New Live Aid DVD, Christmas Single On The Way

The 1985 Live Aid concert, featuring dozens of bands in two concerts in London and Philadelphia, will at last be available on DVD. The concerts were organized by Bob Geldof's Band Aid Trust in an attempt to raise funds to fight the effects of a devastating famine in Africa.

The shows took place on July 13th, 1985, and featured a truly star-studded cast, including Eric Clapton, U2, David Bowie, Queen, Madonna, Sting, The Who and many others. Seen by a worldwide audience of 1.5 billion, the shows raised over $140 million to fight hunger.

The shows were originally meant to be a one-off, not for sale to the public, but bootleggers started selling copies of the show on Ebay, prompting the Band Aid Trust to allow the release of the show on a 4-DVD set.

In related news, members of the British pop scene assembled last weekend to record a new version of the "Do They Know It's Christmas" charity single. The new version, billed to "Band Aid 20", will feature Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, The Darkness' Justin Hawkins, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Blur's Damon Albarn, Jamelia, Daniel Bedingfield, Dido, Joss Stone and others. The single will be released in time for Christmas, and will almost certainly top the British charts.