Live Aid is to celebrate its 40th anniversary with the release of the original cast album for Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical, along with a special performance and a night of BBC shows.
Held on July 13, 1985, in London and Philadelphia, the star-studded Live Aid concerts helped to raise global awareness of famine relief, attracting 1.9 billion viewers across 150 countries, and raising over $125 million in donations.
The upcoming album, which is to be released on July 11, was announced today (May 1) during a special event at Wembley Stadium hosted by radio DJ Jo Whiley. She was joined by the founders of Live Aid and Trustees of the Band Aid Charitable Trust, Sir Bob Geldof, Midge Ure, Harvey Goldsmith and John Kennedy.
The crowd was treated to performances from the star-studded line-up, who also discussed Live Aid’s legacy and the forthcoming musical.
Arriving in the West End on May 15 following a record-breaking, sold-out run at The Old Vic theatre, Just for One Day – The Live Aid Musical has been recorded into “a fully realised rock album, capturing the passion, power, and urgency that made the 1985 response to the famine in Ethiopia a turning point in music history.”
As with the musical itself, Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical (Original Cast Recording) was created with the backing of Geldof and the Band Aid Charitable Trust. It features anthems from the artists who made history at Live Aid, including Queen, David Bowie, Ultravox, Boomtown Rats, U2, Elton John, The Police, The Who, Madonna, Phil Collins, Bob Dylan and more.
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The album is now available to pre-order here, and those who do will have access to an exclusive track: The Police’s ‘Message In A Bottle’. Fans can also purchase tickets to Just for One Day – The Live Aid Musical here.
In addition to the album, it was also announced today that a special 40th anniversary performance of Just For One Day will take place at the Shaftesbury Theatre on July 13, followed by an exclusive after party with surprise special guest performances at KOKO, Camden. Visit here for tickets and more information.
On the musical and album announcement, Geldof said: “We couldn’t possibly have known that 40 years down the track, the issue would be as vital or the interest as great. Millions of children today are being forced to starve as an instrument of war, and millions of lives are in peril due to AIDS and because of cuts to international aid.
“This musical is extraordinary, and it brings Live Aid to a new generation – the possibility of what individuals can do together. It refutes Thatcher’s dictum that there’s no such thing as society. There is and it roared its existence on that day 40 years ago in Wembley Stadium. Human beings do care about each other – they rise above contemporary politics.”
He added: “Just For One Day puts Live Aid into perspective. It’s a phenomenal piece of work. I read somewhere that it’s a ‘jukebox musical’ – dude, it’s the original musical jukebox! That’s what we called it back then – ‘Live Aid – the Global Jukebox’!
“That’s what Live Aid was, arguably the greatest collection of songs of the rock era, and so this musical is hit after hit after hit, stunningly arranged for this generation! Its achievement is to conjure that vivid sense of 40 years ago, and to make it relevant to now.”
BBC Two and BBC iPlayer will also mark the anniversary with a broadcast of Live Aid At 40, a new documentary series revealing the behind-the-scenes story of the 1985 charity concert. Exclusive interviews include figures such as Geldof, Bono and Sting – along with US President George Bush, President Obasanjo of Nigeria and Birhan Woldu, the woman who, as a dying child, became the abiding image of the Wembley concert and the famine.
Also coming to BBC Two in July is Live Aid the Concert, which gives fans a chance to relive over 6.5 hours of extended highlights of the London and Philadelphia concerts, in addition to backstage footage, including interviews with Bono, Brian May, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Howard Jones, Roger Daltrey, Spandau Ballet, Sting, The Style Council and a transatlantic interview with Phil Collins on Concorde.
At the end of last year, Geldof and Band Aid released a new ‘2024 Ultimate Mix’ version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas? to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the festive hit.
After Ed Sheeran stated that he would not have given permission for his vocals to be used on the track if he’d been asked, Geldof responded by saying: “This little pop song has kept millions of people alive.”
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