Live Aid

It was organised by an Irish man and the star turn was an Irish band. It raised millions for the starving people of Ethiopia, saved lives, restored some hope in mankind’s better nature and exposed politicians for the useless clods we’d always suspected them of being. With the astonishing impact of Live Aid in 1985, Bob Geldof stopped being a rat and became a saint (well, sort of!) and, later, an honorary knight of the British Empire. The band, U2, nicked the show right out form under the noses of Bowie, Dire Straits, Queen, Sting, et al. As a result, sales of The Unforgettable Fire with Bono picking up the thread first spun by Geldof and going a whole lot further in terms of access and influence with his Drop The Debt campaign, this may yet prove to be the most significant contribution to world politics by any contemporary musician. 25 years ago, who’d have dreamt it?