HISTORIC EVENT
Live Aid
Historic Benefit Concert
EVENT OVERVIEW
About Live Aid
Live Aid was a globally linked benefit concert staged on July 13, 1985, centered on Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, with additional performances and broadcasts around the world.
HOW IT DEVELOPED
Event History
Organized to raise money for African famine relief, Live Aid was assembled in roughly ten weeks and broadcast internationally by satellite. Contemporary and later accounts identify more than 75 acts across the event and a television audience exceeding one billion people.
WHY HERE
Location History
The two principal concert sites were Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. The event was deliberately built as a transatlantic broadcast with simultaneous major stadium concerts.
BY THE NUMBERS
Attendance History
| Edition | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| Live Aid - Wembley Stadium | Wembley Stadium, London, England, United Kingdom | 70,000History.com reports a Wembley crowd of about 70,000. |
| Live Aid - JFK Stadium | John F. Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia, PA, United States | 100,000History.com reports a Philadelphia crowd of about 100,000. |
WHO WAS THERE
Past Bands & Performers
1985 - JFK Stadium
- Joan Baez
- The Hooters
- Four Tops
- Billy Ocean
- Black Sabbath
- Run-DMC
- Rick Springfield
- REO Speedwagon
- Crosby, Stills & Nash
- Judas Priest
- Bryan Adams
- The Beach Boys
- Simple Minds
- The Pretenders
- Santana
- Ashford & Simpson
- Teddy Pendergrass
- Thompson Twins
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- The Cars
- Neil Young
- The Power Station
- Eric Clapton
- Phil Collins
- Led Zeppelin
- Duran Duran
- Madonna
- Patti LaBelle
- Hall & Oates
- Mick Jagger
- Tina Turner
- Bob Dylan
1985 - Wembley Stadium
- Status Quo
- The Style Council
- Ultravox
- The Boomtown Rats
- Adam Ant
- Spandau Ballet
- Elvis Costello
- Nik Kershaw
- Sade
- Sting
- Phil Collins
- Howard Jones
- Bryan Ferry
- Paul Young
- U2
- Dire Straits
- Queen
- David Bowie
- The Who
- Elton John
- Paul McCartney
- Band Aid
FACT CHECK
Sources & Verification
Primary source: Billboard 1985 Live Aid advertisement / History.com
Last verified: August 28, 2026
Class Act leaves unsupported facts out rather than estimate or invent them.