Remembering When a Band Replaced Its Lead Singer Weeks Before Appearing at Live Aid in 1985

The Power Station’s lead singer, Robert Palmer, left the group just weeks before its scheduled Live Aid performance in July 1985, leaving the band to find a replacement quickly. Michael Des Barres, a singer and actor who had previously opened for Duran Duran, won the audition and stepped in, helping the band deliver a successful set.

The group performed two songs, with “Get It On (Bang A Gong)” as the highlight, as Des Barres worked the crowd with energetic showmanship. He later recorded only one soundtrack song with the band; disputes between John and Andy Taylor curtailed its future, though Power Station eventually reunited with Palmer for another album.