The Live Aid benefit concert was one of the biggest concert events in history, yet you probably haven't heard of the opening act of the Philadelphia show. It was David Weinstein -- stage name Bernard Watson -- an 18-year-old from Florida who traveled to Philadelphia's John F. Kennedy Stadium with his acoustic guitar and little else in the hopes of making some music. Arriving 10 days early, Weinstein sought out concert promoter Bill Graham and pleaded his case. Graham listened to Weinstein play a little and must have spotted some raw talent, because at a little before 9 a.m. on July 13, 1985, Graham introduced him to the 100,000 spectators in attendance with the words, "We thought we'd give him a shot, and let's help make his dream come true." Weinstein, nervous and with little experience, played a song he had written called "Interview." He broke a guitar string and dropped his pick. But he still made history.
Capturing the magic of music:
- Live Aid was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure as a charity concert to help people in Ethiopia affected by famine. Two concerts took place simultaneously, in Philadelphia and London.
- After Weinstein's brief performance, Joan Baez took the stage as the official opening act of the Philadelphia concert.
- Queen's set at the Live Aid concert at London's Wembley Stadium is often cited as one of the greatest live performances in the history of rock music.