Sir Bob Geldof announces celebrates 40 years since Live Aid with Australian tour

Musician and humanitarian Sir Bob Geldof will celebrate 40 years since Live Aid with a national tour that ends in Perth in 2025.

The man behind the iconic 1985 concert that brought together the likes of Queen, U2, David Bowie, Madonna, and Tina Turner to raise over $100 million for famine relief will offer a rare glimpse into his journey from slaughterhouse worker to musician and activist.

Bob Geldof: Songs and Stories from an Extraordinary Life also marks the 50th anniversary of Boomtown Rats, the Irish rock group he fronted behind tracks I Don’t Like Mondays and Rat Trap.

Geldof’s Australian tour — starting in Sydney on March 15 before heading to Newcastle, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Perth on April 5 at Riverside Theatre— promises a night of intimate storytelling, music, and inspiration. Tickets go on sale on November 7.

There will be plenty of backstage tales and insight into some of his biggest moments — Geldof has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth and nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize — interspersed with screen presentations and acoustic performances of his biggest hits.

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The outspoken Irishman has become as much a household name for his philanthropic efforts as his music, using his platform to advocate for human rights and global poverty.

Despite Boomtown Rats splitting in 1986, the rockers re-formed and played across Australia in 2013.

He’s no stranger to Western Australia, presenting at a Telethon fundraiser lunch in 2017, citing his longtime friend, former HBF chief executive John Van Der Wielen as someone who helped him in his philanthropic endeavours.

Geldof’s adopted daughter Tiger Lily — daughter of his ex-wife Paula Yates and INXS’ Michael Hutchence — also lived in Fremantle and dated Pond frontman Nick Allbrook for several years. Geldof was spotted at a Fremantle op-shop in 2019 with Allbrook.

The music legend also has three children with Yates: Fifi Trixibelle, Pixie and Peaches who died from a heroin overdose in 2014.

Geldof is currently on the Gold Coast filming Zombie Plane, his first acting role in 12 years.