Sir Bob Geldof has joked that he gets “blue in the face listening to “f***ing Freddie Mercury” and Queen at Live Aid.
The Boomtown Rats star organised the 1985 musical jukebox charity concert with fellow musician Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, which started with the release of the all-star charity hit ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’.
Geldof was speaking to promote the West End launch of ‘Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical’ and an accompanying album, ‘Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical (Original Cast Recording)’, which sees hits by Queen, David Bowie, Sir Elton John, U2, The Police, Madonna and more reimagined by the show’s cast.
Speaking at during a Q+A at Wembley Stadium on Thursday (01.05.25), he quipped when Jo Whiley asked if it’s emotional watching the performances back: “No, it’s not, because I’m blue in the face listening to f***ing Freddie Mercury.”
Teasing his fellow Live Aid co-founder and Ultravox star Ure, he continued: “I’m saying, ‘Where’s the Rats?’ ‘Where’s the…’ Not Ultravox obviously.”
Queen played a 21-minute set at Live Aid on July 13, 1985, and it’s regarded as one of the greatest rock performances of all time.
Late frontman Freddie and his bandmates – Sir Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon – stormed through ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Radio Ga Ga’, ‘Hammer to Fall’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘We Will Rock You’, and ‘We Are the Champions’.
The musical begins its stint at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre on May 15, following its sold-out run at The Old Vic theatre.
The press event this week was hosted by Live Aid and Trustees of the Band Aid Charitable Trust, Sir Bob Geldof, Midge Ure, Harvey Goldsmith and John Kennedy.
Those who pre-order the album will have access to an exclusive track, The Police’s ‘Message in a Bottle’.
Geldof said in a statement: “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.
“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.”
‘Live Aid’ celebrates its 40th anniversary this July, and to mark the milestone, the BBC is planning special programming, including a documentary series called ‘Live Aid at 40’, exclusive interviews, and a broadcast of over 6.5 hours of extended highlights from the original 1985 concerts.
‘Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical (Original Cast Recording)’ tracklisting:
1. Overture
2. Heroes
3. Rat Trap (featuring Craige Els)
4. Drive (featuring Abiona Omonua)
5. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes (featuring Jack Shalloo)
6. Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Feed The World)
7. Radio Ga Ga
8. Stop Your Sobbing (featuring Julie Atherton)
9. We Are The Champions (featuring Collette Guitart Jo Foster)
10. We Are The World
11. You’re The Best Thing (featuring Emily Ooi)
12. I’m Still Standing (featuring Craige Els Julie Atherton)
13. Bad
14. Message In A Bottle
15. Pinball Wizard (featuring Joel Montague)
16. Dancing In The Streets (featuring Danielle Steers Ashley Campbell)
17. Summer of ’69 (featuring Collette Guitart)
18. Blowing In The Wind
19. Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand) (featuring Julie Atherton)
20. In The Air Tonight / We Can’t We Live Together (featuring James Hameed, Danielle Steers Ashley Campbell)
21. We Will Rock You / King Of Rock (featuring Olly Dobson Tamara Taye)
22. Rockin’ All Over The World (featuring Olly Dobson)
23. Vienna (featuring Jack Shalloo)
24. I Don’t Like Mondays (featuring Craige Els)
25. All You Need Is Love (featuring Jason Battersby)
26. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (featuring Joel Montague)
27. Rebel Rebel / Don’t You (Forget About Me) / Into The Grove (featuring Jo Foster, Rhys Wilkinson and Tamara Taye)
28. Bohemian Rhapsody (featuring Freddie Love)
29. My Generation (featuring Naomi Katiyo)
30. Let It Be