Live Aid at 40: didn’t really achieve a whole lot, did it?

THE 40th anniversary of Live Aid has been celebrated despite acknowledgement that the groundbreaking event did not bring about much change in the long run.

Extended coverage of the 1985 benefit concert could not hide that 40 years later Ethiopia and Africa are still plagued with conflict and famine far beyond the capabilities of pop stars and their fans to fix.

Roy Hobbs said: “I watched all 16 hours of it, from Status Quo to We Are The World, and donated a tenner. Felt pretty good. Didn’t really accomplish a lot.

“Surely a bi-continental concert that reunited The Who and showcased an incredible array of artists, in between performances by Nik Kershaw and Kenny Loggins, should have done the trick once and for all? That was certainly the vibe at the time.

“Fast-forward four decades and the country’s still beset by civil war. And neighbours Somalia and the Sudan aren’t having a great time either. Did they even see the Paul Young set? If they had would it have changed much?

“I’m not denying they had the best of intentions, especially not to Bob Geldof’s face, but now everyone’s too broke or cynical to do it ever again. Maybe its real legacy is a haunting lesson on the limited powers of celebrities? Maybe if Michael Jackson had played?

“Ultimately it seems the only concrete benefit was to U2 and Queen. If we’d known that in advance I feel it would have dampened our ardour considerably.”

He added: “And Live 8. What the f**k was that about?”