Music Unites the World: Live Aid Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Live Aid was organized by two people in the world of music: Midge Ure and Bob Geldof. Midge Ure was involved with several bands including Ultravox. For which band was Bob Geldof the lead singer?

Answer: The Boomtown Rats

Bob Geldof (born 1951) was the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats. Their best known hit may be "I Don't Like Mondays" (1979), but the band had nine Top-20 hits on the UK singles charts. The band was one of many who would perform at Live Aid. Midge Ure (born 1953) was the lead singer for Ultra Vox and other bands during his career.

2. The purpose of Live Aid was to provide financial support to assist with an important cause. For which cause was Live Aid attempting to raise funds?

Answer: Famine relief

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure had been inspired by a October 1984 television report detailing the then-current famine in Ethiopia. Their initial efforts led to the recording of the single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in November 1984 by Band Aid, a created supergroup consisting of many popular performers from the British Isles.

The song would reach Number One on the UK Singles Chart in 1984. Culture Club lead singer Boy George would encourage Geldof and Ure to organize a charity concert.

3. One of the interesting features of Live Aid was having the concert in two locations. One location was Wembley Stadium in London, UK. What was the other concert location?

Answer: Philadelphia, PA

John F. Kennedy Stadium (1926-1992) was the concert location in Philadelphia. In addition to Live Aid, the stadium was also known for many editions of the Army-Navy Game. A variety of concerts had also taken place there. The concerts at Wembley Stadium occurred between 1200 and 2200 British Summer Time.

The concerts at JFK Stadium occurred between 8:15 and 23:05 Eastern Daylight Time. (There are five hours difference between the two time zones.) In addition, concerts in several other countries--including Australia and Russia--were held the same day.

4. The very first performance in London was by the Coldstream Guards (a British Army band). Following that, what was the first rock band to take the stage?

Answer: Status Quo

Dating from the 1960s, Status Quo has performed at Wembley Stadium more than 45 times in its career. Key members included Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster. The band had a three-song set at Live Aid: "Rockin' All Over the World", "Caroline", and "Don't Waste My Time". More than two dozen of Status Quo's albums have reached the Top-Ten on the British charts.

5. Similarly, the very first Live Aid performer in the US was an 18-year old named Bernard Watson. Who was the second performer (and arguably first well-known one)?

Answer: Joan Baez

Joan Baez (born 1941) is a folk rock musician who is associated with songs of protest and social change. Her two-song set was "Amazing Grace" and "We Are The World". "We Are The World" was originally a mega-hit single for USA for Africa, a supergroup made up of many well known performers from the US. The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.

6. With the large number of performers at the concert, it was perhaps inevitable that many performers would have short sets. Which of these artists would have a set greater than one song in Wembley Stadium?

Answer: David Bowie

David Bowie (1947-2016) would have a four-song set: "TVC 15", "Rebel Rebel", "Modern Love" and "Heroes". His set would begin at about 1923 BST. Adam Ant would perform "Vive le Rock". Elvis Costello would perform "All You Need is Love". Howard Jones would perform "Hide and Seek". The London portion of Live Aid would conclude with Band Aid performing "Do They Know It's Christmas?"

7. The concerts were not without controversy. To which issues was Bob Dylan referring when he said "I hope that some of the money ... maybe they can just take a little bit of it, maybe ... one or two million, maybe ... and use it"?

Answer: Farm relief

Bob Geldof was highly critical of Bob Dylan's mention of problems facing American farmers during the concert. He felt that it was unfair to compare the famine (which could lead to people losing their lives) with problems of farmers (which was more like people losing their jobs). Personally I think it was more of a case of an important message that was not shared at the right time. Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp would be inspired by Dylan's message, however, to organize the first Farm Aid concert (to benefit American farmers) later that year.

8. While many musicians appeared in one of the Live Aid concerts, one artist did better. Who was able to perform in both locations on the same day?

Answer: Phil Collins

In London, Phil performed several songs: "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (solo), "In the Air Tonight" (solo), "Long Way to Go" (with Sting), and "Every Breath You Take" (with Sting). He would take the Concorde across the Atlantic to perform at JFK Stadium on the same day.

He was one of the drummers who would sit in for the late John Bonham in a reunion of Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.

9. At the US portion of Live Aid, Mick Jagger would perform his first three songs solo. With which US performer would he duet on his last two numbers?

Answer: Tina Turner

Mick Jagger (born 1943) may be best known as the frontman for the Rolling Stones. His set would begin at about 22:15 EDT with solo renditions of "Lonely at the Top", "Just Another Night", and "Miss You". With Tina Turner (born 1938), he would duet on "State of Shock", and "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)".

10. Sometimes it was not possible for an entire group to appear. Which member of the Beatles would appear near the end of the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium?

Answer: Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney (born 1942) would perform "Let It Be" . Technical difficulties with Paul's microphone during the first two minutes made it very difficult for concert goers at the stadium to hear his vocals. An impromptu chorus of David Bowie, Bob Geldof, Alison Moyet and Pete Townshend stepped in to assist before the technical difficulties were fixed.

Source: Author bernie73

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Live Aid was a unique pair of concerts on July 13, 1985. See how much you remember or how much you know.

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