Memories of Mandela Day....

[2manyguitars]

Just thought it might be nice to share what we remember about Mandela Day.

I recall being dragged to church by my parents for a 'day of spiritual renewal' and hiding in the priests office watching it all unfold on a small black & white TV. I'm sure God will forgive me.

From other performers I don't remember much, Eurythmics, Tracy Chapman every time something went wrong, simple minds with Johnny Marr, and Harry Enfields Geordie character.

Later that evening I was poised  with my DS VHS tape ready to add to the collection. I can still remember The huge clunky top loading recorder with massive push down buttons. The heartfelt Billy Connoly intro. The pure thrill of seeing DS again....

Over to you good people...

[Robson]

There was no broadcast in my country, we were behind the iron curtain. I bought a VHS tape many years later in Chicago. Brothers In Arms - stunning version.

[2manyguitars]

There was no broadcast in my country, we were behind the iron curtain. I bought a VHS tape many years later in Chicago. Brothers In Arms - stunning version.

Yes, I have the image of Marks Pensa gleaming under the lights from the end solo....

Probably a better copy than mine! Our VHS had what it called 'auto dub' which meant you could mechanically pause and restart a recording without physically removing the heads from the tape. Unfortunately if you accidentally pressed that button you instantly started recording on whatever TV station you happened to be on. I was most devastated to years later find parts of the evening News and 5 seconds of a space shuttle launch in the middle of Romeo and Juliette!

[dmg]

Despite remembering Live Aid to an extent I have absolutely zero recollection of this show whatsoever.   

[the visitor]

My sister recorded this on tape at the time.  I think I wore out the tape of it.  We didn't have a VHS recorder back then so I didn't end up seeing the performance again until the early 2000s on DVD.  I think here in the UK they broadcast the concert again some weeks or months later. 

On that tape there was Whitney Houston and I think UB40 also performed.  I was a bit mad because this was at the cost of the end of Borthers In Arms which cut out just at the point the solo gets going due to lack of tape !

Really amazes me that they haven't released this officially to date.  Lots of very crap bootlegs which sound like they used the worst tape recorder from a badly tuned radio.

[ds1984]

I witnessed Dire Straits performance live both on  "Antenne 2 " TV channel and on "Europe1" FM.

If my memory is correct the TV did cut the live feed to broadcast the evening news so I think BIA onward was missing and I had to rely on the radio broadcast instead but silly commentators were speaking over.

[dustyvalentino]

Despite remembering Live Aid to an extent I have absolutely zero recollection of this show whatsoever.   

I’m exactly the same!

[2manyguitars]

Another thing I remembered.

The show was running really late I think, and at the end of BIA I distinctly recall on the TV broadcast someone side stage yelling 'get off''! As MK EC & band soaked up the applause.

Think they were in a big hurry to get Jessie Nelson on to close the show. Did make me laugh though.

Haven't watched the concert in years, so will have to check out the various Youtube versions to see if its on any of them....

[JF]

I witnessed Dire Straits performance live both on  "Antenne 2 " TV channel and on "Europe1" FM.

If my memory is correct the TV did cut the live feed to broadcast the evening news so I think BIA onward was missing and I had to rely on the radio broadcast instead but silly commentators were speaking over.

yes exactly. the french TV channel didn't brodcast BIA, but I remember seeing wonderful tonight though... 

[JF]

2 many guitars, your post is a little bit too early 

I have planned to publish a chronicle on 11th june for its 35th anniversary 

great memories for me. I didn't watch it live, but several months later
I just discovered dire straits around may-june 1988 and I remember someone talking about this "amazing concert", and that Mark had his National guitar...
 I think circa autumn 88, I came across a VHS copy and watched it, and recorded it on cassette. One of my first DS bootleg... homemade !

[binone]

This is the version I made with the best sources available until today.



With the speech and the ending.

[3Strats]

Yeah, I've got the "Tube"  Live in '85 video and the Dire Straits set from the Mandela concert on a VHS tape that I recorded myself. Unfortunately I just about wore out  Sultans of Swing  on both recordings when I was trying to learn the live version by eye & ear !  I can't remember much else of the Mandela concert other than the DS set.

[dona74]

apart from the memories....
I think the direction that filmed the show is awful... only close-ups for Mark, or shot of the right hand....

[Brunno Nunes]

I found this here, it seems to me to be the complete transmission of the event, more than 10 hours of recording.

[2manyguitars]

I found this here, it seems to me to be the complete transmission of the event, more than 10 hours of recording.

That brought back a lot of memories. Thanks for posting that Bruno....