Live Aid Donations Spiked in 1985 After Bowie Took The Stage, Not Queen, Says Event Creator

Bob Geldof set the facts straight about the 1985 charity show. According to the show's main organizer, the phone lines didn't crash during Queen's set, but rather when David Bowie took the stage. This fact contradicts what viewers saw in the Bohemian Rhapsody movie.

"The movie isn't right. Queen were completely, utterly brilliant. But the telephone lines collapsed after David Bowie performed," Geldof said, according to The New York Times.

The massive show took place on two stadiums at once — Wembley in London and the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. It raised $140 million to help Ethiopia's famine-stricken population. It aired on TV in 150 countries, with 1.5 billion watching.

Raw footage from a Canadian news report about Ethiopia had struck Bowie hard. The clips showed scenes too harsh for TV broadcast. "David was crying and said he would cut a song from his set to show the CBC report instead," Geldof said.

After singing "Heroes" with the crowd, Bowie showed the stark footage. His quiet, moving words asking for help touched millions. The shift from star entertainer to humanitarian spokesman stunned the audience.

Queen's time on stage still shines bright. "They just nailed it," Queen's roadie Peter Hince told PEOPLE. "I think it was the right time. The audience had to sit through bands who maybe weren't as exciting as Queen were."

Stars filled both stages that day, including The Beach Boys, Patti LaBelle, Hall and Oates, Sade, Sting, Phil Collins, U2, The Who, Elton John, and Paul McCartney. The idea originated after Geldof saw BBC news about Ethiopia in 1984. He and Scottish musician Midge Ure then built this massive event from scratch.