Live Aid which I cannot believe took place way back in 1985, was one of the outstanding memories of my childhood. A global phenomenon devised by Sir Bob Geldof to raise money for Africa through the free donation of their time by the top musicians of the era. Before I go any further I have to say that the entire show was stolen by my favourite superstar the wonderful Freddie Mercury, but that doesn’t take away from the other performances, and this was a pretty special one.
The beauty of this song in a huge stadium such as Wembley is that for the most part it’s just Collins and the piano. There is no hiding behind large drums or glitzy pyrotechnics, this is all about one man and his chosen instrument. But Collins excelled in this performance and had the audience built up into an absolute frenzy. When I look back on that day, there were so many iconic performances, and the fact it was live and raw and real is demonstrated in this video.
At around 1:09 he actually hits a bad chord, smiles and keeps on going, like the true professional he is. In many ways, this is what makes live music even better. So join me in a walk down memory lane and enjoy this fantastic song, one more time.