At The Old Vic, our lovely bicentenary theatre, Just For One Day is on until the 30th of March. Here are a few words about this impactful show about… an even more impactful show.
WE COULD BE HEROES
Yesterday, the cultural event was the 96th Oscar Ceremony. A short sum-up? Oppenheimer, pink, scenario. Political? Not from what I’ve gathered. But then, does it mean art is no longer political? Of course, it is. If you know where to look.
I focus today on a musical that goes through one of the most important events in rock history. Live Aid. Without going through it in great detail, let me jot down its main ideas. The concert took place on the 13th of July 1985, at Wembley Stadium in London, and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. Broadcasted across the world on television, its main objective was to raise money for humanitarian help in fighting the famine in Ethiopia. It’s an event with a concrete, poignant and important goal.
About forty years later, it’s time to talk about it to the younger generations, those not yet born and not grasping fully how important and emotionally impactful this concert has been. And how can we understand it fully? Indeed, we weren’t there. Well, Just For One Day is a jukebox musical that gives a glimpse of what it felt like back then. Tracks chosen for the show, we all know them – provided you listen to rock music, of course. And even then, they are tracks that are too massive to fall into oblivion.
AN IMPRESSIVE CAST
On stage, Craige Els plays Bob Geldof – a living legend who’s known for his strong-headed attitude. With his deeply punk soul, it was expected. Not deprived of a good sense of humour, he brings tears to the eye when he speaks about his convictions, passionate and hurt, especially when facing Amara, a doctor in Ethiopia, brilliantly interpreted by Abiona Omonua. And around them, a wonderful cast. There are Jackie Clune and Hope Kenna, both Suzanne, an ultra-fan audience member, at different times of her life (respectively 2024 and 1985), Jack Shalloo as Midge Ure, the other creator of the original gig and voice of Ultravox, Julie Atherton as Margaret Thatcher and a massively talented ensemble cast. All are simply fantastic.
For the songs, non-exhaustively, there are Heroes by Bowie, Bad by U2, Pinball Wizard by The Who, We Are The Champions by Queen… All songs played during the actual show, of course. The covers are powerful, fun, and right in the narrative’s intention as well as in the cast’s interpretation. But some do grab my attention more than others. I think of The Police’s Message in a Bottle which closes the first act with an incredible and poignant force, with its choir, the bright orange line on the black background, and this vivid emotion carrying the collective urge to take action…
But there’s also the funniest bit: I’m Still Standing by Elton John, as a confrontational duet between Bob and Margaret. Getting Mrs Thatcher to sing Elton John’s classic to carry her argumentation, waving her eyebrow, is, indeed, hysterically hilarious. It’s completed by the only original track of the show, written by the real Geldof, Mrs T Mr G, which reminds me a lot of the delivery of some tracks in Sylvia and Hamilton too. It brings something that belongs to 2024 to the stage, and a lot of humour in a real-life austere and absurd meeting.
IMPULSIVE AND IMPERFECT: ALIVE
In its relatively simple set (screens are behind the elevated band at the back of the stage, stage lights and movable seats), the show recognizes the projects’ mistakes. The white saviour syndrome, where the former colonizer feels like they need to play the hero’s part in another country, is brought up by the younger generation. It is to them that those who created or simply were at the event are explaining and retelling what it was like. And although it is a pretty honest one, they admit it may be romanticized by their memories.
The concert has been organized on an impulse, with Geldof’s and Ure’s strong-headed characters. And with many, many insane and risky decisions – it was risky then, it’s simply impossible now. For example, when Geldof announces to the press who’s in for the show (Sting, Queen, Bowie, etc.), or when he calls one band to let them know that another is in… it’s all bluff, gall, and today with social media, it’s barely an option.
WHAT NOW?
Yet, it is how, in a mere two months, the charity show has been built and moved thousands and thousands of people across the world, raising over £150 million for Ethiopia. It’s not without its fair share of issues and controversies before and after the show, as mentioned above. Through our 2024-eyes, if we were to organize something similar, it’d be very different. But it might have been the emergency of the situation and of its organization that may have made it a legendary event.
Is it possible to do the same today then? Could we see a charity concert to fight the famine in Palestine? Unfortunately, I’m not sure… However, I think some events are close to this. And these are the charity events organized by gamers like Speedons or what was the ZEvent – at least in France. Each has its controversies and problematics – although very different from Live Aid’s and Live 8’s. So, a concert, like this… well, I’m forced to admit that I can’t imagine anything with the same impact happening again. I would love it too. Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lady Gaga could be part of that legendary line-up. The main difference would be in the genres – more pop, less rock – and in the ticket prices… But if it’s for a good cause, and just for one day…
