Live Aid at 40: Long Islanders remember the spectacular global concerts

To celebrate his graduation from Wantagh High School, Eric Biener, now of Huntington Station, decided to go on an adventure with a group of his friends in the summer of 1985.

"I was in the backyard of my friend Steve’s house listening to WAPP when a commercial came on for this massive stadium concert called Live Aid,” Biener, 58, recalls. "We went to purchase tickets at Titus Oaks record store in Hicksville.”

The group of five Long Island teens took an Amtrak train from Penn Station to Philadelphia for a sold-out show at John F. Kennedy Stadium where 100,000 people gathered on July 13, 1985, to witness more than 30 acts coming together to raise funds and awareness about the famine in Ethiopia. It was all under the direction of Bob Geldof from the Boomtown Rats and Midge Ure of the band Ultravox.

"The train was packed with teenagers going to the show. There were so many people there, some were even laying down in the luggage racks,” Biener recalls. "It was like a New Year’s Eve party times 100.”

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean in London, a concert was being held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium featuring an equally star-studded lineup.

"We didn’t know the magnitude of the concert or the importance of the event. At the time, we were just living in the moment and enjoying everything,” says Diane Russo, 60, of Plainview, who went to the London show while attending a New York University summer program affiliated with London University. "It was so much bigger than we ever expected.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Live Aid, an epic event that was televised via satellite, drawing approximately 1.9 billion viewers from 150 nations.

"It was a seminal moment. This was our generation’s Woodstock without question,” says Michael Jerchower, 57, of Oceanside, who watched and recorded the entire event from home. "Live Aid brought what George Harrison did with the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 to a whole new level.”

Geldof’s goal was to save lives on the other side of the planet by using music. His plan was to get the biggest names in the music business to perform at two concerts. The Philadelphia show featured Black Sabbath, Run-D.M.C., Rick Springfield, REO Speedwagon, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Judas Priest, Bryan Adams, The Beach Boys, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Madonna, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and more. Meanwhile, the London show showcased Adam Ant, U2, David Bowie, The Who, Queen, Sting, Paul Young, Dire Straits, Elton John, Paul McCartney and others.

"Geldof was driven by his anger of seeing those children dying of starvation and he turned his anger into such a positive force,” says New Wave pop star Howard Jones, who performed "Hide and Seek” on solo piano at Wembley. "Nothing was going to stop him. It was a great inspiration for anybody who was trying to do something profound.”

Beating the heat

In Philadelphia, the weather was 95 degrees with the humidity at an all-time high.

"In the morning, we were facing straight into the sun and it was blistering,” says Rich S. Groblewski, 59, who grew up in Hicksville and went to the show with his girlfriend.

Jimmy Mahoney, 59, of Smithtown, recalls, "There were no clouds in the sky, no shade to be found and it was boiling hot.”

Fire hoses in the horseshoe-shaped stadium were used to spray down the crowd.

"They pointed the hose upward, by the time it hit us it was this arc of water,” says Carol Krol, 60, who was raised in Baldwin. "Everybody was drenched.”

Kevin Dooney, 60, who grew up in Oceanside, recalls, "The water from the fire hose rejuvenated me and brought me back to life.”

Thomas Porzungolo, 64, of East Northport, found two empty gallon jugs and filled them with water from the sink in the men’s bathroom and took them back to his blanket on the general admission field.

"We formed a line and people were bringing their cups so I could fill it for them with the water,” Porzungolo says. "It was like manna from heaven.”

Hello from the Hooters

One of the first acts on the stage early in the morning was Philadelphia band the Hooters, who had just dropped their major label debut, "Nervous Night.”

"We welcomed everybody to Philly,” singer-keyboardist Rob Hyman says. "This was the biggest audience we had ever seen or would ever see. It was beyond adrenaline. We played two songs in 10 minutes that changed our lives.”

Run-D.M.C. was the sole rap act on the bill. The trio was determined to deliver because they had something to prove with their performances of "Jam-Master Jay” and "King of Rock.”

"At the time, everybody thought hip-hop was a fad. Nobody believed rap was legitimate,” MC Darryl McDaniels says. "People would say, ‘It’s not music because they don’t play instruments. They are not going to be around very long.’ We wanted to smack them in the head and show them what we do by making a powerful statement.”

Pop rocker Rick Springfield charmed the Philly crowd with energetic performances of "Love Somebody,” "State of the Heart” and he even jumped in the crowd during "Human Touch.”

"There was a great buzz in the air,” Springfield says. "The power of what everyone thought they were doing was palpable.”

REO Speedwagon kept everything moving with "Can't Fight This Feeling” and "Roll With the Changes”

"I don’t want to say I was a bit nervous, but my guitar was horribly out of tune for ‘Can’t Fight’ and I played the piano intro for ‘Roll With the Changes’ an octave higher than ever before,” former lead singer Kevin Cronin admits. "But, hey, there were only 2 billion people watching from all over the world! It was intense.”

Hollywood personalities including Chevy Chase, Joe Piscopo, George Segal, Bette Midler, Don Johnson and Jack Nicholson were also on hand.

"They were coming out on these two cool side stages announcing the acts,” Rob Imhoff, 55, of Baiting Hollow, says. "You could wave to them, talk to them or take their pictures because they were close by.”

The crowd kept calm

Despite the extreme heat, the crowd in Philadelphia was in good spirits, which made the day flow easier.

"It was a gigantic communal vibe. There was a tremendous amount of excitement and enthusiasm,” Dooney says. "They were an enthusiastic group of young people between 18 to 25 who were living in the moment. I felt right at home.”

Biener says, "Everybody was partying together, sharing and hugging. There was no animosity or fisticuffs, just very lovey-dovey with lots of smiles.”

Part of keeping the day moving and acts on schedule was an organized crew with a stage system that created a quick turnover between acts.

"The stage was huge. It was able to hold the set up for two different bands and room for a third,” says keyboardist Greg Hawkes of The Cars, who performed hits "You Might Think,” "Drive” and "Just What I Needed.” "I remember it was a crazy set up with one band behind the next. When we were done, one crew would just take all of our equipment off to the side, the following band would be set up already and they would start pushing them up front so they could be ready to play within minutes.”

London calling 

 During the changeover, the Philadelphia crowd was treated to performances from Wembley on the Jumbotron.

Phil Collins paired up with Sting in London playing a mix of Police songs ("Roxanne,” "Driven to Tears,” "Message in a Bottle,” "Every Breath You Take”) as well as his solo tracks ("Against All Odds,” "In the Air Tonight”). Collins then got on a Concorde and flew to the United States in order to be the only artist to play at both shows.

"The coolest thing was watching Phil Collins on the screen in London, then he was playing for us a few hours later. That had a huge impact on the crowd,” says Andrew J. Samour, 60, of Mount Sinai. "His flight took about three hours, but he had the time change on his side.”

Soul pop singer Paul Young wowed the London crowd with his single, "Come Back and Stay,” a remake of the Hall & Oates song, "Every Time You Go Away” and a duet with Alison Moyet of Yaz on a cover of Marvin Gaye's "That’s the Way Love Is.”

"It’s a Motown pop song that had elements of blues in it,” Young says. "I wanted to find a song that would suit her bluesy voice and me as well.”

However, it was the performance of Queen at Wembley that changed the game.

"The way Freddie Mercury got the crowd going with the fist pumping and the hand clapping in unison was unbelievable,” Russo says. "Queen left the entire stadium mesmerized, giving us chills up and down our spines. That day they created a new fan base worldwide.”

Jerchower, who watched from home on TV, adds, "Queen just took over and completely set the benchmark. Freddie Mercury had 90,000 people at Wembley in the palm of his hand. It’s regarded by many critics as the greatest live rock performance.”

Philly grooves

Back in Philly, the crowd was singing in unison to the Beach Boys' tunes "California Girls,” "Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and "Good Vibrations.”

"There was some question of whether or not we should be playing at the concert,” Beach Boys singer Mike Love recalls. "But Bob Geldof insisted that we play because he said, ‘When people hear the Beach Boys’ music they will be in a good mood and the donations will spike.’ In fact, that happened, which was pretty cool.”

In an emotional moment, soul pop duo Ashford & Simpson brought out Teddy Pendergrass, who was paralyzed and in a wheelchair from his 1982 car accident, to sing on, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand).”

"Teddy Pendergrass singing with Ashford & Simpson was mind-blowing,” Groblewski says. "After his car accident, I thought we might not hear from him again.”

The hot artist of the moment in 1985 was Madonna. Her 1983 self-titled debut album and 1984 follow-up, "Like a Virgin” had gone multiplatinum and she had a hit movie ("Desperately Seeking Susan”) in the spring of 1985.

"When they announced Madonna was coming on in a half hour everyone was trying to get close to the stage,” Imhoff says. "She was the Taylor Swift of the ’80s.”

Porzungolo adds, "Madonna was incredibly surprising. Her dance moves and coordination were fantastic. She played her songs and just nailed it.”

A big hit with the crowd at both shows was the debut of the Mick Jagger and David Bowie collaboration video for a cover of Martha and The Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street.”

"It was perfect for the event. In the song, they were calling out Philadelphia, Pa., and other places,” Dooney says. "It was almost like an anthem for people to unite from all over the world to celebrate and dance. It was quite a moment.”

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers got the stadium rocking to the sounds of songs like "American Girl,” "The Waiting” and "Refugee.”

"We all felt the pressure at the moment, but we got it done. Tom was great at handling those types of situations. He was very cool under fire. That man was born for the job,” former Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch says. "I was glad to be there because it was a worthy thing to be doing. You felt part of something that was bigger than the band.”

Here comes Phil Collins

Collins landed in New York and took a helicopter to JFK Stadium where he performed "White Room,” "She’s Waiting” and "Layla” with Eric Clapton, followed by two of his own solo songs ("Against All Odds,” "In the Air Tonight”). However, his biggest task was filling the seat of the late drummer John Bonham when Led Zeppelin (lead singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones) reunited.

"Having Led Zeppelin return in 1985 was quite a moment,” recalls Porzungolo. "My buddies and I were all high-fiving each other.”

"I remember not being very impressed by the Led Zeppelin reunion,” Biener says. "I was underwhelmed.”

Samour adds, "It really wasn’t that good. The set didn’t go as well as everyone thought it would.”

In fact, when a Live Aid DVD set was released in 2004 the Zeppelin performance was not included.

"The band wouldn’t allow it because they were quite disappointed with their performance,” Jerchower says. "They felt the guitar playing was sloppy and they blamed Phil Collins for flying across the ocean and not rehearsing with the band.”

The energy was brought back up by performances from Patti LaBelle, Duran Duran, Hall & Oates plus Mick Jagger with Tina Turner.

"People were wondering if The Rolling Stones were going to take the stage together,” Jerchower says. "But it never happened.”

Bob Dylan, with help from Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Stones, was the final artist to perform, closing out his set with his signature song, "Blowin’ in the Wind.”

Everyone in Philadelphia gathered on stage for a collective sing-along of "We are the World” to end the daylong event.

"The whole crowd was singing in unison. It tied the event all together,” Groblewski says. "It was a long hot sweaty, overwhelming day. Every emotion went through you.”

Samour adds, "By the time they all sang ‘We are the World,’ we were so exhausted, but it was still a nice moment.”

Forty years later, the Long Islanders who attended Live Aid still rank it as one of their favorite concerts.

"It is still the greatest show I ever seen because of the magnitude and importance of it all,” Imhoff says.

Mahoney adds, "It was a once in a lifetime event. You’re not going to see that many big acts together in one place anymore, especially for $35.”