Launched earlier this month, the “School Of Rock Presents: Live Aid Remade All Stars Summer Tour” is paying tribute to the multi-venue worldwide charity event by devoting each show’s setlist to numbers performed during an international telecast 25 years ago.
That’s right, it’s been 25 years since Live Aid dominated the headlines. The July 13, 1985 event organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine-stricken Ethiopia took place simultaneously at London’s Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium while concerts affiliated with the massive goodwill effort took place in other countries including Australia and Germany.
And no musician was busier that day than Collins, who performed on both sides of the Atlantic, playing his own sets as well as drumming for Eric Clapton in London and a reunited Led Zeppelin in Philly.
To honor Live Aid, the School Of Rock tour will feature songs by the artists who were there, including numbers by U2, The Who, Queen, Led Zep, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Black Sabbath, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and more. A portion of all ticket sales will benefit Music For Relief, the non-profit founded by Linkin Park dedicated to helping out victims of natural disasters. For this tour, all funds will be earmarked for the organization’s Haiti efforts.
With multiple groups on the road, it’s not uncommon to see this tour scheduled for more than one city on the same evening. For example, tonight one group plays St. Paul, Minn., at Stage 4 while another group plays San Francisco at Thee Parkside. Other cities on the routing include Kansas City, Reno, San Jose, Los Angeles, Carlsbad, Miami, San Diego, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Boston, Philadelphia and New York City.
For more information on the “School Of Rock Presents: Live Aid Remade All Stars Summer Tour,” click here for the school’s website and click here for more info about Music For Relief.