Live Aid finally gets DVD release [posted 3/8/2004] (1 Viewer)

[andrew markworthy]

Yes, but as half the posts that followed hadn't heeded it, I thought it was worth repeating the point more explicitly. Try to see things in context before judging others, please.

 

[Jim Barg]

I have dim memories of seeing this as a six-year old, and spent the entire day watching it when VH1 ran a best-of special and documentary for the 10th anniversary as a 16-year old. Here's hoping the whole thing is included, warts and all.

 

[Paul_Nyman]

If Live Aid is coming out on DVD finally I at least hope they are preserving everything from the days events. I would like to enjoy this without editing the program up or leaving acts out. It was a great day when I watched this unfold on tv almost two decades ago. Now the Concorde is no longer flying and that is another piece of history!

 

[Johnny G]

Confirmation of Zep non appearnace at Davis DVD:-

08.02.04 NO ZEPPELINS OVER LIVE AID
Evidently, the song won't remain the same. Legendary super group Led Zeppelin have refused to allow their performance at 1985's Live Aid to be included on the upcoming DVD release of the charity event. According to a band spokesperson, the Zep have been - and still are - unhappy with what they believe to be a sub-standard performance. Their appearance at the iconic fundraiser marked the only time that members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones (with an assist by Phil Collins on drums) played under the Led Zeppelin banner after the 1980 death of their powerhouse drummer John Bonham. The news has reportedly upset Live Aid organizer Sir Bob Geldof, who hopes to raise a further $575 million for African famine relief through sales of the DVD. A source on the Live Aid project says, "It is a political thing. They don't want the legend of Led Zeppelin diminished by one below-par performance." Look for Live Aid to be released, sans Led Zeppelin, on November 1st.

 

[Lawrence X]

Since the release of the amazing Led Zeppelin Live 2 disc set, maybe it IS just as well that the sloppy performance they did in Live Aid fades from the memory banks. All the same, my 9 year old twins are raving Led Zeppelin fanatics and would pester us into buying the entire set just for the Zep performance alone. Which means the wife would probably approve.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Well, I'm not buying LIVE AID without Led Zeppelin (or others) on it. At least I now know I'll be able to save some cash by not wasting it on this incomplete release.

I'm a so-so Zep fan and their performance was one of the highlights of the concert. And quite frankly, I don't know what they mean by "substandard" performance; much of the live material I've heard from them never did the records justice anyway....

 

[Michael Allred]

As long as the full Queen set is on there, I'll be happy (and by all indications it WILL be on there.)

The money is going to charity folks....

 

[Dave Mack]

I think I read in a mag. last year that Page was pissed because Phil said he knew the tunes, showed up and really didn't. He just winged them, which for Phil is usually ok because he's good but perhaps not knowing all the fills etc. pissed them off.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Just let me get this straight - the surviving members of LZ are having a hissy fit because they think the standard of the performance isn't up to scratch? This is the same band that released 'The Song Remains the Same' isn't it?

In any case, anything, and I mean *anything* looks good next to Bob Dylan's shambolic embarrassment of a performance (and yes, I know Dylan apologists can explain *why* it happened, but the *outcome* was still the pits nonetheless).

I'll still get the set as will a lot of other people. And will we be thinking 'this is marred by Led Zeppelin's abscence'? No, we'll be thinking 'isn't it great that all these artists gave their time for free and what a bunch of ****ing prima donnas Led Zeppelin are'. There was a big sign placed by the stage entrance at the Wembley concert which read 'leave your egos here'. It's a great shame that Page, Plant and Jones didn't heed it.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Good point. I like Dylan and I'll agree completely with you here. But In the case of Led Zeppelin, this should have been viewed as a charity event, not a talent contest. Just get up there and contribute - period.

 

[Sam Favate]

It doesn't appear Dylan's set will be included either. he's not listed on the initial press release, and neither is Zeppelin.

 

[Dharmesh C]

The BBC blew a fuse, so the above 2 performances were never recorded!!!

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Oh, great. Why don't we just lose The Who, Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney while we're at it. Forget this set. Pffffffftttt.

 

[AnthonyC]

Reportedly, McCartney is re-recording the first half of "Let it Be."

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Ha! How many more reasons can there be for me to skip this set? I'm a huge fan of the Beatles, and I recall Paul's mike going out for a long while at the start of the song, and then he hastily re-sang the intro. Looks like a lot of problems plagued this concert.

As for missing Dylan and Zeppelin, those were two of the biggest attractions that day - and historically, two of the most important. Dylan was the "grand finale" for cryin' out loud!

 

[andrew markworthy]

Given the logistical problems posed by the event, things went incredibly well.

 

[Dharmesh C]

Led Zep are going to contribute to the charity via other means.

I, too, don't understand why anyone would want to boycott the set, don't people understand what it takes to get a concert like this on dvd? There's enough decent acts to make most happy Unless you are fan of Led, Dylan and The Who.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Well, yes, that's the thing that upsets me about it. The show was "live" and ought to be purely presented however it aired originally, regardless (IMO). I mean, Paul re-recording LET IT BE in 2004 is hardly the 1985 LIVE AID performance!

 

[LarryDavenport]

Am I the only one who woke up early enough to tape "Oz for Africa" which was on before Live Aid. I was lucky enough to see INXS, Men at Work, LRB, and a whole lot of Australian bands I had never heard of (Dragon, Uncanny Xmen). Hopefully this will be included as part of the bonus material.

 

[Sam Favate]

It now seems that Dylan will be included but the Who and Zep are out, among others including the Pretenders and Hooters.

Perhaps the biggest omission in the set list for the DVD is that U2's "Bad" is not listed, but only "Walk on the Wild Side" (which was performed as part of "Bad"). For many, "Bad" was the defining moment of the day and included the images everyone recalls of Bono going into the audience to hug a woman.