QUEEN LIVE AID 1985 - the greatest live performance of all time

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Freddie Mercury's mesmerising performance with Queen at Wembley Stadium is one of the most enduring memories of Live Aid. Now the band's 1985 performance of We Will Rock You has been crowned the most iconic festival moment of all time. Everyone remembers where they were when this was televised


The old Wembley Stadium was the setting, on 13 July 1985, for one of the greatest live concerts ever staged: Live Aid. Sting, U2, Dire Straits, The Who, Elvis Costello, Elton John and George Michael were among the acts performing in London that day (Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Madonna and Tom Petty were at the John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia for the American counterpart). But of all the high-calibre artists on display that day, there was unanimous agreement that Queen’s Live Aid performance stole the whole show with a magnificent, 21-minute tour-de-force set.

“We hesitated about doing Live Aid”

The 2019 hit biopic Bohemian Rhapsody starts and ends with footage recreating Queen’s Live Aid concert – a performance that remains the high point of the band’s live history. Their participation was initially in doubt, however, and as recently as June 2019, guitarist Brian May admitted: “We definitely hesitated about doing Live Aid.”

Rehearsals and preparation

After finally accepting Bob Geldof and Midge Ure’s invitation to play the event, Queen – who comprised Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano and guitar), Brian May (guitar and vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums and vocals) – were consummate professionals and decided to rehearse their set thoroughly to get timings and solos down to perfection for what would be a truncated performance.








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