Performance at Live Aid

In March 1985, a Rolling Stone cover story called U2 the “Band of the ’80s”, saying that “for a growing number of rock & roll fans, U2 … has become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters”. On 13 July 1985, the group performed at the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium for Ethiopian famine relief, before a crowd of 72,000 fans and a worldwide television audience of 1.5 billion people. During a 12-minute performance of “Bad”, Bono climbed down from the stage to embrace and dance with a female fan he had picked out of the crowd, showing a global audience the personal connection that he could make with fans. The performance was a pivotal event in the band’s career; The Guardian cited Live Aid as the moment that made stars of U2, and it included their performance on a list of 50 key events in rock history.