With fist raised in the air, Bob Geldof stood before an audience of 80,000 at JFK Stadium on July 13, 1985, in an impassioned plea to help put an end to the famine sweeping Ethiopia. The Boomtown Rats lead singer and humanitarian called – and the world answered to the tune of well over $100 million. A year later, the Dublin-born and -raised Geldof was awarded a British knighthood.
In his only U.S. interview in 1993 for Creem magazine, to promote the U.K. release of his solo album, The Happy Club, Geldof told this reporter anybody could have done Live Aid – especially if they had access to the media as he did.
"I did what I did and that was that. I’m glad I did it. The honors and things that followed were never sought. It was never glorious … That period was extremely tiring, hectic and physically and psychologically exhausting. Nothing ended for me. I just moved from the concert to the very next day of putting the benefits into practice. The record [Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?] and concert were a tiny portion of it; most of the work was in Africa where we had hundreds of trucks and thousands of projects. When I think about it, I don’t think of the concert hardly at all," said Geldof, now 52 and the organizer of Saturday’s Live 8 event.
AMONG THOSE IN attendance at JFK Stadium were South Philly residents Richard Panichelli Sr., Debbie Turner and First District Community Relations Officer Donato Inverso.
Looking back on the event, all three said they were struck by the vast sea of bodies -many of whom paid $120 for a ticket.
"The crowd was just overwhelming," said Panichelli, 51, from the 1300 block of Reed Street. "Anyone would be just awed by the sheer magnitude of the size. I think people wanted to be there not only for the music, but it was an event."
"Wall to wall people," is how Inverso described it. "As far as the eye could see, there were people."
For Live Aid, the police department deployed officers from districts all over the city. All, like Inverso, who has spent his entire career in the First District, worked the event from start to finish.
"It was a very long day," he said.
Despite the monstrous crowd, the officer doesn’t recall any trouble.
As an usher for SpectaGuard, Debbie Turner noticed a special harmony among Live Aid attendees, who appeared to be from all walks of life, she said.
"The atmosphere, the crowd was calm. It felt like that’s how it would have been at Woodstock," she said.
Her duties that day were two-fold: guard the stage and keep the crowd cool – literally. When the summer sizzle got to be too much, she and fellow guards hosed down the crowd.
"That was the most fun I’ve had while working," said the 48-year-old resident from the 2000 block of Garnett Street.
Panichelli, a diehard classic rocker who scored a free ticket from a friend, remembers how stifling that July day was.
He ended up going alone to the show because no one he knew cared to brave the 17-hour event or the heat, he said. Panichelli arrived at about 3 p.m., midway through Madonna’s set.
"She was up and coming. She may have had two albums at the time. She was on the bill, but not one of the major stars like Mick Jagger or [Paul] McCartney," he said.
The native South Philadelphian witnessed the show’s finale some seven hours later when Lionel Richie and Harry Bellafonte sang "We Are The World."
Having a front-row seat at the biggest concert in history didn’t mean SpectaGuard Turner got to see any of the show – her job mandated she keep her back to the stage. Still, she enjoyed being serenaded during what many consider the greatest assembly of rock musicians ever.
"Watching the crowd and the things people were doing – dancing, singing or talking -it was just real nice," said Turner.
Although they worked the concert, Inverso and Turner said they were pleased to be a part of the most-watched event in television history.
"[Live Aid organizers] were trying to do something for people – raise money for famine relief – that was the good part about it. The bad part was it was a long day," Inverso said.
"I knew that it was history-making," said Turner. "Wow, to be a part of that! I wish I wasn’t working so I could have taken pictures. I still have good memories of it though."
Panichelli, too, was pleased to be a part of music and local history.
"It was good being part of the event by virtue of it being in South Philadelphia – a good community sense because it was happening in your own backyard. You were part of a major musical event that was being broadcast all over the world," he said.
The three do not plan to attend Saturday’s Live 8 extravaganza on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Panichelli thinks Live Aid is a tough act to follow, any way you look at it. Plus, the Live 8 roster lacks "star power" in his seasoned rock-fan opinion. More big-name performers should have been lined up for Philly, he said.
Performers scheduled for the Live 8 Philadelphia show as of press time include: Alicia Keys; Black Eyed Peas; Bon Jovi; Dave Matthews Band; Def Leppard; Destiny’s Child; Jay-Z; Josh Groban; Kaiser Chiefs; Keith Urban; Linkin Park; Maroon 5; P. Diddy; Rob Thomas; Sarah McLachlan; Toby Keith; and Stevie Wonder. Presenters include: Will Smith; Salma Hayek; Natalie Portman; Chris Tucker; Jennifer Connolly; Jimmy Smits; and Kami.
Turner said while she hopes the crowd remains peaceful like they did for Live Aid, times have changed and "everybody is so hot tempered today," which could incite trouble in an expected audience of more than one million.
Panichelli thinks any crowd that size is "daunting" and unless people are close to the stage, they can forget about being able to see because the event will be spread out over eight to 10 blocks.
