The 10 most famous benefit concerts

The Concert For Bangladesh - 1st August 1971

What was it? The first of the great all-star charity events was, of course, overseen by a Beatle. George Harrison had been contacted by his musical guru Ravi Shankar, who was horrified by the effects of the Bangladesh Liberation War, which had exacerbated the humanitarian crisis caused by the Bhola cyclone of November 1970.

Who played? Harrison stepped up and enlisted his Beatle comrade Ringo Starr, plus celebrity friends Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Klaus Voorman, and members of Badfinger to perform over two shows (afternoon and evening) on 1st August 1971 at New York's Madison Square Garden. Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan also played a set of Hindustani classical music, which prompted the amusing moment when the hip young crowd at MSG appaluded the sound of sitar master Shankar tuning up, thinking it was one of his songs. The shows were compiled into a film and a hugely-successul triple - yes, triple - album and marked both Dylan's first live show in the US in five years and a triumph for George, keeping him in place as the most successful Beatle after the split.

The Concert for Bangladesh, August 1, 1971

Carnivals Against Racism - 30th April 1978 and 15th July 1978

What was it? In a response to the growing rise of right wing groups in Britain - and an immediate reaction to Eric Clapton's inflammatory rant about race at a gig in Birmingham and David Bowie's tasteless comments about facism - Rock Againts Racism was a movement that sought to redress the balance by taking action and putting on gigs. These blossomed into the Carnivals Against Racism, two events that took place in the post-punk era. The first was at London's Victoria Park in East London, with a Northern version taking place three months later in Manchester's Alexandra Park.

Who played? London reggae act Misty In Roots led the march from Trafalgar Square to the event by performing on the back of a truck, then the show itself featured The Clash, Steel Pulse, the Tom Robinson Band, X-Ray Spex, Jimmy Pursey from Sham 69 and folk punk star Patrik Fitzgerald.

The Manchester edition featured local heroes Buzzcocks, Steel Pulse (again, as they were regulars at the city's Electric Circus venue), The Fall, Graham Parker & The Rumour, Exodus and China Street. The local Deeply Vale Free Festival lent their stage to the event.

The Clash at Rock Against Racism Victoria Park London 1978.mov

Concerts For The People of Kampuchea - 26th to 29th December 1979

What was it? The Cambodian/Vietnamese War began at the end of December 1978 which saw Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge in conflict with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The ongoing humanitarian crisis prompted Oxfam into action, raising £3 million in three months via a Blue Peter appeal and a series of concerts organised by Paul McCartney and UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim.

Who played? The four shows went as follows: Queen on the 26th December; The Clash, Matumbi and Ian Dury & The Blockheads on 27th December; The Who, The Specials and The Pretenders on 28th December; and Paul McCartney & Wings, Rockpile (featuring a guest slot from Robert Plant) and Elvis Costello & The Attractions on the 29th.

The final night ended with an appearance of "Rockestra", a McCartney-led supergroup that featured Paul & Linda, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin, The Who's Pete Townshend, Ronnie Lane and Kenney Jones from The Small Faces, Dave Edmunds and Billy Bremner from Rockpile, James Honeyman-Scott from The Pretenders, Bruce Thomas from the Attractions and Paul's Wings colleagues Denny Laine, Steve Holley and Laurence Juber. Also performing were Gary Brooker, Howie Casey, Tony Dorsey, Steve Howard and Thadeus Richard. An album was released to raise further funds for the appeal.

Paul McCartney & Rockestra - Rockestra Theme (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, 1979, Multi-Cam)

Live Aid - 13th July 1985

What was it? The greatest of them all. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure were prompted into action after seeing a BBC News report on the famine in Ethiopa, which resulted in the single Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid, which topped the charts at Christmas 1984. The next step was naturally to hold a benefit show, which took place on Saturday 13th July 1985 at both Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, with other events taking place as far afiedl as Australia, Canada, Japan and Germany. It was followed by Live 8 in 2005 and Live Earth in 2007, but neither had the cultural impact of the original edition.

Who played? Highlights from the London show included openers Status Quo, plus U2, Dire Straits, David Bowie, The Who, Elton John, Paul McCartney and, of course, Queen. Over in Philadelphia, performers included Black Sabbath, Run DMC, Crosby Stills & Nash, Judas Priest, Bryan Adams, The Beach Boys, Simple Minds, The Pretenders, Madonna, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger and Tina Turner, and a collab between Bob Dylan, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. The climax was a performance of USA For Africa's We Are The World and Phil Collins managed to appear at both shows and drummed with Led Zeppelin in Philadelphia, thanks to the miracle of Concorde.

Queen - Radio Ga Ga (Live Aid 1985)

The Prince's Trust All-Star Rock Concert - 20th June 1986

What was it? A gala show held at Wembley Arena to mark the first ten years of The Prince's Trust - a UK charity established by the now Charless III supporting 11 to 30 year olds in getting their lives on track.

Who played? The first half of the show featured performances from Big Country, Suzanne Vega, Level 42, Joan Armatrading and Dire Straits, while the second showcased The Prince's All Stars who consisted of Eric Clapton, Midge Ure, Bryan Adams and Mark Knopfler on guitar, Howard Jones on keyboards, Elton John on piano, Mark King of Level 42 and John Illsley of Dire Straits on bass, Ray Cooper on percussion and Phil Collins on drums. The finale featured Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Tina Turner, with Rod Stewart, Paul Yojng and Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi of Status Quo all in the mix. The highlight was a rousing rendition of Macca's I Saw Her Standing There.

Paul McCartney - Get Back (Prince's Trust Rock Gala 1986) (Alternate Version)

Silver Clef Award Winners Concert - 30th June 1990

What was it? The Silver Clef Awards is held by music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins and this huge event at Knebworth House celebrated some of its recipients. Proceeds from this show, its TV special and accompanying album went towards founding the BRITs school. So, in a way, this gig was responsible for bringing the world Adele.

Who played? Pink Floyd topped the bill, which also included Paul McCartney, Dire Straits, Genesis, Phil Collins, Mark Knopfler, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Tears For Fears and Cliff Richard.

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (Live at Knebworth 1990)

The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert - 20th April 1992

What was it? The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert took place on Easter Monday, 20th April 1992 at Wembley Stadium - five months after the Queen frontman had died from complications relating to AIDS. This tribute show was held to raise awareness of AIDS and led to the foundation of the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

Who played it? The show featured an array of stars who had worked with Mercury and Queen over the years: David Bowie, Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople (with whom Queen had toured with in the early days), Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Axl Rose of Guns N'Roses, guitarists Mick Ronson, Slash, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Metallica, Extreme and Def Leppard.

The second half of the show saw Queen members May, Deacon and Taylor joined by a procession of huge stars, including Elton John, George Michael, The Who's Roger Daltrey, Annie Lennox, Paul Young, Zucchero, Lisa Stansfield, Seal and special appearances by Liza Minelli and Elizabeth Taylor.

Queen & George Michael - Somebody to Love (HD Remastered) (The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert)

Tibetan Freedom Concert - 15th to 16th June 1996

What was it? The Beastie Boys founded this series of shows intended to raise funds and awareness for Tibetan Independence. Shows have taken place in San Francisco (1996), New York (1997), Washington DC (1998), Wisconsin, Amsterdamm, Sydney and Tokyo (1999), Tokyo again (2001), Taipei (2003) and Vienna and Geneva (2012). Since Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's death in 2012, there have be no further concerts under the banner.

Who played? The first Tibetan Freedom Concert at the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park in 1996 saw performances from the Beasties, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, De La Soul, Yoko Ono, A Tribe Called Quest, Sonic Youth, Beck, Björk and more.

Beastie Boys - Sabotage [Free Tibet 1996]

America: A Tribute To Heroes - 4th December 2001

What was it? After the terrorist attacks on New York City on 11th September 2001, four US TV networks came together for this telethon to raise money in the wake of the tragedy. Over $200 million was raised after the broadcast, which was also issued as an album and DVD.

Who played? Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, U2, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Faith Hill, Enrique Iglesias, Neil Young, Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, Mariah Cary, Sheryl Crow, Sting, Wyclef Jean, Paul Simon, Celine Dion and Willie Nelson all performed. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready played with Neil Young, while Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst and Wes Borland collaborated with John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls performed Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here.

Limp Bizkit & Johnny Rzeznik - America: A Tribute to Heroes (21 Sept 2001) - I Wish You Were Here

One Love Manchester - 4th June 2017

What was it? At an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena on 22nd May 2017, a terrorist bomb killed 22 people and injured over 800. A benefit show for families of the victims was quickly arranged by Grande, and the show took place at the Emirates Old Trafford (formerly Lancashire County Cricket Club) on 4th June.

Who played? Ariana Grande naturally anchored the show, but also performing on the night were local heroes Liam Gallagher, Robbie Williams and Take That, plus Marcus Mumford, Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, Niall Horan, Stevie Wonder, Little Mix, Victoria Monét, The Black Eyed Peas, Imogen Heap, Mac Miller, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Coldplay.

Liam Gallagher and Coldplay - Live Forever (One Love Manchester)

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