U2’s Live Aid Set Went Off Script. Bad Became the Performance.

U2’s Live Aid appearance on 13 July 1985 is usually remembered for what did not go according to plan. Bob Geldof had told artists to keep sets short and play the hits. U2 intended to use Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bad and Pride (In the Name of Love), closing with the latter because it was their biggest song at the time.

They never reached it. During the set Bono climbed down from the stage and moved into the crowd, eventually reaching 15-year-old Kal Khalique, who he suspected was being crushed against the barrier. The detour turned Bad, from The Unforgettable Fire, into a 12-minute improvisation. Bono folded in fragments of Lou Reed’s Satellite of Love and Take a Walk on the Wild Side, plus the Rolling Stones’ Ruby Tuesday and Sympathy for the Devil. Reports later suggested the band were furious about losing Pride and that an argument broke out in the dressing room. Bono flew home to Ireland with his wife Ali, convinced he had blown it.

The response told a different story. The Edge later said he initially thought people were joking when they praised the band, but came to see the value in the performance’s “total jeopardy” and Bono’s determined effort to reach the audience. For some, the gesture looked indulgent. For the vast television audience, it created a direct emotional connection. Bad remained one of U2’s most intense songs, and this unplanned version became a turning point in their career.