Iconic images, captured by acclaimed photographer David Bailey at Live Aid in 1985, feature in our Out of the Ordinary auction this summer. The 13 images, signed by the artists they depict, were those chosen at the time for a benefit auction. Each is from an edition of just three prints.
26 June 2024
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Bailey was backstage when ‘the global jukebox’ sprang into life at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 13 July 1985. The benefit concert, brainchild of Bob Geldof, was organised at breakneck speed to raise funds for the relief of famine in Ethiopia. The event was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London and John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, US, with a television broadcast that was watched across 150 nations, by an estimated 40% of the global population! Backstage, the cream of British rock and pop music - from Paul McCartney to Bono - hung out together.
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Highlight shots in the sale depict The Who (signed on the reverse by Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Kenny Jones), George Michael and Elton John (signed by both), Bob Geldof and Paula Yates (signed by both). George Michael on his own (signed) and the four members of Queen (again, signed on the reverse by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon).
David Bailey (b.1938) George Michael and Elton John, Live Aid, 13 July 1985 (£2,000-3,000)
Originally sold at auction later in the concert year as part of a charity evening at Sotheby's, these large-scale photographs will go under the hammer again on Tuesday 30 July, almost 40 years since the event itself. They carry estimates of between £1,000-1,500 (for Geldof and Yates) and £4,000-5,000 for George Michael.
DAVID BAILEY (b.1938) BOB GELDOF AND PAULA YATES, LIVE AID, 13 JULY 1985 (£1,000-1,500)
Sale Head, Mark Wilkinson, comments: 'For people of my generation, Live Aid was unforgettable, the most impressive live concert they had ever experienced. These striking black-and-white images, taken by renowned photographer David Bailey CBE, give great insight to life behind the scenes on that memorable day. It is also poignant that a number of these artists are no longer with us'.
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