A major event was held on Thursday at Wembley Stadium, launching the forthcoming West End production of Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical. The event was hosted by radio DJ Jo Whiley and reunited the founders of Live Aid and Trustees of the Band Aid Charitable Trust, Sir Bob Geldof KBE, Midge Ure OBE, Harvey Goldsmith CBE, and John Kennedy OBE, as they returned to the iconic stadium almost 40 years on from the legendary concerts.
At the exclusive event, it was announced that Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Live Aid with a very special performance at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, on Sunday 13 July, followed by an exclusive after party with surprise special guest performances at Koko, Camden. There are a limited number of tickets available to purchase for this performance and after party with a generous additional contribution to the Band Aid Charitable Trust. For more information on this, and all other performances, click here.
Also announced today was Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical (Original Cast Recording) which has been created with the backing of Sir Bob Geldof and the Band Aid Charitable Trust. More than just a collection of songs, this album is a love letter to the ‘80s – a time of bold anthems, raw emotion, and an unshakable belief in music’s power to change the world. This is not only a reworking of these legendary tracks, it’s a celebration of their lasting impact, recorded in the same spaces as many of the original iconic songs.
Produced by Olivier-nominated arranger Matthew Brind and Jon Bath, and engineered by Grammy-nominated Jeremy Murphy, the album boasts a modern, expansive sound while staying true to the energy and emotion of the originals, even featuring new lyrics penned by Sir Bob Geldof himself.
Jamie Wilson, Producer of Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical commented:
“As we approach the 40th anniversary of Live Aid, it’s an incredible honour to bring Just For One Day to the stage—a celebration of the people, the passion, and the power of music to change the world. This musical is not only a tribute to one of the most extraordinary days in music history, but a reminder of what we can achieve when we come together for a common cause.”
Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical is the acclaimed new musical which had a record-breaking world premiere at London’s The Old Vic theatre in January 2024 – where it became the theatre’s fastest selling musical ever. It made its North American premiere at CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto from 26 January to 16 March 2025.
The production will begin performances at Shaftesbury Theatre, London from Thursday 15 May. Marking 40 years since the iconic Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia, 10% from the sale of all tickets to Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical will be donated directly to The Band Aid Charitable Trust. To date, more than £600,000 has been raised by the musical.
The cast includes Craige Els, who originated the role of Bob Geldof at The Old Vic, Kelly Agbowu, Julie Atherton, Jason Battersby, Jordan Cambridge-Taylor, Eloise Davies, James Hameed, Fayth Ifil, Melissa Jacques, Hope Kenna, AJ Lewis, Freddie Love, Tim Mahendran, Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky, Jack Michael Stacey, Emily Ooi, Ashley Samuels, Sadie-Jean Shirley, Jake Small, Tamara Tare and George Ure, with Kerry Enright, Evan Fox Harrison, Esme Laudat, Eddie Mann, Jaye Marshall, Lukin Simmonds and Dyd Wynford.
On 13 July 1985, music united the world. Now, 40 years on, discover the behind-the-scenes story of Live Aid in a whole new way at Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical. This exhilarating night out “rocks in all the right ways” (WhatsOnStage), with hit songs by Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Who, U2, Queen, Madonna, The Police, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross and more of the iconic artists who made history at simultaneous charitable concerts in London and Philadelphia.
Live Aid was an unprecedented global music event that brought 1.5 billion people together, and they all have a story to tell about ‘the day rock ‘n’ roll changed the world’. Whether you saw it live, watched it from home or weren’t even born yet, you won’t want to miss this “rip-roaring” (The Daily Telegraph) and “remarkable” (Daily Mail) new musical written by John O’Farrell (Mrs. Doubtfire, Something Rotten!) and directed by Luke Sheppard (& Juliet, The Little Big Things).
Director Sheppard has assembled a stellar creative team: Musical Supervision, Arrangements & Orchestration by Matthew Brind, Choreography by Ebony Molina, Set by Soutra Gilmour, Costume by Fay Fullerton, Lighting by Howard Hudson, Sound by Gareth Owen, Video & Projection by Andrzej Goulding and Casting by Stuart Burt CDG.
Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical is produced by Jamie Wilson Productions, Kevin McCollum, Sonia Friedman Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions, Kenny Wax Ltd, ATG Entertainment, David & Hannah Mirvish, Nederlander Presentations, Stephen C Byrd, Tilted, No Guarantees Productions, Burnt Umber Productions, Willette & Manny Klausner, Nicole Eisenberg, Hornos/Moellenberg and The Old Vic by permission of The Band Aid Charitable Trust.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
