who, flaws and glorious awkwardness intact (townshend attempting a kick and falling over; daltrey fucking up the time in "my generation" the long delay because entwistle's bass wasn't tuned).

and all this talk of queen's set being some kind of signpost of untouchableness has me confused, and a little worried. is it just me, or did they just do the same half-assed empty-gesture-filled schtick they always did? it's like what someone said about freddie hubbard: it's the rolls-royce aesthetic, but without the rolls-royce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdcDswc97Bo

queen a few days before rehearsing, talking (and smoking) on uk breakfast television.

I went out and rented this today, it's something I've been meaning to do for quite awhile. I do remember watching it on TV as it happened (I was 14) but for some reason I really don't remember any of the performances except for U2, who I was absolutely insane about back then.

So far I just gotta say I feel like apologizing for all those mullets. I don't think back then it would have even occurred to me how many folks had the same hairstyle. And I don't remember a point when people suddenly decided that was the "in" hairstyle, either. Maybe hairdressers saw it that way, but other than that...I just don't get it.

It pisses me off that Sade has a whopping one song on this freaking thing. Christ almighty god that woman is gorgeous.

Also I agree, Ultravox seemed to do an uncommonly good job.

Okay, Paul Young is getting on my nerves, now. Why were so many people into him??

DAEREST ILM:

laugh now but you are all going to hell

love peace & debt relief,

BONO

He can say that, he's already in it:

http://idolator.com/assets/resources/2007/06/AP070606016627.jpg

Yeah I'm watching U2 now, and I gotta say I don't think Bono's hair was nearly as bad as I remembered. I may be confusing this performance with another one, though.

Can't believe how young Adam looks.

Bono's boots kindof make him look effeminate at times, though. Odd.

Paul Young's perf of "Come Back and Stay" was pretty good, and Alison Moyet does her peeved-big-voice thing on that Marvin Gaye song.

Yeah, it was alright, but the third song he did was atrocious. I don't even want to talk about it.

I love seeing how many of these acts were also there in 1992 for the Freddie Mercury tribute.

had Bowie worn that lime-green suit at Live Aid he'd have been a sensation.

What I enjoyed from watching DVD #1 was how it kindof sorted out who was currently reaching their peak artistically in 1985, and who was well past their sell-by date and on the way out. Who the hell cared about Spandau Ballet by then? I mean really! Sade had just put out her first album, I didn't realize before just how late that album came out. She was a new kid on the block then! Unbelievable. But U2 were the only band that really mattered, evidenced by my deep love for them then and all the flags flown in their honour down the front. Bono's a pretentious twat, I know, but I thought his effort to connect with his audience during Bad were downright extraordinary. Shame on the others who wouldn't have dared.

Although I must admit I found Howard Jones' performance surprisingly well done and enjoyable.

Bryan Ferry was great, too. At least he didn't succumb to the cult of Mullets!

Bimble, in your honor I'm watching my Live Aid DVD before some friends come over for movies and wine. I'm watching Paul Young's "Everytime You Go," the performance of which causes an audible thrill in the audience (the song hit #1 in the US the following week). I guess he's one of those stars-in-the-making whose career trajectories were confirmed with this perf.

As for the Spands...normally I detest them, but that's a very solid version of "Only When You Leave" they performed.

OHMY GOD! I JUST GOT TO SIMPLE MINDS! EVEN WITH THE BAD CHOICE OF CLOTHING YOU KNOW THEY WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL

But don't you understand that I was just a poor American, I was forced to sit through the American crap when my heart, my heart wanted so much to see the Brit acts. I think this is why I don't remember much. Even U2 seemed to play when the US folks did. And I swear, I wanted so much to see the Brit acts, but I wasn't awake and it was all live. What a tragedy of time zones. Well at least we got to see the beautiful Lady Di at the beginning.

But seriously it really does make me sad that I didn't see Simple Minds at the time.

Also is Prince up in this bitch?

All I remember is Simon Le Bon way flubbing a high note in that James Bond song, and the control-room guy quickly cutting to a shot of the bass player wincing. I rewound that part a few times.

― Lie Bot, Saturday, June 9, 2007 3:37 AM (thirteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K0jE-Nr5Io

Power Station are terrifying, bad and weird. Michael Des Barres’ coke sweats are enough to for me to seek my lord and savior Jesus Christ

and that Thompson Twins Powerstation “Revolution” cover w Madonna is a living nightmare. His vocals are so off-key and flat! and my king Steve Stevens just sounds like pre Tom Morello tinnitus. Blehhh.