International Rock Day is celebrated this Monday (13). The date celebrates not just a musical rhythm, but a lifestyle. And July 13 was chosen because of a milestone in the 1980s, when a giant musical event brought together millions – some estimate billions – of people to accompany a festival with benefit concerts.
On July 13, 1985, Live Aid brought together heavyweights from the rock world, such as Queen, David Bowie, The Who, U2, Led Zeppelin, Mick Jagger, Black Sabbath, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Phil Collins , between others.
Conceived by Irish singer-songwriter Bob Geldof, the event aimed to raise funds to fight hunger in Ethiopia. For this, two concerts were held simultaneously, one at Wembley Stadium, in London, and another at John F. Kennedy Stadium, in Philadelphia (USA). During the performances, the public was encouraged to call a phone number and make donations.
It was at Live Aid that Queen made the historic performance, adapted into the biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), for which Rami Malek won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Freddie Mercury, the band’s lead singer. The presentation in 1985 went down in the history of rock and music as a whole.
According to estimates, the event brought together around 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium and 90,000 at JFK Stadium, in addition to another 1 billion in 100 countries who followed the shows live on TV and radio. Figures vary, but Live Aid is believed to have raised approximately $100 million.
Source: CNN Brasil
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