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The 12 Most Underrated Live Aid Performances

Here are the top 12 most underrated Live Aid performances revisited, 40 years after the iconic charity concert took place.

Like Geldof with the Boomtown Rats, Ure was able to step back into his “day job” and lead Ultravox through a powerful, anthemic four-song set whose “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes,” though released more than six months before Band Aid’s launch, took on profound new resonance in the context of the show. Some of the strongest Live Aid sets came from acts that were actively touring at the time (Bryan Adams, the Cars, Santana, Eric Clapton (who canceled shows to play in Philadelphia), Rick Springfield, Hall & Oates, etc.). Petty and company, supporting their new Southern Accents album, came out primed and fit, delivering a four-song career microcosm — “American Girl,” “The Waiting,” “Rebels” and “Refugee.” Guitarist Mike Campbell recalls that, “When there’s that many people (on the bill) it’s just a wash; they’re out there and you’re out there doing your thing.

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