Queen's performance at Live Aid

Last updated
Queen's performance at Live Aid
Location Wembley, England
Venue Wembley Stadium
Date(s)13 July 1985
Attendancec. 72,000
Part of Live Aid

Queen had a 21-minute set during Live Aid on 13 July 1985, which began at 6:41pm [a] . In 2005 it was voted as the best rock gig of all time. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The performance was recreated and is the focal point in the 2018 biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody . [2]

Background

Queen was originally not meant to perform at Live Aid, as Freddie Mercury was worried about their appearance being taken as a "political statement". Bob Geldof managed to convince them otherwise. [3]

Performance

External video
Searchtool.svg Queen - Radio Ga Ga (Live Aid 1985)
Recording of Queen performing "Radio Ga Ga" at Live Aid.

The performance began at 6:41pm, opening with an excerpt of "Bohemian Rhapsody". [4] The song transitioned into a up-beat faster tempo version of "Radio Ga Ga", with the crowd clapping in sync with Mercury. Mercury led the crowd in unison refrains, [5] and his sustained note—"Aaaaaay-o"—during the a cappella section came to be known as "The Note Heard Round the World". [6] The band finished their set with "Hammer to Fall", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", a shortened version of "We Will Rock You" and finally, "We Are the Champions". [7]

"Is This the World We Created...?" was also performed in a second set as one of the final songs of the Wembley concert. This was done with just Freddie Mercury (vocals) and Brian May (acoustic guitar).[ citation needed ]

Performed songs

Songs
"Bohemian Rhapsody"
"Radio Ga Ga"
"Ay-Oh"
"Hammer to Fall"
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
"We Will Rock You"
"We Are the Champions" [8]
"Is This the World We Created...?"

In 2020, Queen + Adam Lambert reprised the original Queen setlist from Live Aid for the Fire Fight Australia charity concert in Sydney, Australia. [9]

Lineup

The gig was recreated in the 2018 biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody as the climax of the film. [10] [11] Footage from the original performance can be seen to match very accurately with the movie performance.

In 2019, the performance was recreated on The Simpsons as one of its couch gags. [8] [12]

Reception

In 2005 Queen's performance was voted as the best live rock gig of all time. [1] [2] According to the BBC's presenter David Hepworth, their performance produced "the greatest display of community singing the old stadium had seen and cemented Queen's position as the most-loved British group since the Beatles". [13] Paul Brannigan of Classic Rock called it "arguably the most iconic moment of the band's storied career". [14]

Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof said: "[They] were absolutely the best band of the day. 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. They just went and smashed one hit after another." [12]

Notes

  1. ↑ The exact time it started is disputed. Some sources say it started at 6:42pm while most say 6:41pm.

References

  1. 1 2 "Queen win greatest live gig poll". BBC News . 2005-11-09. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  2. 1 2 3 "33 years later, Queen's Live Aid performance is still pure magic". CNN . Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  3. 1 2 "30 fun facts for Live Aid's 30th birthday". Digital Spy. 2015-07-13. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  4. ↑ "Remembering Queen's beautiful but 'forgotten' Live Aid performance". Smooth Radio . Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  5. ↑ Minchin, Ryan, dir. (2005) "The World's Greatest Gigs". Initial Film & Television. Retrieved 12 October 2024 via YouTube.
  6. ↑ Beaumont, Mark (2020-07-11). "Aaaaaay-o! Aaaaaay-o! Why Live Aid was the greatest show of all". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  7. ↑ "When Queen Took 'Bohemian Rhapsody' to Live Aid". The New York Times. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  8. 1 2 Skinner, Tom (2019-10-05). "D'oh-hemian Rhapsody: 'The Simpsons' recreate Queen's iconic Live Aid show in new episode". NME. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  9. ↑ Dye, Josh (16 February 2020). "Queen reprises famous 1985 Live Aid set at Fire Fight Australia concert". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  10. ↑ Moore, Sam (2018-10-25). "'Bohemian Rhapsody' cast explain how they recreated Queen's legendary Live Aid show". NME. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  11. ↑ Sandwell, Ian (23 October 2018). "How Bohemian Rhapsody recreated that incredible Queen performance at Live Aid". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  12. 1 2 "Queen's Iconic 'Live Aid' Performance To Be Recreated On 'The Simpsons'". Blabbermouth. 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  13. ↑ Hepworth, David (25 May 2011). "God Save The Queen by David Hepworth (Radio Times)". Queen Online. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  14. ↑ Brannigan, Paul (2 July 2025). ""We thought it was going to be a disaster." Brian May and Roger Taylor look back on Queen's now-legendary performance at Live Aid, and share Bob Geldof's blunt pre-show advice to Freddie Mercury". Louder. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
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