10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
He helped create Live Aid 40 years ago. Now he's coming to San Francisco
Midge Ure, the veteran British musician and co-architect of the historic Live Aid concerts, is coming to San Francisco as part of his 'Band in a Box' tour. This stripped-down yet sonically rich performance showcases his decades-long influence on electronic and pop music.
The tour kicks off at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena on May 17, before heading to the Chapel on May 18.
Ure promises an intimate yet technologically dynamic show, joined by longtime collaborator Charlie Round Turner. The performance will blend guitars, synthesizers, loops and samples, merging past and present in a way only Ure can.
'I've been on Top of the Pops more times in different guises than anyone,' Ure said, reflecting on his colorful career. He's been a member of the 1970s boy band Slik, the punk act Rich Kids, as well as Visage, and even briefly played with Thin Lizzy.
He also auditioned for the Sex Pistols before finding his true musical home with Ultravox.
'As they say, you have to kiss many frogs before you find your prince or princess,' said Ure, 71. 'Most people don't just jump into the first band and become successful. As I was growing up, the bands I was part of were either famous or infamous. I was searching for my musical home, and I found it the day I joined Ultravox.'
True to his restless spirit, Ure walked away from Ultravox at the peak of its success.
'If we weren't human, things would go on forever,' he said. 'But we all grow at different rates and pull in different directions. When a band reaches that point, you either walk away and start anew, or you stick with it and pretend you're having a great time.'
In addition to his musical legacy, Ure is revisiting his pivotal role in Live Aid.
Co-organized with Bob Geldof in 1985, the twin concerts in London and Philadelphia raised millions for Ethiopian famine relief and helped launch the legendary Band Aid single, 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' — sung by an all-star group featuring Bono, George Michael, Duran Duran and numerous others.
The initiative inspired the stage musical 'Just for One Day', which will soon head to London's West End.
'Naivety is a wonderful thing,' Ure said, reflecting on the groundbreaking event that marks its 40th anniversary this year. 'It emboldens you. 'Nothing's impossible when you're in your 20s. It enables you to think beyond the realms of possibility. I think if we tried to do it today, it would fall flat on its face.'
Despite his rich past, Ure remains focused on the present and future. He's been working on a new album for nearly a decade, but takes his time with it.
'It takes as long as it takes,' he said. 'I don't want to go back 40 years and just rehash what the young Midge did.'
'You follow your path,' he said. 'Sometimes it takes you into something you'd never imagined.'
