Each band only had 20 minutes to perform - QUEEN delivered 20 minutes of perfection!! Pure Magic!! Pure Fun! Pure QUEEN! I've seen a video of their practice sessions - it was loads of hard work to hone their songs to the time frame and deliver them with such energy and passion - and still leave time for Freddie to involve the audience. The audience reaction says it all. What a great band! Thanks for the reaction, Squirrel. By the way, I still get tears in my eyes hearing the band play and Freddie belting out "We Are the Champions"... yes they are..always will be!
There are rock “stars”…there are “rock Gods”…..and there is “FREDDIE!l comparable to no one - out there - just kicking it - God bless you Mr Mercury, you were LOVED by us
Helen, hi! You are so right! Freddie said he was going to be a ROCK GOD, AND YES, HE WAS. How many people have ever said that they were going to do something that outrageous, AND DID IT!!!??? He just knew. That makes him more than special, I think. I think God let Freddie know this because he was only going to be with us such a short time and had a lot to accomplish! And he did . There will be another like him, so yes he was very special! Cheers!
At the time of Live Aid I was serving in the British Royal Marine Commandos in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, whilst the Bands were raising money for the people we were there to help and protect. We listened to it on the radio. We were surrounded by the full horror of the Famine, but when Queen came on the radio those poor soles who were there even reacted in a very positive way. I remember that a lot of us Royal Marine Commandos were crying watching some of the children dancing along, I'm teary eyed just remembering. I looked around at men I had fought alongside, who were tough, hardened Royal Marine Commandos who had fought a life and death war against Argentinian's in 82. By the end of Queen's set we were dancing with the children. It went along way to help build their trust in us. The famine in Ethiopia is only one of many terrible memories I have from 35 years of active service, and over 2 years hospitalisation. But when I remember the smiles on the children's faces, and their laughter at the terrible way we danced always reminds me that humanity will always find it's way through even the worst of times. I only watched it for the first time just over a year ago, my son put it on the TV. A lot of memories came back and a lot of tears.
Remember watching this live, I was lucky enough to be able to. The creator of live aid, Bob Geldof, was walking along the runways above the stage when he heard Queen begin their set, he stopped sat down and watched, later commenting "They played the best, had the best sound, used their time to the full. They understood the idea exactly, that it was a global jukebox" For most in the UK, this was the best live performance by any one ever. Prior to this Queen were not doing so well in sales, this one performance reignited their music and the rest is history so to speak. The kiss he blew in the first song was to his mother. On a side note Lady Gaga named herself after the song radio gaga.
This has been called the greatest live set of all time, it's 20 minutes that changed music forever. I'll never forget it as long as I live, watching it live on TV we knew that we were watching history unfold before our eyes.
The term GOAT is often used, but rarely is it as accurate as when they are referring to Freddie Mercury, his captivating stage personality, his abilities and raw power and that charisma level he has, the impact he left on music and people across the globe, that all is why he is one who does deserve that title of GOAT. Whenever i see this concert, i just cannot help but chuckle a little because i remember an interview he gave to a very uninformed journalist. The journalist asked Freddie : "So, what instrument do you play?" And Freddie's iconic answer : "I play the audience darling" No truer words have ever been said.. Fun facts people should know/remember : Freddie was told not to perform because he suffered a serious cold.(actually a bit worse than "just a cold") This concert was a world wide benefit concert in aide of African nations suffering starvation. At Wembley there were around 72.000 people and at the John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia there were roughly 90.000 people. The two main stages (UK/USA) both took turns broadcasting, giving both audiences and the world, both concerts as one 16 hour long concert. This was and still is one of the largest satellite linkups in television history, resulting in almost 2 billion viewers worldwide who watched the benefit concert (not counting the many radio broadcast listeners in this) Inspired by this benefit, other countries had joined in as well and held concerts at the same time. (Germany, Canada, Japan, but also the then Soviet Union, to name a few) Eventho there is plenty more to say, i'll leave it at this lol (post already long enough) Thnx for the react Squirrel, this concert is one for the history books.. actually, it already made it to the history books, this will never be forgotten.
Bass player John Deacan and he wrote some of their songs. Including under pressure. The stadium at the end is in Philadelphia. It's worth taking a look at the whole concert from Wembley. Status quo opened the show. TH-cam has the whole thing available. You might need a vpn to see it in the U.S..
AT 8:39 at the end of Radio GaGa you have Freddy center stage, then Brian May to his left and to the left of May wearing Jean shorts, Black t-shirt with curly hair is Brian Zellis a guy I went to school with. He was Brian May's guitar tec.
I've mentioned this before but here I go again, Queens performance was that good,the legendary singer/songwriter David Bowie who was on next after Queen was heard by a reporter to exclaim "how the fuck am I supposed to follow that" and a quote by Freddie Mercury was when asked by another reporter "what instrument do you play?", Freddie's answer "the crowd darling" bloody legend
@@RockyBobbieBuster The story is that Elton went into their trailer after they had finished, looked at them with a huge grin and said "You bastards! You stole the show!!"
@@russelmurphy4868 yeah I heard that story too but EJ is a twat,a friend of mine used to help set the stage up at the 02 arena and did so for twatty,my pal said twatty never spoke to any of the lads,never made eye contact and never thanked any of them,on the other hand he told me the complete opposite story about Rod Stewart,he laughed and joked with them all,sat on the stage with them drinking cups of tea that HE had made for them and gave them all 50 quid each as a thank you,chalk and cheese,black and white,good guy and twat
They were alloted a certain amount of time or the sound would be turned off. There is a stop light at the floor by the speakers. It was green early, then changed to yellow as a warning..then at the exact time Freddie put his arm down to finish the light turns red...perfection!
Not even a Queen audience and it was the best performance of the day. Freddie had the mic in one hand and the crowd in the other, they had a 20 minute slot and only overran by a few seconds. I've got the concert on dvd and played this segment to death!
Thx Squirrel for showing a nice, crisp HD version of this.Yup,superb! A bit of background/context and I'll try not to repeat what others have said: Before this,Queen's album sales were actually in a slight decline and they weren't part of the original bill Bob Geldof put together : The whole day started at 12noon BST ,a few sound issues for the first couple of hours and some bands kind of went through the motions , long gaps between songs (stupid when everyone only had 20 mins) , and some even tried out new material (mistake).By the time Queen came on , over 6 hrs later, the crowd were tired and prob a bit underwhelmed. Queen had rehearsed for two weeks prior to this , no gaps between songs, and all bangers! They stole the show , their album sales rocketed and they never looked back.Freddie was told not to perform by the doc due to a dodgy throat (he's just about hanging on at the end,he gave it everything)..and finally, did you notice Brian May plays three diff guitars during 'Crazy Little Thing..'? Sorry, I've nearly written an essay....good luck with those durian cakes you fool!
Never tire of watching this Live Aid concert and I could see that you enjoyed it. Did you also notice that Freddie Mercury covered the whole stage, from extreme left to extreme right, which gave all the fans opportunity to see him closer. Wonderful frontman. Glad that you mentioned the roadie who worked tirelessly every time Queen performed.
I’m one of the lucky ones, together with my late husband, (who asked me to marry him on the spot) who was there and witnessed this show. Queen saved the day and the whole event. I hope my husband got to meet Freddie,… somewhere.
You are one of my favourite reactors and even sitting here on holiday I love watching you....now to top it off you are reacting to the greatest singer, frontman and band the world will ever know. Top man
Roger Taylor, the drummer, is very short-sighted and he said when he looked up during 'We are the Champions" the crowd were like a field of wheat blowing in the wind. They also said the acoustics on stage were so awful and the crowd were so loud, that they just couldn't hear one another. That's where their professionalism comes to the fore. They had practiced the set for weeks beforehand to get the timing right. You can see a lot of visual signals and cues going on between them all. John Deacon and Roger Taylor keeping the timing really tight. As Freddie's voice is beginning to give out at the end, (he had been advised not to sing that day because of a throat infection) you can hear Roger singing louder and louder to support him. They were just so bloody good live.
They days when you clapped you danced you watched and you listened no cell phones no selfies just people enjoying themselves to the full and the most charismatic front man who could hold the crowd in the palm of his hands absolutely brilliant Rip freddie in our hearts forever ♥
Later that evening, Brian and Freddie came back out for a short encore. If you get the chance, check out 'Is This The World We Created', Beautiful song with the perfect sentiment for Live Aid. (great reaction, by the way, Thanks!)
Wasn't there, and as a nurse I had to work..............but we had the concert on in the tea room and you could catch snippets - loved it ! OOps my age is showing again 😆
I remember it as if it were yesterday. Queen smashed it out of the park that day, best performance by far. Freddie the ULTIMATE entertainer. So many memories and thank you for invoking them. Love the channel and much respect.
Still remember that performance to this day!I was playing football in the street on a hot day every body had their windows open and Queen started playing! No body was outside the whole village was glued to their TV.
Watched this performance live on tv as a 7 year old and even then realised it was a n amzing thing as the rest of my family were going mental. A lot later as raver i'd put this on at the after partys and made people watch and took great joy in the reactions of everyone. I still it at family do's and am now joined by my kids jumping around and dancing. There will never be anyone close to this man. I went to Garden lodge Kensington last year and stood outside and said a few words. Love this man and performance. The way the way world is at moment we need this. ❤ Btw ive watched this 100's of times. They were nervous due to the negative press cos of south Africa gig. When freddie did that dance during radio gaga and the crowd went wild he knew he had them. Tbh every movement he did was legendary. So proud as a brit. And YES, thats what i say 200k people and doesnt give a f#$k. The little kisses to the crowd like 'come on this IT'
I wasn't there (I was 13), but I watched it all from start to finish, and even at that age I knew the Queen segment was exceptional. Head and shoulders above anything else that day.
Freddie had the most extraordinary, powerful voice and endless charisma. I remember watching Live Aid in 1985 and this was the standout performance of the whole concert. He had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. A huge talent, gone too soon.
I love how Freddie makes everybody smile. Thank you so much for mentioning the great crew. Everything was exactly where it should be when. Camera crew and editing it together are also perfect.
Wow indeed! Thanks for this one! And you know they say you have to watch out for the quiet ones, right! John Deacon probably wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for Freddie, looking out for him. And round of applause for Ratty, the roadie with the mic! 👏👏👏
Well squirrel that's a performance you will never forget, the master at work, I remember watching it live on TV as a spotty faced teenager, still maks my arm hair stand on end every time I see this . If I had a time machine this gig would deffo be high on the list 👍❤🏴
in my opinion no singer band or group could sound as good as queen could live with no auto tune they where as good if not better sounding live as most groups these days sound in a studio. queen was a magical mix of extreamly talented musicians and singers never since repeated.
👏👏👏 reaction Incomparable! Queen stood out for 2 reasons back then - because of the incredible performance and crowd participation and also because they rehearsed for an entire week making sure they filled the 20 minute slot to the maximum and ensuring they and the crew had precision timing for everything that happened. Many of the “greats” rocked up and sang a couple of their big hits but didn’t practice nor rehearse …. There were some performances that were so bad that the agents of those bands put a blanket ban on any distribution of their sets. All bands gave their time free …. Queen made sure that the audience got 100.% - the same as their own fee paying audiences And on that subject ….. this audience did not know Queen was performing as they weren’t announced till well after tickets had already sold out. Makes the entire thing even more remarkable!!! 👑❤️👑❤️💐
@@jvshangout I wasn’t a fan of Queen when I was younger. Only grew into them as I got older (notice I didn’t say matured 😊). Love being surprised by music still though
Thanks for reacting to this :) I love it, still gives me goosebumps. Could you imagine actually being there, also how much would you hate to be the next act!!
What a lot of people watching this today may not be too aware of is the fact that this was not a Queen crowd. By which I mean the were not a crowd of Queen fans going to see queen in concert. Queen were only a small segment of an enormous show, there was no main act (although if there were I think this might qualify). Nevertheless he managed to totally captivate them. I remember watching this on tv on the day ( I was about 20) and at the end of it thinking 'some act has to come on and perform after THAT, poor bastard'. The year before that performance I was at a queen concert and I was one those shouting EEEH-OW. Completely under his spell.
One thing to remember about this performance from Freddie Mercury, he was actually ill with laryngitis on the day, there were 72000 people in the stadium, and another 120000 in various venues around London, and another billion people worldwide watching this event it's been calculated that close to 20% of the world's population watched Freddie Mercury live at live aid
This was the first time I saw Queen perform live on television back in 1985 and I was blown away by the performance. Not least because they sounded as good live as they do on record, which means you can identify a Queen song by the first few bars. Given the fact that Queen were doing this for charity and not financial gain makes it all the more remarkable because they put everything into a professional performance. A lot of entertainers will tone down a performance for charity and some bands don't sound much like they do on record. As for Radio Gaga - it isn't my favourite Queen song either, but it's one that the audience got very engaged in which impressed me and Freddie Mercury always encouraged his audience to participate. Freddie Mercury was a great entertainer (not a great pretender) who was taken from us when he was still young and much too soon. Very sadly missed by the music industry. RIP Freddie.
There was only 72,000 at Wembley Stadium for Live Aid which is a small crowd for Queen as 6 months prior they performed in front of over 250,000 at the Rock in Rio festival. Most of the artists had never performed in front of a crowd that large at Live Aid but for Queen it was a walk in the park. Queen gave the best performance of the day and the best performance by any band ever. Freddie's the greatest frontman of all time, complete showman, oozes confidence, great stage presence and knows how to work a crowd. There will never ever be another frontman like him. Wasn't before him, hasn't been since and never will. R.I.P. Freddie, THE GOAT, greatly missed but never ever forgotten.
In UK we love radio ga ga. Another favourite in UK is I want to break Free. They were a great group, Freddie the showman and the rest of the group are happy with it because Freddie never tried to be bigger than the group
It was a brilliant performance... I was there (I'm 74 y/o now). I don't know where 200,000 came from but the actual attendance at Wembley was about 72,000 and at Philadelphia exact number is 89,484. (Wembley only held 100,000) The concert was at best mediochre (no real atmosphere) and the fund-raiser was heading for financial disaster until Queen came on. Queen and Freddie turned it around in that 20 minute set. They brought it to life, and the volume woke London up. Anyone who has not seen the film Bohemian Rhapsody should try to get a copy of the DVD. OK it has a bit of 'artistic licence' but it's largely correct and, in the extras on the DVD you get the full Queen Live Aid set and, the short set when Freddie and Brian came back on stage near the end of the concert. The thing that breaks me up even today is that Freddie did all that knowing he was dying. Just one thought. Don't do that typical American thing and over-analyse it. It doesn't need analysing, history has proved that many times over. Just accept it for what it was. Probably the greatest live set ever performed
I remember this concert very well, as I was there, I was 16 at the time. lol. Looking out from the stage my mates and I were just to the right of the camera tent in the middle of the crowd. Awesome day, well worth the journey into London.
There was around 75,000 live billions on TV world wide they did a rock in Rio concert with 305,000 that was their biggest live audience I think.hard to believe he was suffering from a heavy cold and sore throat that day he still killed it
I always have such mixed feelings when i watch this again. Feelings of pride, feelings of joy, feelings of sadness. Queen have been there in my life since i was a child (i'm 56 next month). This concert filled every Brit with pride (including me) at the time & still does. Queen & Freddie were cherished by the UK & global Public. Freddie is sorely missed, he would still be rocking today i just know it, if alive. A great British band that took the World.. They certainly were/are 'Champions of the World'! 👍🇬🇧❤🇺🇸
HIYA SQUIRREL, This is one of the BEST reactions I've watched to this performance! (Why can't everyone be organized and write down their talking points!) IMPORTANT FYI: THERE IS ONE MORE QUEEN SONG PERFORMED AT LIVE AID: "IS THIS THE WORLD WE CREATED?" ....is the encore that Brian May & Freddie did later as part of the closing performances. You can find the video for it on the official Live Aid channel. (I HOPE YOU'LL REACT TO IT?) Wembley Stadium held 72,000-78,000 people (someone else will know the exact number) Live Aid was simultaneously being shown to the live audience over in Philadelphia on their matching GIANT screen; that audience was 125,000. (So, the live acts were "taking turns" between the UK stage and the U.S. stage... when the U.S. acts performed, the Wembley audience was watching them on the giant screen, and back-and-forth) In addition to the live audiences, there was the live telecast to folks watching on their TVs of course... The total audience watching this live, was 1.9 BILLION people, about 40% of the world's population at the time. I've read from folks who were in the live audience over in Philadelphia, that when Freddie was having the audience sing/interact, that everyone in the Philadelphia audience was following along, doing the same! (Here's a weirdo little bit of trivia that I bet no one but me has noticed: Back in 1982 when Queen appeared on Saturday Night Live, Chevy Chase was the cast member introducing them. On this Live Aid day, over on the Philadelphia stage, Chevy Case was also the emcee who introduced Queen (before they switched to the UK screen). There's probably no one else in the world who would be interested in that fact but me, but there ya go.) Excellent point about Queen's crew, as well! There's a cool piece of video footage (about 10 minutes long) from Queen's 1982 MILTON KEYNES "Fire At The Bowl" concert (MY FAV CONCERT!) that shows the BTS stage set-up and interviews some of the crew.... VERY interesting! Also at the same Milton Keynes 1982 show, talking about Freddie's eye contact/connecting w the crowd: In the opening numbers: "THE HERO"/"WE WILL ROCK YOU" FAST VERSION ....Freddie's practically hanging off the scaffolding, getting the crowd worked up, yelling "Rock with me!" and making faces at someone in the crowd. And during.... "SOMEBODY TO LOVE" (Which, BTW, the Milton Keynes version is WAY MORE FUN than Montreal) ....Freddie yells out "You with me, Brothers and Sisters!" So, YEAH, he made everyone feel involved. P.S. Wherever you read something about an audience of 200,000, that must've been a mix-up with probably the 1985 Rock In Rio music festival... That audience was anywhere from 250,000-400,000 (There was an "open gate" so folks w festival tickets could come & go). Queen also did similar huge concerts around South America earlier in the 80s as well. SO, SUGGESTION FOR THE GIANT AUDIENCE: "LOVE OF MY LIFE" LIVE AT ROCK IN RIO, 1985 250,000 or more people - who did NOT speak English - ALL SINGING the lyrics, essentially serenading Freddie & Brian. (Crap, SORRY this is so long!)
That’s so awesome. Of course they sang it feels great to sing with Freddie. I have to stop myself from singing while reacting so I don’t ruin the swing on you folks 🤣. Have a great day!
The old Wembley stadium held 100,000 for football games. When they had concerts they shut on end down for the stage. Then people stood on the pitch. But it was not 200,000. I went to other concerts there the atmosphere was brilliant.
Daytime concerts are tough because you can see the whole crowd, night shows or inside venues, you can only see the first 5 rows or so. Freddie always said that the bigger the better when it comes to crowds. Wembley Stadium held 72,000 people but from what I heard Bob Geldorf say, was that they way it was set up it held about 80,000. I think it is safe to say that it was a capacity crowd and at least 72,000 people in attendance. This concert was broadcast to the world so in fact millions watched it live. Freddie was advised by his doctor not to sing that day because he had a throat infection but wouldn't have missed an opportunity to sing live to the world, for anything.
The concert is embedded in my mind forever. I was thirteen. It was a hot day in the UK, so typically we all went outside. My Dad fired up the barbecue - a new thing at that that time. I put the portable TV (the name then for a 14 inch) in the garden (yard). You could hear it being played everywhere.
John Deacon, the bass player, DID sing in a lot of their records and songs. He just never wanted to be in the limelight and was happy to be in the background.
They were a late edition to the line up. Apparently Freddie had a bad throat and was told by the doctor not to perform. However, he did so and they smashed it.
John Deacon always sang in live performances to fill out the vocals. He seldom sang in the studio. Roger said the crowd looked like a field of wheat waving in the breeze from his vantage point.
72.000 at Wembley, 100.000 at philadelphia ,US - and broadcast worldwide via 13 satellites estimated 1.9 billion in all. The guitar/microphone guy is "Ratty" - Freddies roadie. It is said that John Deacon had a full equipped bar behind the amps.I was not there - but I watched the whole concert on television - as did "everybody". If you want to see Roger Taylor show his potential you should see "Somebody to Love", Montreal 1981.
John Deacon was the Bass player and did keep a low profile. He’s was credited to writing a fair few of Queens biggest hits including another one bites the dust. After Freddie died he only played couple of shows with the band before retiring and although he’s the one who is in control of financial side of the band he keeps himself very private and even his old band mates rarely have any contact with him. He hasn’t made any public appearances in years and has no interest in playing again.
Live aid was finally the end of Freddie Mercury's self-destruction; it's when he finally was at peace with himself and back with the people who truly cared about him without using him for their own personal gain. There will never be another artist and performer like him.
I’m going to be in a very small minority here because not only was I not there I also did not watch it live as I did not have a TV at the time, I was listening to the entire concert live on the radio and the performance came across just as epic. The undoubted highlight of the entire marathon that day (personally think Dire Straights set was exceptional as well) Queen were consummate stadium performers and some songs such as We Will Rock You and Radio Ga Ga were written with audience participation in mind. Although in this vein I doubt anything comes close to 700,000 Portuguese speaking Brazilians belting out Love Of My Life at their concert in Rio. Or the Greenday audience collectively singing Bohemian Rhapsody with the PA system prior to their concert in Hyde Park. Great review, great band, great day RIP Freddie thanks for the memories.
The old Wembley stadium held around 79,000 people but this was televised live, around the globe, so it also included JFK stadium in Philly (shown at the end) and all the people at home watching on TV. So 200,000 people is a good guesstimate. That little kiss to the camera (during Bohemeum Rhapsody) was for his Mum. bending over and sticking his bum towards the crowd was a message to an old manager apparently.
I remember watching this at home in London as a 14 year old! Absolutely amazed! Of course Freddie stole the show. I could have probably heard it if I had stuck my head out the window lol
Great stuff. It was a bit sobering when you pointed out this was 37 years ago. I was 36 in 1985, so this was over half a lifetime ago for me. Makes you think, don`t it.
The guitar brian may plays is the red special that he and his father made.the neck is made from an old fireplace lintel and to play it he uses an old sixpence coin.
Wembley held 72,000 for concerts; however, the next summer in 1986, Queen played two dates at Wembley so would have been about 144,000 total. Also on that tour was a single date at Knebworth Park which had a capacity of 120,000.
My favourite part is during Radio Gaga when Freddie jumps down off the main stage to the lower stage below, he stands very close to a guy from the crew who happened to be standing in the wings just watching, and there's a moment where you see the guy shake his head and smile as you can see he is blown away that Freddie is standing right next to him stealing the show. You can imagine that guy going home and telling the story of that moment for years to come.
And to think, he had strep throat at the time of the concert. Hence the slight raspy horsiness, and even more sweat and heavy breathing than usual. The man gave it everything he had.
Love your reaction, fun facts Freddie had a throat infection during this performance doctors told him not to sing but he did anyway. Also Lady Ga Ga chose her name from their song radio ga ga she's a huge fan
Re Number watching. Live Aid had two simultaneous Concerts: Wembley in UK and Philly in USA. Wembley had 75,000, Philly 96,000 and a live stream TV audience of approx 1.3 Billion people. I watched "live" in New Zealand and saw them come on at around 6.30 am NZ time) Greatest 20min I've ever seen. Queen had rehearsed for a week re timings. (None of the songs were played in full) Most other bands just "winged it" and sadly it showed. Each band had exactly 20 min and BBC said the mic sound and music would be turned off if they exceeded their time. Queen carefully arranged to get the maximum number of songs they could play and finished 6 seconds inside their time slot. You can see the light flick on as they bowed at the finish.
Like others commenting, I remember it well. Watched LiveAid on TV at home from the beginning. Queen really lifted it as it had been running for a few hours by then. A mate of mine was there with his girlfriend at the time.
there were a number of factors why Queen were so great that gig, 1) when they agreed to play they went in to the rehearsal studio and nailed down a 20 minute set, 2) the roadies who teched the whole show were the Queen roadies, the local council had ordered the sound to be at a certain level, however when Queen came on the roadies turned the switches to full so the crowd got the full effects. Queen knew that they needed songs which would pack a punch. To this date their Live Aid gig is considered the greatest live performance by any one ever.
Radio Ga Ga isn't one of their biggest or best songs but it was a relatively recent single at the time, which was why the whole crowd did the hand clap right from the start, ie because it was in the music video of the single.
He’s having a ball. Knows they are killing it. Didn’t know if crowd would be with them because of all the other newer groups playing. But once he saw them clapping to radio Gaga he knew he had them
When I saw the band back in early 70's, John Deacon(the bass player) never sang and never even spoke. Then , in '75, which was the third time they came to Preston, all the audience kept shouting for their favourite song. It must have sounded odd, everyone shouting " Liar! " at the top of their voices. It got so bad that John came up to the mic and said "Be quiet for Freddie, please" People were so stunned that he'd spoken, you could hear a pin drop after that!
An interviewer once asked Freddie. “You play many instruments, which is your favourite?”. Freddy replied” The audience, darling”. ❤️🐿🏴
How Freddie! He was right, he played his audiences like a fine tuned instrument and they loved it! Cheers!
@@vickiebunch5703 And it wasn't even a Queen audience! Just shows how good Freddie was.
And that was Freddie with a major throat condition!
Each band only had 20 minutes to perform - QUEEN delivered 20 minutes of perfection!! Pure Magic!! Pure Fun! Pure QUEEN! I've seen a video of their practice sessions - it was loads of hard work to hone their songs to the time frame and deliver them with such energy and passion - and still leave time for Freddie to involve the audience. The audience reaction says it all. What a great band! Thanks for the reaction, Squirrel. By the way, I still get tears in my eyes hearing the band play and Freddie belting out "We Are the Champions"... yes they are..always will be!
There are rock “stars”…there are “rock Gods”…..and there is “FREDDIE!l comparable to no one - out there - just kicking it - God bless you Mr Mercury, you were LOVED by us
Are!
So true!
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Helen, hi! You are so right! Freddie said he was going to be a ROCK GOD, AND YES, HE WAS. How many people have ever said that they were going to do something that outrageous, AND DID IT!!!??? He just knew. That makes him more than special, I think. I think God let Freddie know this because he was only going to be with us such a short time and had a lot to accomplish! And he did . There will be another like him, so yes he was very special! Cheers!
@@vickiebunch5703 👏👏👏👏👏👏
At the time of Live Aid I was serving in the British Royal Marine Commandos in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, whilst the Bands were raising money for the people we were there to help and protect. We listened to it on the radio. We were surrounded by the full horror of the Famine, but when Queen came on the radio those poor soles who were there even reacted in a very positive way. I remember that a lot of us Royal Marine Commandos were crying watching some of the children dancing along, I'm teary eyed just remembering. I looked around at men I had fought alongside, who were tough, hardened Royal Marine Commandos who had fought a life and death war against Argentinian's in 82. By the end of Queen's set we were dancing with the children. It went along way to help build their trust in us. The famine in Ethiopia is only one of many terrible memories I have from 35 years of active service, and over 2 years hospitalisation. But when I remember the smiles on the children's faces, and their laughter at the terrible way we danced always reminds me that humanity will always find it's way through even the worst of times. I only watched it for the first time just over a year ago, my son put it on the TV. A lot of memories came back and a lot of tears.
Remember watching this live, I was lucky enough to be able to. The creator of live aid, Bob Geldof, was walking along the runways above the stage when he heard Queen begin their set, he stopped sat down and watched, later commenting
"They played the best, had the best sound, used their time to the full. They understood the idea exactly, that it was a global jukebox"
For most in the UK, this was the best live performance by any one ever. Prior to this Queen were not doing so well in sales, this one performance reignited their music and the rest is history so to speak.
The kiss he blew in the first song was to his mother.
On a side note Lady Gaga named herself after the song radio gaga.
That’s some cool info. Cool stories about Bob and Gaga
Squirrel you should check out the Phil Collins story from this concert used Concord to play two different gigs
This has been called the greatest live set of all time, it's 20 minutes that changed music forever. I'll never forget it as long as I live, watching it live on TV we knew that we were watching history unfold before our eyes.
The term GOAT is often used, but rarely is it as accurate as when they are referring to Freddie Mercury, his captivating stage personality, his abilities and raw power and that charisma level he has, the impact he left on music and people across the globe, that all is why he is one who does deserve that title of GOAT.
Whenever i see this concert, i just cannot help but chuckle a little because i remember an interview he gave to a very uninformed journalist.
The journalist asked Freddie : "So, what instrument do you play?"
And Freddie's iconic answer : "I play the audience darling"
No truer words have ever been said..
Fun facts people should know/remember :
Freddie was told not to perform because he suffered a serious cold.(actually a bit worse than "just a cold")
This concert was a world wide benefit concert in aide of African nations suffering starvation.
At Wembley there were around 72.000 people and at the John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia there were roughly 90.000 people.
The two main stages (UK/USA) both took turns broadcasting, giving both audiences and the world, both concerts as one 16 hour long concert.
This was and still is one of the largest satellite linkups in television history, resulting in almost 2 billion viewers worldwide who watched the benefit concert (not counting the many radio broadcast listeners in this)
Inspired by this benefit, other countries had joined in as well and held concerts at the same time. (Germany, Canada, Japan, but also the then Soviet Union, to name a few)
Eventho there is plenty more to say, i'll leave it at this lol (post already long enough)
Thnx for the react Squirrel, this concert is one for the history books.. actually, it already made it to the history books, this will never be forgotten.
One of the best live performances ever captured... Freddie put everything he had into this and it shows.. Simply Amazing. thanks for reacting too!
Appreciate you being here man. Freddie was simply amazing.
Bass player John Deacan and he wrote some of their songs. Including under pressure. The stadium at the end is in Philadelphia. It's worth taking a look at the whole concert from Wembley. Status quo opened the show. TH-cam has the whole thing available. You might need a vpn to see it in the U.S..
@@Bestmusicreactions They all were! Brian, Roger, and John all killed, as well.
AT 8:39 at the end of Radio GaGa you have Freddy center stage, then Brian May to his left and to the left of May wearing Jean shorts, Black t-shirt with curly hair is Brian Zellis a guy I went to school with. He was Brian May's guitar tec.
I've mentioned this before but here I go again, Queens performance was that good,the legendary singer/songwriter David Bowie who was on next after Queen was heard by a reporter to exclaim "how the fuck am I supposed to follow that" and a quote by Freddie Mercury was when asked by another reporter "what instrument do you play?", Freddie's answer "the crowd darling" bloody legend
Wasn't it Elton John said you hear that? Their stealing the show
Bowie also called them "Bastards"! In the nicest way, as they were great friends.
@@paultaylor781 they're stealing the show said by the twat that is EJ
@@RockyBobbieBuster The story is that Elton went into their trailer after they had finished, looked at them with a huge grin and said "You bastards! You stole the show!!"
@@russelmurphy4868 yeah I heard that story too but EJ is a twat,a friend of mine used to help set the stage up at the 02 arena and did so for twatty,my pal said twatty never spoke to any of the lads,never made eye contact and never thanked any of them,on the other hand he told me the complete opposite story about Rod Stewart,he laughed and joked with them all,sat on the stage with them drinking cups of tea that HE had made for them and gave them all 50 quid each as a thank you,chalk and cheese,black and white,good guy and twat
They were alloted a certain amount of time or the sound would be turned off. There is a stop light at the floor by the speakers. It was green early, then changed to yellow as a warning..then at the exact time Freddie put his arm down to finish the light turns red...perfection!
WONDERFUL JOB, SIR -- YOU ACTUALLY LISTENED to the music! Best voice, best showman, BEST BAND EVER!!!
Thank You
Not even a Queen audience and it was the best performance of the day. Freddie had the mic in one hand and the crowd in the other,
they had a 20 minute slot and only overran by a few seconds.
I've got the concert on dvd and played this segment to death!
Thx Squirrel for showing a nice, crisp HD version of this.Yup,superb! A bit of background/context and I'll try not to repeat what others have said: Before this,Queen's album sales were actually in a slight decline and they weren't part of the original bill Bob Geldof put together : The whole day started at 12noon BST ,a few sound issues for the first couple of hours and some bands kind of went through the motions , long gaps between songs (stupid when everyone only had 20 mins) , and some even tried out new material (mistake).By the time Queen came on , over 6 hrs later, the crowd were tired and prob a bit underwhelmed. Queen had rehearsed for two weeks prior to this , no gaps between songs, and all bangers! They stole the show , their album sales rocketed and they never looked back.Freddie was told not to perform by the doc due to a dodgy throat (he's just about hanging on at the end,he gave it everything)..and finally, did you notice Brian May plays three diff guitars during 'Crazy Little Thing..'? Sorry, I've nearly written an essay....good luck with those durian cakes you fool!
Never tire of watching this Live Aid concert and I could see that you enjoyed it. Did you also notice that Freddie Mercury covered the whole stage, from extreme left to extreme right, which gave all the fans opportunity to see him closer. Wonderful frontman. Glad that you mentioned the roadie who worked tirelessly every time Queen performed.
I’m one of the lucky ones, together with my late husband, (who asked me to marry him on the spot) who was there and witnessed this show. Queen saved the day and the whole event. I hope my husband got to meet Freddie,… somewhere.
You are one of my favourite reactors and even sitting here on holiday I love watching you....now to top it off you are reacting to the greatest singer, frontman and band the world will ever know. Top man
Appreciate those kind words my friend. Enjoy your holiday!
Freddie was advised not to sing by his doctor, due to a throat problem, but went ahead with the concert anyway x
Roger Taylor, the drummer, is very short-sighted and he said when he looked up during 'We are the Champions" the crowd were like a field of wheat blowing in the wind. They also said the acoustics on stage were so awful and the crowd were so loud, that they just couldn't hear one another. That's where their professionalism comes to the fore. They had practiced the set for weeks beforehand to get the timing right. You can see a lot of visual signals and cues going on between them all. John Deacon and Roger Taylor keeping the timing really tight. As Freddie's voice is beginning to give out at the end, (he had been advised not to sing that day because of a throat infection) you can hear Roger singing louder and louder to support him. They were just so bloody good live.
And not a stupid cell-phone in sight,just the people looking and clapping in unison.
They days when you clapped you danced you watched and you listened no cell phones no selfies just people enjoying themselves to the full and the most charismatic front man who could hold the crowd in the palm of his hands absolutely brilliant Rip freddie in our hearts forever ♥
Later that evening, Brian and Freddie came back out for a short encore. If you get the chance, check out 'Is This The World We Created', Beautiful song with the perfect sentiment for Live Aid. (great reaction, by the way, Thanks!)
It will bring a tear to Tony's eye!
What a front man ..had the audience in the palm of his hand , we miss you Freddie 🙂👍
This never fails to bring me to tears! I was 15 when I watched this live and I knew I was witnessing something special! God bless you Freddie
Amazing that 30 years later he still has such a profound impact on us all
My old man was working at Live Aid that day with the opening band Status Quo, was perfect way to start the fabulous day, you should give them a look 🌟
Wasn't there, and as a nurse I had to work..............but we had the concert on in the tea room and you could catch snippets - loved it ! OOps my age is showing again 😆
I remember it as if it were yesterday. Queen smashed it out of the park that day, best performance by far. Freddie the ULTIMATE entertainer. So many memories and thank you for invoking them. Love the channel and much respect.
Like a lot of youtube reactors , that moment when you realise that a song you have heard a million times is one of Queen's . 14.24 is priceless .
Still remember that performance to this day!I was playing football in the street on a hot day every body had their windows open and Queen started playing! No body was outside the whole village was glued to their TV.
Freddie had a microphone in one hand, and the entire world in the other. A rare tallent sadly missed.
Watched this performance live on tv as a 7 year old and even then realised it was a n amzing thing as the rest of my family were going mental. A lot later as raver i'd put this on at the after partys and made people watch and took great joy in the reactions of everyone.
I still it at family do's and am now joined by my kids jumping around and dancing.
There will never be anyone close to this man.
I went to Garden lodge Kensington last year and stood outside and said a few words.
Love this man and performance.
The way the way world is at moment we need this. ❤
Btw ive watched this 100's of times. They were nervous due to the negative press cos of south Africa gig. When freddie did that dance during radio gaga and the crowd went wild he knew he had them.
Tbh every movement he did was legendary. So proud as a brit.
And YES, thats what i say 200k people and doesnt give a f#$k. The little kisses to the crowd like 'come on this IT'
I wasn't there (I was 13), but I watched it all from start to finish, and even at that age I knew the Queen segment was exceptional. Head and shoulders above anything else that day.
Freddie had the most extraordinary, powerful voice and endless charisma. I remember watching Live Aid in 1985 and this was the standout performance of the whole concert. He had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. A huge talent, gone too soon.
I love how Freddie makes everybody smile. Thank you so much for mentioning the great crew. Everything was exactly where it should be when. Camera crew and editing it together are also perfect.
Wow indeed! Thanks for this one! And you know they say you have to watch out for the quiet ones, right! John Deacon probably wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for Freddie, looking out for him. And round of applause for Ratty, the roadie with the mic! 👏👏👏
Well squirrel that's a performance you will never forget, the master at work, I remember watching it live on TV as a spotty faced teenager, still maks my arm hair stand on end every time I see this . If I had a time machine this gig would deffo be high on the list 👍❤🏴
If you make a time machine pick me up so I can go too!
@@Bestmusicreactions me too xx
my kid brother was at this gig he said it was really awesome. RIP freddie
in my opinion no singer band or group could sound as good as queen could live with no auto tune they where as good if not better sounding live as most groups these days sound in a studio. queen was a magical mix of extreamly talented musicians and singers never since repeated.
👏👏👏 reaction
Incomparable! Queen stood out for 2 reasons back then - because of the incredible performance and crowd participation and also because they rehearsed for an entire week making sure they filled the 20 minute slot to the maximum and ensuring they and the crew had precision timing for everything that happened. Many of the “greats” rocked up and sang a couple of their big hits but didn’t practice nor rehearse …. There were some performances that were so bad that the agents of those bands put a blanket ban on any distribution of their sets.
All bands gave their time free …. Queen made sure that the audience got 100.% - the same as their own fee paying audiences
And on that subject ….. this audience did not know Queen was performing as they weren’t announced till well after tickets had already sold out. Makes the entire thing even more remarkable!!!
👑❤️👑❤️💐
WOW is indeed the appropriate response. I’ve never actually watched this, thanks for this. 🤘🇬🇧🤘
Wow.. surprised you haven't seen this historic Queen performance.. glad you finally got to see it.. Epic is the word for it! Cheers!
Pure magic brother
@@jvshangout I wasn’t a fan of Queen when I was younger. Only grew into them as I got older (notice I didn’t say matured 😊). Love being surprised by music still though
Freddie was born to be an iconic star 💫 I wish he could have been here on earth longer ❤️ so enjoyed this 🐿 🙌🏼🌹
Thanks for reacting to this :) I love it, still gives me goosebumps. Could you imagine actually being there, also how much would you hate to be the next act!!
What a lot of people watching this today may not be too aware of is the fact that this was not a Queen crowd. By which I mean the were not a crowd of Queen fans going to see queen in concert. Queen were only a small segment of an enormous show, there was no main act (although if there were I think this might qualify). Nevertheless he managed to totally captivate them.
I remember watching this on tv on the day ( I was about 20) and at the end of it thinking 'some act has to come on and perform after THAT, poor bastard'.
The year before that performance I was at a queen concert and I was one those shouting EEEH-OW. Completely under his spell.
One thing to remember about this performance from Freddie Mercury, he was actually ill with laryngitis on the day, there were 72000 people in the stadium, and another 120000 in various venues around London, and another billion people worldwide watching this event it's been calculated that close to 20% of the world's population watched Freddie Mercury live at live aid
This was the first time I saw Queen perform live on television back in 1985 and I was blown away by the performance. Not least because they sounded as good live as they do on record, which means you can identify a Queen song by the first few bars. Given the fact that Queen were doing this for charity and not financial gain makes it all the more remarkable because they put everything into a professional performance. A lot of entertainers will tone down a performance for charity and some bands don't sound much like they do on record.
As for Radio Gaga - it isn't my favourite Queen song either, but it's one that the audience got very engaged in which impressed me and Freddie Mercury always encouraged his audience to participate.
Freddie Mercury was a great entertainer (not a great pretender) who was taken from us when he was still young and much too soon.
Very sadly missed by the music industry. RIP Freddie.
There was only 72,000 at Wembley Stadium for Live Aid which is a small crowd for Queen as 6 months prior they performed in front of over 250,000 at the Rock in Rio festival. Most of the artists had never performed in front of a crowd that large at Live Aid but for Queen it was a walk in the park. Queen gave the best performance of the day and the best performance by any band ever. Freddie's the greatest frontman of all time, complete showman, oozes confidence, great stage presence and knows how to work a crowd. There will never ever be another frontman like him. Wasn't before him, hasn't been since and never will. R.I.P. Freddie, THE GOAT, greatly missed but never ever forgotten.
Imagine being next up on stage after this performance and trying to better it , iconic ❤️🏴
In UK we love radio ga ga. Another favourite in UK is I want to break Free.
They were a great group, Freddie the showman and the rest of the group are happy with it because Freddie never tried to be bigger than the group
It was a brilliant performance... I was there (I'm 74 y/o now).
I don't know where 200,000 came from but the actual attendance at Wembley was about 72,000 and at Philadelphia exact number is 89,484. (Wembley only held 100,000) The concert was at best mediochre (no real atmosphere) and the fund-raiser was heading for financial disaster until Queen came on. Queen and Freddie turned it around in that 20 minute set. They brought it to life, and the volume woke London up. Anyone who has not seen the film Bohemian Rhapsody should try to get a copy of the DVD. OK it has a bit of 'artistic licence' but it's largely correct and, in the extras on the DVD you get the full Queen Live Aid set and, the short set when Freddie and Brian came back on stage near the end of the concert.
The thing that breaks me up even today is that Freddie did all that knowing he was dying.
Just one thought.
Don't do that typical American thing and over-analyse it.
It doesn't need analysing, history has proved that many times over.
Just accept it for what it was.
Probably the greatest live set ever performed
I remember this concert very well, as I was there, I was 16 at the time. lol. Looking out from the stage my mates and I were just to the right of the camera tent in the middle of the crowd. Awesome day, well worth the journey into London.
I watched the whole show when it happened then watched the Philadelphia one and queen stole the show ,easily. Great post.
There was around 75,000 live billions on TV world wide they did a rock in Rio concert with 305,000 that was their biggest live audience I think.hard to believe he was suffering from a heavy cold and sore throat that day he still killed it
I always have such mixed feelings when i watch this again. Feelings of pride, feelings of joy, feelings of sadness. Queen have been there in my life since i was a child (i'm 56 next month). This concert filled every Brit with pride (including me) at the time & still does. Queen & Freddie were cherished by the UK & global Public. Freddie is sorely missed, he would still be rocking today i just know it, if alive. A great British band that took the World.. They certainly were/are 'Champions of the World'! 👍🇬🇧❤🇺🇸
HIYA SQUIRREL,
This is one of the BEST reactions I've watched to this performance! (Why can't everyone be organized and write down their talking points!)
IMPORTANT FYI:
THERE IS ONE MORE QUEEN SONG PERFORMED AT LIVE AID:
"IS THIS THE WORLD WE CREATED?"
....is the encore that Brian May & Freddie did later as part of the closing performances. You can find the video for it on the official Live Aid channel.
(I HOPE YOU'LL REACT TO IT?)
Wembley Stadium held 72,000-78,000 people (someone else will know the exact number)
Live Aid was simultaneously being shown to the live audience over in Philadelphia on their matching GIANT screen; that audience was 125,000. (So, the live acts were "taking turns" between the UK stage and the U.S. stage... when the U.S. acts performed, the Wembley audience was watching them on the giant screen, and back-and-forth)
In addition to the live audiences, there was the live telecast to folks watching on their TVs of course... The total audience watching this live, was 1.9 BILLION people, about 40% of the world's population at the time.
I've read from folks who were in the live audience over in Philadelphia, that when Freddie was having the audience sing/interact, that everyone in the Philadelphia audience was following along, doing the same!
(Here's a weirdo little bit of trivia that I bet no one but me has noticed:
Back in 1982 when Queen appeared on Saturday Night Live, Chevy Chase was the cast member introducing them. On this Live Aid day, over on the Philadelphia stage, Chevy Case was also the emcee who introduced Queen (before they switched to the UK screen). There's probably no one else in the world who would be interested in that fact but me, but there ya go.)
Excellent point about Queen's crew, as well!
There's a cool piece of video footage (about 10 minutes long) from Queen's 1982 MILTON KEYNES "Fire At The Bowl" concert (MY FAV CONCERT!) that shows the BTS stage set-up and interviews some of the crew.... VERY interesting!
Also at the same Milton Keynes 1982 show, talking about Freddie's eye contact/connecting w the crowd: In the opening numbers:
"THE HERO"/"WE WILL ROCK YOU" FAST VERSION
....Freddie's practically hanging off the scaffolding, getting the crowd worked up, yelling "Rock with me!" and making faces at someone in the crowd. And during....
"SOMEBODY TO LOVE"
(Which, BTW, the Milton Keynes version is WAY MORE FUN than Montreal)
....Freddie yells out "You with me, Brothers and Sisters!" So, YEAH, he made everyone feel involved.
P.S. Wherever you read something about an audience of 200,000, that must've been a mix-up with probably the 1985 Rock In Rio music festival... That audience was anywhere from 250,000-400,000 (There was an "open gate" so folks w festival tickets could come & go). Queen also did similar huge concerts around South America earlier in the 80s as well.
SO, SUGGESTION FOR THE GIANT AUDIENCE:
"LOVE OF MY LIFE" LIVE AT ROCK IN RIO, 1985
250,000 or more people - who did NOT speak English - ALL SINGING the lyrics, essentially serenading Freddie & Brian.
(Crap, SORRY this is so long!)
That’s so awesome. Of course they sang it feels great to sing with Freddie. I have to stop myself from singing while reacting so I don’t ruin the swing on you folks 🤣. Have a great day!
The old Wembley stadium held 100,000 for football games. When they had concerts they shut on end down for the stage. Then people stood on the pitch. But it was not 200,000. I went to other concerts there the atmosphere was brilliant.
Daytime concerts are tough because you can see the whole crowd, night shows or inside venues, you can only see the first 5 rows or so. Freddie always said that the bigger the better when it comes to crowds. Wembley Stadium held 72,000 people but from what I heard Bob Geldorf say, was that they way it was set up it held about 80,000. I think it is safe to say that it was a capacity crowd and at least 72,000 people in attendance. This concert was broadcast to the world so in fact millions watched it live. Freddie was advised by his doctor not to sing that day because he had a throat infection but wouldn't have missed an opportunity to sing live to the world, for anything.
The concert is embedded in my mind forever. I was thirteen. It was a hot day in the UK, so typically we all went outside.
My Dad fired up the barbecue - a new thing at that that time.
I put the portable TV (the name then for a 14 inch) in the garden (yard). You could hear it being played everywhere.
a barbeque was a "new thing"? In 1985? Very interesting Dr.
Similar here my friend except I was 16
I was 12 and remember watching the later part in a black and white TV.
there is only 7 or 8 days of summer in Britain when you can have a barbecue.
John Deacon, the bass player, DID sing in a lot of their records and songs. He just never wanted to be in the limelight and was happy to be in the background.
Lady Gaga was such a fan of queen that she named herself after their song 'Radio Gaga'.
They were a late edition to the line up. Apparently Freddie had a bad throat and was told by the doctor not to perform. However, he did so and they smashed it.
I remember watching this all day with my mum. Queen stole the whole day. Your reaction was perfect, Squirrel. No words needed x
John Deacon always sang in live performances to fill out the vocals. He seldom sang in the studio. Roger said the crowd looked like a field of wheat waving in the breeze from his vantage point.
72.000 at Wembley, 100.000 at philadelphia ,US - and broadcast worldwide via 13 satellites estimated 1.9 billion in all. The guitar/microphone guy is "Ratty" - Freddies roadie. It is said that John Deacon had a full equipped bar behind the amps.I was not there - but I watched the whole concert on television - as did "everybody". If you want to see Roger Taylor show his potential you should see "Somebody to Love", Montreal 1981.
The kisses & winks at the camera were, reportedly, for his mum who was watching at at home.
Freddie is and always will be the greatest. He's a legend and always loved.
O Freddie Mercury, só estava aquecendo a voz.🌹🌸🌻🌷
Ele continua sendo o melhor do mundo.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Brasil 🇧🇷
John Deacon was the Bass player and did keep a low profile. He’s was credited to writing a fair few of Queens biggest hits including another one bites the dust. After Freddie died he only played couple of shows with the band before retiring and although he’s the one who is in control of financial side of the band he keeps himself very private and even his old band mates rarely have any contact with him. He hasn’t made any public appearances in years and has no interest in playing again.
The one. AND ONLY.
1.5 BILLION ppl watched this amazing event worldwide. R.I.P. FREDDIE. WE MISS U BUT U WILL NEVER EVER BE FORGOTTEN
Live aid was finally the end of Freddie Mercury's self-destruction; it's when he finally was at peace with himself and back with the people who truly cared about him without using him for their own personal gain. There will never be another artist and performer like him.
R.I.P Freddie
I’m going to be in a very small minority here because not only was I not there I also did not watch it live as I did not have a TV at the time, I was listening to the entire concert live on the radio and the performance came across just as epic.
The undoubted highlight of the entire marathon that day (personally think Dire Straights set was exceptional as well) Queen were consummate stadium performers and some songs such as We Will Rock You and Radio Ga Ga were written with audience participation in mind. Although in this vein I doubt anything comes close to 700,000 Portuguese speaking Brazilians belting out Love Of My Life at their concert in Rio. Or the Greenday audience collectively singing Bohemian Rhapsody with the PA system prior to their concert in Hyde Park.
Great review, great band, great day RIP Freddie thanks for the memories.
The old Wembley stadium held around 79,000 people but this was televised live, around the globe, so it also included JFK stadium in Philly (shown at the end) and all the people at home watching on TV. So 200,000 people is a good guesstimate. That little kiss to the camera (during Bohemeum Rhapsody) was for his Mum. bending over and sticking his bum towards the crowd was a message to an old manager apparently.
I remember watching this at home in London as a 14 year old! Absolutely amazed! Of course Freddie stole the show.
I could have probably heard it if I had stuck my head out the window lol
Thanks for sharing this exciting piece of HISTORY💘❤💖
Awesome......I was there that day ❤❤❤❤ never tire of watching the masters at work 👑👑👑
My Dad was a big Queen fan. Thanks for this 🐿
The thing I needed to see today.
Brilliant performance. I still have it recorded on Betamax and every now and then I watch it, the fuzziness just adds to the memories.
I am subscriber 978. Thought I'd just mention it. So glad you've started this channel, Squirrel!
There were around 72,000 people in Wembley & also around 89,000-90,000 people in the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia never get tired of watching it x
I watched Live Aid the whole day....the brightest part was this 20 minute set.
Great stuff. It was a bit sobering when you pointed out this was 37 years ago. I was 36 in 1985, so this was over half a lifetime ago for me. Makes you think, don`t it.
Queen and Freddie were certainly the champions that day.
The guitar brian may plays is the red special that he and his father made.the neck is made from an old fireplace lintel and to play it he uses an old sixpence coin.
"Born to perform" best accolade you can give this man and yes I was there!
So awesome you got to see them.
Queen saved Live Aid…and Live Aid saved Queen
There is only one version of Radio GaGa that can capture me and it's at Live Aid. 😆
Team work makes the dream work
Wembley held 72,000 for concerts; however, the next summer in 1986, Queen played two dates at Wembley so would have been about 144,000 total. Also on that tour was a single date at Knebworth Park which had a capacity of 120,000.
My favourite part is during Radio Gaga when Freddie jumps down off the main stage to the lower stage below, he stands very close to a guy from the crew who happened to be standing in the wings just watching, and there's a moment where you see the guy shake his head and smile as you can see he is blown away that Freddie is standing right next to him stealing the show. You can imagine that guy going home and telling the story of that moment for years to come.
And to think, he had strep throat at the time of the concert. Hence the slight raspy horsiness, and even more sweat and heavy breathing than usual. The man gave it everything he had.
Love your reaction, fun facts Freddie had a throat infection during this performance doctors told him not to sing but he did anyway. Also Lady Ga Ga chose her name from their song radio ga ga she's a huge fan
Re Number watching. Live Aid had two simultaneous Concerts: Wembley in UK and Philly in USA. Wembley had 75,000, Philly 96,000 and a live stream TV audience of approx 1.3 Billion people. I watched "live" in New Zealand and saw them come on at around 6.30 am NZ time) Greatest 20min I've ever seen. Queen had rehearsed for a week re timings. (None of the songs were played in full) Most other bands just "winged it" and sadly it showed. Each band had exactly 20 min and BBC said the mic sound and music would be turned off if they exceeded their time. Queen carefully arranged to get the maximum number of songs they could play and finished 6 seconds inside their time slot. You can see the light flick on as they bowed at the finish.
Like others commenting, I remember it well. Watched LiveAid on TV at home from the beginning. Queen really lifted it as it had been running for a few hours by then. A mate of mine was there with his girlfriend at the time.
there were a number of factors why Queen were so great that gig, 1) when they agreed to play they went in to the rehearsal studio and nailed down a 20 minute set, 2) the roadies who teched the whole show were the Queen roadies, the local council had ordered the sound to be at a certain level, however when Queen came on the roadies turned the switches to full so the crowd got the full effects. Queen knew that they needed songs which would pack a punch. To this date their Live Aid gig is considered the greatest live performance by any one ever.
Radio Ga Ga isn't one of their biggest or best songs but it was a relatively recent single at the time, which was why the whole crowd did the hand clap right from the start, ie because it was in the music video of the single.
It was a massive hit around the world.
I really did enjoy this brother thanks for sharing and your reactions where great lol much love and respect brother squirrel
Appreciate that man. Much love always brother.
To me radio ga ga is the the feeling I get when I listen to radio now I'm old. When I was a teenager I couldn't get enough.
He’s having a ball. Knows they are killing it. Didn’t know if crowd would be with them because of all the other newer groups playing. But once he saw them clapping to radio Gaga he knew he had them
there will never another Freddie
Can you imagine having to be the act that comes on to follow this?👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️🐿🏴
Just give up and leave then.
When I saw the band back in early 70's, John Deacon(the bass player) never sang and never even spoke. Then , in '75, which was the third time they came to Preston, all the audience kept shouting for their favourite song. It must have sounded odd, everyone shouting " Liar! " at the top of their voices. It got so bad that John came up to the mic and said "Be quiet for Freddie, please" People were so stunned that he'd spoken, you could hear a pin drop after that!
What's the saying 'less is more' and by the sounds of it, it worked for John so good on him!
@Scriptly I couldn't remember the exact date, but if you say so, I'm sure you're right
Love that.