Global pop unity

1985

Live Aid unites two continents for one day of stadium charity while Madonna, Prince, and hip-hop's golden age keep the charts glittering and restless.

Live Aid Unites the World

Two continents tune in for one day of stadium-sized charity — rock royalty shares a stage and the world discovers that pop can still feel like a communal event. Madonna, Prince, and Springsteen keep ruling the charts while hip-hop's golden age accelerates in the boroughs and beyond. The year proves that spectacle and sincerity can share a microphone. The year proves spectacle and sincerity can share a microphone without either one flinching.

• Live Aid
• charity rock
• Madonna
• hip-hop golden age
• stadium pop

• Live Aid — July 13, Wembley and JFK Stadium
• Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' tour defines pop spectacle
• Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way' fuses rap and rock
• Tears for Fears' 'Songs from the Big Chair' dominates new wave