WHEN THE BOOMERS WERE ROCKIN’ ALL OVER THE WORLD...
“We were there!” cry the solid of John O’Farrell’s jukebox tribute to the 1985 Live Aid live performance. Memories undimmed almost forty years on, heres a Coldstream Guards bandsman proud to be opener for the best rock bands ever; right here’s Suzanne (Jackie Clune) who was an A stage child in a document store in Weston Super Mare; right here’s the sound man and the admin assistant who surfed the chaos of Geldof’s dedication to get the huge transatlantic gig up in 38 days. A burst of We Are The Champions rises – the well-known numbers are, all through, elegantly inserted to the story as refrain or solos with a band overhead .
But for a second I quailed at their triumphant declare “we will be heroes for ever” and the elders’ lordly patronizing of a new- era sceptic who simply sees “a lot of rich white men” purporting to save lots of Africa. But honest dos – the acquainted whining about postwar boomers ruining the world for Gen Z means forgetting what this extraordinary little bit of musical philanthropy did. For all of the snags and frustrations, Bob Geldof’s simplehearted horror on the newsreports and his stroppy, sweary risk-taking recruitment of all the massive rockers did save tens of 1000’s of lives, and power the developed West to have a look at laborious world realities. And this present provides 10% of the take to the Band Aid charitable belief.
Craige Els as Geldof (who’s a collaborator with O’Farrell) centres the story with highly effective sincerity: when he’s persuaded to go to a refugee camp and maintain a dying toddler, the shock holds the home nonetheless for an actual second. It turns into clear that his headlong simplicity of function, a “this will not do and I must fix it” conviction – parallel to Thatcher’s personal although in a unique route – was key to his success. He is just not daunted by the sluggish assent of the opposite bands, the appalled logistic protests of Harvey Goldstein the promoter, nor by the indignant “how dare they sing about us” expressed by Abiona Omiona’s black aid- employee when the disco lot stage turns into a fiery desert sundown and we’re pressured to look away from the glamour and pleasure of the gig. Geldof tramples on, whereas round him the strange followers are fired along with his rockstar intransigence.
The first half primarily offers with the unique second when Geldof and Midge Ure made the Band Aid Christmas single, hauling collectively a supergroup together with Status Quo,Bono, Genesis, Spandau Ballet et al. Barracking of the BBC acquired it traction (Michael Grade knew when to provide in) and followers rose magnificently to promoting it. It’s good that the present admits the lyrics’ absurdity about snow, and the cringe over “tonight thank God its them instead of you” which apparently Bono hated singing. But it’s how Geldof felt, and a supremely sincere line. The startling success, and a cameo of Charles and Di there, is properly completed; the next frustration at corruption and undelivered grain is painful.
Then the second half is Live Aid, the tempo rising much more. Luke Shephard’s route retains it going. It isn’t a basic: the side-plot of Suzanne’s teenage romance is good however flat, the disco choreography will get fairly boring, and two cartoonish panto-rap confrontations between Geldof and Thatcher over the VAT refund are frankly terrible. But the genius is within the music, and the briliance of the present in how these classics serve the temper. Matthew Brind, as musical supervisor, earns each plaudit going.
Joel Montague asGoldsmith the fixer delivers a bruising Pinball Wizard, the lone assist employee’s “Blowing in the wind” asks the everlasting query behind all distress, there may be an astonishing shared rendering of Bohemian Rhapsody, a 2024 teenager selecting up the timeless strop of “My Generation”. And lastly – and dammit the eyes water – a Mc Cartney second. The Beatle was, that day, singing reside for the primary time since Lennon died. As the solid previous and younger ask the toughest query, why distress nonetheless stalks the world, his phrases are the ending: “There will be an answer….Let it be.”
Oldvictheatre.com. To 30 March
Rating three.
Leave a Reply