While Live Aid may have brought about a lot of good, thanks to millions of dollars in donations for famine relief, for Bob Geldof, one of the main organizers, the project brought some problems.
In an interview with “Associated Press”, the Irish musician spoke about private problems – his celebrity overwhelmed him so much that his marriage to his then-wife Paula Yates broke up.
Strong criticism of the concept
In 1985, Bob Geldof organized the legendary Live Aid concerts. Back then, Queen, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Madonna and many other musicians, among others, came together to draw attention to the famine in Ethiopia and to collect donations for the African country.
The concerts raised around 100 million US dollars – the equivalent of around 88 million euros. Until then, the action was considered the biggest rock concert in history, but there was not only applause. The project was criticized early on because some artists are said to have acted on their own behalf and donations allegedly did not get where they were supposed to go. It was also said that the causes of the famine were not addressed by this type of financial development aid.
“It probably cost me my marriage”
Bob Geldof, then and again since 2020 frontman of the “Boomtown Rats”, was only called “Holy Bob” after Live Aid. In the interview he emphasized that he did not get along well with the attention he received from Live Aid. “I hated it,” Geldof said. “I was confused for a while. I didn’t have much money then. It completely affected my private life. It probably cost me my marriage.”
Geldof also shared that his efforts prevented him from pursuing his passion for music. He said: “I wasn’t allowed to return to my job. i am a pop singer This is literally how I make my money. (…) Nobody was interested in it. Saint Bob, as I was called, couldn’t do that anymore because it’s so petty and so meaningless. I was lost.”
But the pressure from Live Aid seems to have eased after more than 30 years. Today Bob Geldof is proud of the activism concerts – and he has also found his way back to music. Most recently, he released the album Citizens of Boomtown with the Boomtown Rats. Their last album “In the Long Grass” was released in 1984.
The idea behind Live Aid came from the 1984 charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas?, which brought together Phil Collins, George Michael, U2’s Bono and many other musicians. Under the title “Band Aid”, donations were also collected in this campaign to fight the famine in Ethiopia. Bob Geldof was also one of the co-organizers.
However, criticism of Geldof does not abate. In 2019 it came out that the musician founded the investment company “8 Miles LLP“ is said to have founded in the African island state of Mauritius. It is assumed that as an entrepreneur he benefits from a tax model that harms Africa.