Rock Legend Bono Reveals Why He Refuses to Watch His Live Aid Performance 40 Years Later
On July 13, 1985, the two Live Aid concerts took place at Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. The brainchild of Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, the dual concerts featured over 70 performances to help raise money for famine relief in Africa.
One of the most memorable performances came from Irish rock band U2. Known for their early ‘80s singles “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Pride (In the Name of Love),” U2 had yet to hit “Joshua Tree” international status.
But their Live Aid performance remains one of the most iconic moments from the supersized benefit shows, in part due to an 11-minute version of “Bad,” a song from the band’s 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire. During the performance, lead singer Bono jumped the stage to slow dance with a female fan who was being passed through the crowd.
Dressed in a black, gold-buttoned military-style jacket and black leather pants with a blonde-highlighted “business in the front, party in the back” hairstyle, Bono's poignant fan moment became a highlight of the Live Aid show.
In CNN’s 40th anniversary documentary Live Aid: When Rock ‘n’ Roll Took on the World, the singer admitted that the performer in him was “looking for some kind of ‘moment’” during the charity show. He got that moment, but decades later, he refuses to rewatch it.
"It was such a bad hair day,” Bono, 65, said of his Live Aid look, per USA Today. “It’s one of your most famous moments of your life … and you’ve got a mullet.”
Bono previously addressed his biggest bad hair day in his 2022 memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. "Wembley Stadium, July 1985. Live Aid. A gigantic moment in the life of U2," the singer wrote. "As for the show itself, influential though it was in the arc of our band, I confess that I find it excruciating to watch. It’s a little humbling that during one of the greatest moments of your life, you’re having a bad hair day."
"Now, some people would say that I’ve had a bad hair life, but when I am forced to look at footage of U2 playing Live Aid, there is only one thing that I can see. The mullet. All thoughts of altruism and of righteous anger, all the right reasons that we were there, all these flee my mind, and all I see is the ultimate bad hair day,” the rocker added.
In addition to his hair woes, Bono had feared he ruined the performance with his rogue stage jumping move, which took precious time away from the band’s short performance slot.
“It was a great day, but I thought I had f---ed it up,” Bono later admitted, per Rolling Stone. “Crap sound, crap haircuts, and we didn’t end up playing the hit Pride (In the Name of Love) because the singer f---ed off into the crowd – band wanted to fire me as a result – and it turned out to be one of the best days of our life. Explain that. Ask God, he probably knows.”
Related: You Can Stream the 1985 Live Aid Concert in Full on Its 40th Anniversary. Here’s How