Bob took off the gloves when he thought I might refuse to appear.

he Concorde after playing his own set in London, recalled, “There wasn’t really any rehearsal time. Everyone thought, ‘It’s only rock ‘n’ roll, we’ll just go out and play,’ but it wasn’t a Zeppelin set and I wish I’d never done it.”

On the other side of the Atlantic, a happier reunion was unfolding at Wembley. Page, Plant, bassist Paul Rodgers, drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist Chris Stainton performed a pair of songs, including “Rock and Roll,” sounding tight and together if a bit desultory.

The Band’s Robbie Robertson and Rick Danko put in a more spirited showing. They kicked it off with a bruising “Chest Fever” and followed it up with “It Makes No Difference,” featuring Danko’s bittersweet voice accompanied by Robertson’s biting guitar. It was the first time the two had played together since the Band’s farewell concert in 1976, Danko noting, “We were all very serious — guitar battles and everything.”

Peter Frampton shared his thoughts on guitar speed. He said, “Very few people can play fast and put feeling into it.” The Zappa/Mothers alum was one of them, however, when he played Fleetwood Mac’s “Black Magic Woman” and “Breaking All the Rules” during his brief set at Wembley. Like the Band, the reunited Wham received a warm reception from the Wembley crowd for its hits “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “I’m Your Man.”

By this point, though, the ‘80s had brought the synthesizer into ascendancy, with such acts as Thompson Twins, Duran Duran and Culture Club. Yet Live Aid’s guitar highlights were high-water marks for the day, with Bob Dylan turning in a particularly memorable 15-minute set featuring “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” “Maggie’s Farm” and “Ballad of Hollis Brown.”

However the confluence of musical talent, camaraderie and cause may have curdled in some corners. Townshend made no secret that he didn’t want to be part of the affair. “I was there when it was just a glint in Bob Geldof’s eye,” he later said. “When Bob sensed I might refuse to appear, he took the gloves off.” He and his bandmates in the Who went on after the reuniting Black Sabbath, delivering a typically explosive set that included the iconic “My Generation” that would go on to shape the day’s finale.