Queen fans hit back at claims Live Aid was 'not political' 40 years after charity concert

Irish Daily Star

5 days ago

Even four decades after the
iconic Live Aid concert
, some fans grapple with comprehending the full significance of the charity event.
A heated debate erupted on X, previously known as Twitter, when a user shared a photo of
rock band Queen
and Freddie Mercury performing at the concert. The user highlighted the absence of "no political flags" in the crowd and claimed there were "no lectures."
Live Aid was a dual-venue benefit concert held on July 13, 1985, at Wembley Stadium in London and
John F. Kennedy
Stadium in
Philadelphia
, PA. Inspired by the main event, unofficial concerts also took place in various other countries on the same day. The event aimed to raise funds for the Ethiopian famine.
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Bob Geldof, one of the event's organizers, told the
Guardian
, "We took an issue that was nowhere on the political agenda and, through the lingua franca of the planet – which is not English but rock 'n' roll – we were able to address the intellectual absurdity and the moral repulsion of people dying of want in a world of surplus."
A debate about Live Aid has erupted on social media
(Image: Getty Images)
Given the clear political intentions behind the festival, contemporary fans were quick to counter the critics with strong online responses.
One fan retorted, "wtf! Did you miss what the point of Live Aid was? Or are you truly this thick? !"
Many fans pointed to Queen, the band that stole the show, led by frontman Freddie Mercury, a queer man who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987.
A fan remarked, "He was a gay man of color, by the way, singing at a concert (Live Aid) for famine relief in Ethiopia. Just say you're stupid and move on."
Yet, some folks argued that Freddie didn't fit the mold of today's "woke" culture. One person commented, "Freddie was from an era where him performing his craft being tolerated and accepted by the masses was the activism."
Queen fans are reflecting on their Live Aid performance, 40 years later
They continued, "Nowadays bigots would push tolerance and acceptance to celebration, encouragement, and a supremacy movement that ignores the moderate considerations of others including the marginalized like children. Woke BS doesn't even stand up to its own standards."
Supporters of Freddie Mercury stood firm against those trying to diminish his impact.
One supporter stated, "Freddie Mercury, a gay singer who defended the poor and the forgotten, born and lived outside of catholicism, would have despised your cynical way of turning your back to those in need of political will and action."
Another clapped back, "So you've never heard a Queen song in your life.... You just found a picture you liked and said to yourself, 'you know what, I'm feeling stupid today...'"