Editing Bob Geldof (section)

===Live Aid===
{{Main|Live Aid}}
{{Quote box|width=26%|align=right|quote="The greatest legacy of Live Aid for me personally, is the example of how Bob Geldof's leadership demonstrated the power of the individual. How the voice and action of just one person could start a movement that could make a difference."|source=—Live Aid production manager Andy Zweck.<ref name="Greatest">{{cite news |title=Aaaaaay-o! Aaaaaay-o! Why Live Aid was the greatest show of all |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/live-aid-anniversary-queen-freddie-mercury-performances-bob-geldof-a9612071.html |access-date=13 July 2020 |work=The Independent}}</ref>}}
As Geldof began to learn more about the situation, he discovered that one of the main reasons why African nations were in such dire peril was the obligation to make repayments on loans that their countries had taken from Western banks. For every pound donated in aid, ten times as much would have to leave the country in loan repayments. It became obvious that one song was not enough.

Geldof and Ure organised Live Aid, a huge event staged simultaneously on 13 July 1985 at the [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] in London and [[John F. Kennedy Stadium]] in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Aaaaaay-o! Aaaaaay-o! Why Live Aid was the greatest show of all |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Beaumont (journalist) |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/live-aid-anniversary-queen-freddie-mercury-performances-bob-geldof-a9612071.html |access-date=13 July 2020 |work=The Independent}}</ref><ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/01/liveaid.memories/index.html Live Aid 1985: A day of magic]. CNN. Retrieved 22 May 2021</ref> Thanks to an unprecedented decision by the BBC to clear its schedules for 16 hours of rock music, the event was also broadcast live in the UK on television and radio.<ref>{{cite book |last1=West |first1=Aaron J. |title=Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps |date=2015 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=92}}</ref>

It was one of the most monumental stage shows in history, with [[Phil Collins]] flying on [[Concorde]] so that he could play at both Wembley and Philadelphia on the same day.<ref name="artists"/>

During the broadcast of Live Aid, Geldof shocked viewers into giving cash by not only twice mouthing profanities but also by slamming his fist on the table and ordering them not to go out to the pub but to stay in and watch the show.<ref name="artists">{{cite news |title=Live aid in their own words |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/oct/17/popandrock5 |access-date=6 June 2020 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>[[File:Bob Geldof-Conspiracy of Hope-by Steven Toole.jpg|thumb|upright|Geldof performing at the [[A Conspiracy of Hope|Conspiracy of Hope]] concert on 15 June 1986 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.]]  Nearly seven hours into the concert in London, Geldof gave an infamous interview in which he used the word ''fuck''.  The BBC presenter [[David Hepworth]], conducting the interview, had attempted to provide a list of addresses to which potential donations should be sent; Geldof interrupted him in mid-flow and shouted: "Fuck the address, let's get the [phone] numbers!" It has passed into folklore<ref>{{cite web | title=1985 Live Aid – BBC web-site |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/years/1985/music1.shtml |access-date=8 April 2014}}</ref> that he yelled at the audience, "Give us your fucking money!" although Geldof has stated that this phrase was never uttered.<ref>Geldof, Bob. ''Live Aid'' DVD.</ref> Due to his Irish accent, the profanity was stated to be misheard as "fock" and "focking" respectively. After the outburst, donations increased to £300 per second.<ref name="Greatest" />

The harrowing video of dying, skeletal children—introduced by [[David Bowie]] following the end of his set—that had been made by [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] photo-journalists setting their films to the tune of "[[Drive (The Cars song)|Drive]]" by [[The Cars]], contributed to the concert's success.<ref name="artists" />

In total, Live Aid raised over [[Pound sign|£]]150&nbsp;million for famine relief. Geldof subsequently received an honorary knighthood, at age 34, for his efforts. His autobiography, written soon after with [[Paul Vallely]], was entitled ''Is That It?''.<ref name="GeldofBio" /> The book achieved further fame for being featured on the [[General Certificate of Secondary Education]] examination syllabus in a following year.

Much of the money raised by Live Aid went to NGOs in Ethiopia, some of which were under the influence or control of the [[Derg]] military junta. Some journalists have suggested that the Derg was able to use Live Aid and [[Oxfam]] money to fund its enforced resettlement and "villagification" programmes, under which at least 3&nbsp;million people are said to have been displaced and between 50,000 and 100,000 killed.<ref>David Rieff  [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/live8/story/0,16066,1513359,00.html "Cruel to be kind?"],  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008043157/http://arts.guardian.co.uk/live8/story/0%2C16066%2C1513359%2C00.html |date= 8 October 2008 }} ''[[The Guardian]]'', 24 June 2005</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=SPIN |url=http://www.spin.com/featured/live-aid-the-terrible-truth-ethiopia-bob-geldof-feature/ |title=Live Aid: The Terrible Truth |publisher=SPIN |access-date=27 July 2016}}</ref> However, in November 2010 the BBC formally apologised to Geldof for misleading implications in its stories on the subject of Band Aid, saying it had 'no evidence' that Band Aid money specifically went to buy weapons.<ref>{{cite web | last=Midgley |first=Neil |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8035539/BBC-apologises-to-Bob-Geldof-for-Band-Aid-slur.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8035539/BBC-apologises-to-Bob-Geldof-for-Band-Aid-slur.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=BBC apologises to Bob Geldof for Band Aid slur |work=The Telegraph|date=4 November 2010 |access-date=10 April 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>