Live Aid Anniversary

[dmg]

Just reading the thread on the Mandela concert I had noticed on Facebook group earlier it was 31 years ago today DS performed at Live Aid.  Not a particular anniversary but a noteworthy performance I think and one that I enjoyed better than Mandela for a few reasons:

Atmosphere.  DS at the height of their popularity and the actual fundraising event itself.  Everyone involved was really up for it in a groundbreaking televisual way too.  Always thought there was something kind of weird, and frankly wrong, about the whole reason behind the Mandela gig.

Sultans was played better at Live Aid.  The only problem was lack of soundcheck meant the sax was drowning out the guitar toward the end.  Sultans was kind of smooth, slower and solos safe at Mandela, then he messed up the twiddly bits.

MFN was also better (with the exception of Sting) and played the the Les Paul and not the Pensa.

Overall, DS performance at Live Aid was perfect, the only mistakes being made by Sting being out of tune and then getting the lyrics mixed up.  Grrr!  Mandela performance was musically good but a bit dull IMHO.  Probably worth it for the magnificent version of BIA.

[ds1984]

I was the only "young" at a family meal watching it on TV. So not very good condition when you are the only one to know who are Dire Straits and 99% of the rest of the performers.

Add that the live mix was not great and the TV sound was not great either. Hopefully DS performed quit early during the show as, as expected, I had to switch off before the end of the concert for  bothering the others with my music of course too loud...

[JF]

although I prefer the LP over the pensa, I prefer MFN at mandela for Mark's solo and EC's solo too
and of course mandela features far more songs than live aid
I understand what you say about sultans at mandela, but I like it, and Walk of life and BIA are probably the best ever live versions
I also like Romeo and juliet very much, maybe because it's the first version I heard with this arrangement (intro, sax, singing...), idem for sultans, the first time I heard it with sax.
I heard live aid only some months later, and I don't know why, but it didn't give me shivers like Mandela gig did

[knopflertom]

Hmm am I right that Mark sings at 3:30 "Eric Clapton got his own jet airplane"? 

[TheTimeWasWrong]

"He got a helicopter, he got his own jet airplane", I guess

[dmg]

"He got a helicopter, he got his own jet airplane", I guess

The Legacy..?