First Time Watching | Queen - Live Aid 

I’ll provide a little background about this performance in case you don’t know. Live Aid was a global concert to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. This concert was at Wembley in the UK in front of about 75,000 fans and there was another concert at the same time in Philadelphia. In front of 90,000 fans. They had large screens at both sites so that everyone could see both concerts. There were about 60 of the biggest musicians performing in 20 minute sets. Queen was added to the show after all tickets were sold so they were nervous that these were not Queen fans. They used 13 satellites to broadcast all over the world with an estimated 1.9 billion people watching. During the Radio GaGa performance all the musicians backstage who were socializing got quiet when they heard the crowd interaction and went up to watch. This is when they realized that Queen was stealing the show. Freddie’s long note in his call and response is referred to as the Note Heard Around the World. Those in Philadelphia were responding to him as well. This is considered the best live performance ever.

You never saw Freddie touch any of the beer. All the smaller cups were a mixture of tea, honey and lemon. Freddie had a chronic problem with nodules in his throat. Actually, his Dr advised him not to do Live Aid due to a throat infection. Freddie singing at Live Aid was with a throat problem!! Nobody knew he wasn’t at 100%. He’s just that good!

Queen blew everyone else out of the water. They stole the show. Freddie was the best front man in history. There will never be another Freddie Mercury.

See that tent in the middle of the stadium I was a 27 year old lighting engineer in that tent ,bricking myself incase I messed it up ,greatest concert ever , I 67 now and remember every second

"What instrument do you play? The crowd darling!" He held the 🎤 in 1 hand and the Whole crowd in the other!

A few fun facts about Queen: * Guitarist Sir Brian May has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics and built his electric guitar (Red Special) when he was 17 (with his dad). * Bassist John Deacon has a degree in electronics. He designed and built the amp that Brian sometimes uses to create unique sounds on Red Special. John was also involved in the band’s financial management. * Drummer Roger Taylor has a degree in biology (pre-med). His vocal range is better than most lead singers of other groups. * Lead singer Freddie Mercury has a degree in graphic design. It goes without saying that his vocal range was amazing and he was the best front man of any band. * All four have written #1 hits, and all are members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

It wasn’t only Queen who realized they had been sensational. Paul Gambaccini, who was part of the BBC broadcasting team at Live Aid, recalled the awe among other superstar musicians watching backstage. “Everybody realized that Queen was stealing the show,” said Gambaccini. These were the very words Elton John uttered when he rushed into Mercury’s trailer after the set. “You bastards, you stole the show,” joked the charismatic star. “Queen smoked ’em. They just took everybody. They walked away being the greatest band you’d ever seen in your life, and it was unbelievable,” said Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters. “And that’s what made the band so great; that’s why they should be recognized as one of the greatest rock bands of all time, because they could connect with an audience.” Their impact was summed up by Geldof. “Queen were absolutely the best band of the day,” the Live Aid organizer said. “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. It was the perfect stage for Freddie: the whole world.”

That is how one man can hold 72,000 people in the palm of his hand. ❤

Greatest frontman of all time - period - his death 6 years later was a tragedy beyond compare and woke the world up from the bigotry that surrounded AIDS. God bless you Freddie xx

Queen is the name of the BAND, the lead singer is Freddie Mercury. Those aren't all his glasses although he did keep a glass of tea with honey on the piano during a performance to keep his throat from drying out during nonstop singing. He was NOT "lit", it's very disrespectful of you to say that. It's reported that he had a shot of vodka before coming on stage to try to numb his throat but he was most certainly not drunk.

78000 people in the stadium. Billions watching worldwide. ONE MAN TO COMMAND THEM ALL! Freddie Mercury is the one and only rock GOD

Thats not how Freddie acted when he was drinking or on drugs. Thats just his regular personality. He was truly a God on earth.

Those cups weren't beer, it was water and lemon tea for his throat. He was singing with a throat infection that day, although nothing in his performance reflected it. A true singer and musician, no autotune, just incredible talent!! ❤ Always love you, Freddie, Brian, Roger and John. ❤❤

Freddy and Queen OWNED LiveAid. There will never be anyone like Freddy Mercury

Most of the audience weren’t Queen fans. Yes, they knew the songs, but they were there for other artists performing. This concert helped relaunch Queen as a super band worldwide.

I saw this concert live in 85. Yes what a great time to be alive for sure 😄

Freddie had too much respect for music and his guitar to break it. He was brilliant in every way. What a stage presence and what a brilliant band! 💕💕💕💕💕

The 70s and 80s were the greatest time to be alive, because we had Queen and music was absolutely fantastic, we had concerts where tens of thousands of people came together to rock out and everyone was high on the music. The good old days when it didnt matter one damn bit who you were gonna vote for! Thanks for a awesome reaction to the greatest bands with the legendary Freddie Mercury. 🌈👑🫶💙

NOTHING BUT GREATNESS!! R.I.P FREDDIE WE MISS YOU

It wasn't just the stadium we were all watching all day. It was a global experience. The world was one and you felt it.

FYI...Queen is a group, not a he. ✌️

Freddie would turn around and bend over at every concert. That was a message sent to their old management and record company that they should not have screwed over Queen when they were just starting out.

Don't forget on lead guitar is Sir Dr Brian May. He earned a PhD degree in astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007 and was Knighted in 2023

Freddie Mercury didn't drink bear at concerts. He had cups of tea with honey for his vocals. He did do drugs, but he was a professional when it mattered and took care of his voice.

Queen always said that the audience shouldn't just watch the show, they should be part of it. This audience wasn't a Queen audience it was a huge mix of music fans.

Queen is the name of the band, the main singer was called Freddie Mercury, they performing during a live concert with many other bands to raise money and awareness awareness of the famine in africa

Please remember there were four people in the band not just one. People get so caught up with Freddie's performance, which is brilliant, but he had three equally brilliant musicians behind him. Real musicians, the like of which you don't see today. Freddie Mercury - Vocals Sir Dr Brian May - lead guitar ( Astrophysicist, Knighted by Queen Elizabeth the Second) John Deacon - bass John Taylor - Drums. (and a damn good voice) Each one a brilliant musician with university degrees/diplomas/doctorates who each wrote hit songs. Another wonderful live performance is Montreal 1981. Somebody to Love.

And nobody knew when they bought their £25 ticket for the whole day that Queen was part of the package. Demonstrated how popular they were by how they knew all lyrics to all Queen songs!

72,000 at Wembley and 89,484 people at the Philadelphia concert. It was shown simultaneously worldwide. Seen by 1.2 billion people. Over 60 acts performed at each venue. Phil Collins played both concerts thanks to the Concord jet. Whom ever told you Freddie drank beer on stage was wrong. He didn't drink beer or soda, didn't want to burp. He usually drank tea with honey.

Singers drink honey and lemon, mate. They don't get fkd up on stage,

Just FYI. Roger Taylor drummer/ vocals actually had a higher vocal range than Freddie& often backed Freddie up. All members of Queen are top notch.

Queen were alo the loudest band at live aid ,their sound engineer was told under no circumstances was he to increase the levels so the smart cookie just switched off the limiters and the head engineer never noticed until afterwards, brilliant

Best part is no cell phones …. Ppl in 100% to clap, cheer, and be present for an amazing show. I miss those times❤️

The lead singer/frontman name is Freddie Mercury. Some of those cups were tea and honey for Freddie. He would not drink beer during a performance because he didn’t want to burp and be rude to the audience. It was only a 20 minute set so not sure if any of those cups belonged to any of the other guys. Freddie had a bad throat infection and was told by his doctor not to perform.

Four legendary musicians doing what they did for 20 years - entertaining magnificently! ❤

Early in their career during an interview each band member was asked what instrument they play.. when it came time for Freddie's answer, in his own flamboyant style he replied "the audience darling".. god I love that man.. RIP Freddie 💜

You know what? Always check your history about anything and in particular our music heroes in comparison, there is nothing today that can compete !! Also, take a good look at the crowd, not a mobile phone to be seen and the crowd are having one of the most historic moments in music history. As you may know, this concert was to raise and did, millions for the terrible situation in Ethiopia. Please look it up😊

72,000 people at Wembley. No sound check before going on, and the crowd were not all Queen fans (lots of other acts performing on the day) yet Freddie Mercury commanded them all! Freddie had a throat infection that day and was advised by doctors not to perform...and he STILL nailed it!! Queen stole the entire show!! And as for the guitarist...not bad for a home made instrument!!

Keep in mind Freddie was sick and his range suffered and still the best at the concert and the world! They were a replacement for some band I forget and had no rehearsal time. They were just amazing! RIP guys! You gave us alot.

Freddie also had a really bad throat infection during this performance..he did not have medical clearance to perform. He was born to be a performer. The entire group was uber talented..genious level musicians and writers. Sadly Freddie passed the year before you were born. I'm so I was a teen of the eighties and got to experience this in real time. Freddie was one in a billion..there never be another one like him..still miss his exixtence on earth. 😢❤

Pretty good for someone who was advised by his doctor to flag this gig because he had laringytis!

You know they're good when everybody in the crowd can sing every word to every song

Every act was given 20 mins to perform. Queen had twelve seconds to spare before they cut the sound. It was the best live rock performance in history, official.

and remember this wasn't a Queen audience, it just proves how fabulous Freddie was. They absolutely stole the show, remember watching this ...live, my lord I'm old!!!! but we did have the very best music. Great reaction from you.

It's going to disappoint you that Freddy was not lit. Most of the time you was either drinking honey and lemon or water

The best 20 minutes of your life

Oh my god, I got goose bumps everytime I hear this music. Freddie was the best, he will stay in the heart of that generation forever.

The cups on the piano contained water with lemon and honey along with cups of beer. They were to keep his voice lubricated while performing.

I saw Queen several times beginning in 1975 so I have been in love with Freddie for 50 years. The greatest band of all time!

Brian May created his own guitar

Freddie would often make gestures to the crowd, that was meant for the people he cared about him and was watching. Example his mother.

Freddie Mercury is/was the best front man in Rock-n-Roll. He would have the ENTIRE audience eating out of the palms of his hands.

Yes, we were there, and it was beyond phenomenal. Now at 65 years old and still believing i am in my 20's, we get to share Queen, Dire Straits, Phil Collins, creedance Clearwater, Pink Floyd; etc...... with our grandchildren. Our grandchildren who absolutely love our generations music and don't quite believe we attended all the greats concerts. It is such a blessing that the internet has given us the joy of memories and the joy of seeing the next generations appreciate the music 🎶

the Eeeyooo call and response is also called the "note heard around the world"

No time to get lit on this set timeline. You'll see one sip after "Hammer to Fall." The crowd was fuel for Freddie so while studio recordings could be complex, artistic achievements and limitless in genres they chose to explore, performing LIVE was fresh and electric. Queen was innovative with touring for their time - so this was a stripped down version which caught the crowd by surprise and let them walk away with the day's prize.

A reporter once asked Mercury what instrument do you play on stage? Even though he could play them all and then some, his answer was, "I play the crowd". Amazing showman, Mercury came alive on stage.

Lady Ga Ga got her stage name from Queens song Radio Ga Ga ❤

I love this set from this concert. I have seen it more times than I can count to the point that I have every bit memorized but I still am captivated by it every time. I remember watching it on the day it happened, everyone I knew was watching. Thank you for your reaction. Actually, Freddie did not drink before a show and during a show he might take a sip of either tea or beer to wet his throat and he would usually toast the audience with a sip or two of Champagne but Freddie did not come on stage drunk or on drugs other than maybe a rare occasion during their 20 years of performaing together as a band. Now, John used to have a little bar behind his bass amp and he would slam back a bit of Vodka during shows sometimes. But Queen was not a band that showed up wasted. I did hear that Roger showed up so drunk one time that they had to lift him onto his drum stool but he performed perfectly. I rather imagine that all the exercise of playing the drums sobered him up fairly quickly. A lot of those cups are water, tea, tea with lemon and tea with honey for Freddie's throat and there is usually one cup or bottle of beer but if you watch a full concert you will not see Freddie slamming back alcohol even during a 2+ hour show.

The mans name is Freddie Mercury. The bands name is Queen. I read many of the drinks were water, honey, n lemon for voice. The alcohol of choice vodka/OJ. This concert was a festival of sorts with dozens of bands, there in London, and in Philadelphia. Live Aid concert to raise money for famine in Eithiopia. It was broadcast world wide. Sets were 20 mins. Queen was said to have played the best set that day. Not specifically a Queen crowd. ,😉

Why are there no musicians and bands and summer concerts like this anymore? Where are all the good people who can put together a fundraiser concert like this? This music no longer exists it seems. It was pure talent that graced the stage at this Live Aid concert. As you said, no stupid dancing girls and lasers..just pure talent. Love how Freddie struts his stuff on stage. Wish I could give him a hug, and all the band members too. 🤗 🤗

Freddie sounded this amazing in spite of having laryngitis the week before. He ignored Dr.s advice to rest his voice and went on to make rock history.. Each of the groups performing had only 20 minutes to perform. The stage crew had to add or remove some of the things on stage to accommodate each of the groups performing.

The time is important because all of the performers had 20 minutes each to play& get off stage. This wasn't all only. Queen crowd.

That crowd is singing right along. Beautiful & incredible. A show that was one of the best in history. Other musicians at this event stated that Freddie Mercury place a little magic out there. Unbeatable. One of a kind, this is for certain.

Epic performance! Need to check out somebody to love live montreal 1981! Very different from studio version but is one of the best performances you will see! 👌👍😎🔥💯

Freddie was lit, for sure - but naturally! Before he and Queen were famous, I used to see them around and about in London, just doing normal things, and even then Freddie in particular always exuded a special kind of energy or radiance, like a bright light. Some people are just like that, naturally. According to Freddie's touring manager, he always had to lay out 3 cups for Freddie for any performance, all containing some variation on water, tea, lemon and honey, to keep him hydrated and his throat and vocal chords lubricated. Since Queen performances often went on for 2 or 3 hours at full tilt, these were essential to keep his voice from packing up half way through. He didn't drink beer or carbonated drinks on stage because of the gas. The beer there may have been for John (bassist, who (IIUC) suffered a lot from stage fright) or either of the others. The piano top just served as a handy table for them all to use, as needed. Other than that, a relaxing/ nerve-quelling vodka beforehand was the most they'd imbibe and incidents of any of them going on stage drunk or otherwise intoxicated were rare - they were total professionals!

The lead guitarist with the big hair is Sir Dr Brian May- he has a PhD in astrophysics and has also been knighted

72,000 people in attendance and 1.9 Billion watching from around the world. Freddie performed against doctors orders with a throat infection. Live Aid made 140 million dollars for famine in Africa.

Just a stadium full of engaged and participating people. No phones worrying about insta or tik tok. Just loving the moment

Live Aid was a charity concert to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia with several famous acts who volunteered to participate and didn’t get paid. Each act had a 20 minute set. A lot of the other performers played their current songs to promote their albums and didn’t take advantage of the time. Queen took the Live Aid charity seriously and spent a week or so putting their playlist together and they had giant clocks in front of them so they could practice and pack as much in as they could in 20 minutes. It also helped that the sound guy worked for Queen and tweaked it so that Queen was louder than everyone else. By the middle of the set, the other acts backstage started to watch them on the monitors and realized that Queen was stealing the show and basically kicked everyone’s ass and they knew it!! Brian May (guitarist) said that they had an advantage because they’d been playing stadiums for years and Freddie knew how to get the crowd involved. Many people say it’s the best live performance. Also, because the stage was pretty basic due to all the different artists, critics didn’t think Queen would pull it off because their shows are typically a huge production with lighting etc. and again Queen shut down the critics proving that they can put on a great show with just the four of them. David Bowie who was a big star back then was the next act in the lineup and was quoted in an interview later that backstage he was saying how was he supposed to follow that. But he said it more colorfully. When they left the stage, Elton John was quoted as saying 'Freddie, nobody should go on after you - you were magnificent. ' Freddie said: 'You're absolutely right, darling, we were - we killed them.

They spent the day before working out how pack the most into exactly 20 minutes and were only over by a few seconds. Everything was precisely timed. They also made a selection of new, old and anthem songs.

Best 20 mins you'll ever watch... Blew the world away, you need to go down this rabbit hole ❤❤❤❤ BTW his doctor advised him not to do it as he had a throat infection!

Freddie was THE FRONTMAN ! No one could command a croud like FM. RIP to the greatest!

What a frontman. Love Queen and Freddie. There was no one to match him.

i was born in 92 as well and played ice hockey from like 5th grade till i was 17 and We will rock you and We are the Champions (only if you won) were deff locker room classics in middle school for me.

I remember watching this when it was televised. The pants never ripped.

Queen were so nice to let them have live aid in the middle of their concert...

What always find astonishing about Queen's set is that the crowd are not all Queen fans! There were 20 odd other performers on that day. I watched it in the pub. As a side note you may hear Freddie's crack on occasion. He was suffering from laryngitis at the time.

Freddie actually didn’t drink before or during their shows, he didn’t want to burp. He usually kept tea with honey on the piano, which looked like beer and he’d take a drink to soothe his throat before a big note. The other members would leave their drinks on the piano too. He was actually very shy, but he had the best stage presence and wanted to include the audience as much as possible

Live Aid was a HUGE event. I was too young to go in person in Philly but old enough to remember it. It was truly an amazing experience.

Fun fact: Brian May, the amazing guitarist, is an Astrophysicist!

Most of those cups have lemon water. He sang ,which his dr advised him against it, because he had polyps and infection. Freddie didn’t drink alcohol before a performance. You might see him do a sip but you never see goe back for another

Live aid was on my 13th birthday. I watched the whole day with my family. My mum loved queen and she loved watching Freddie. My mum is no longer with us (she’s up there with Freddie). This video always makes me cry.

Great reaction. Freddie was so fun and humorous.

It's so nice to see a huge appreciative crowd without a single smartphone in sight. A sight we'll sadly never see again!

Congratulations on the reactions! Many here are asking for #gabrielhenrique Stand Up with the Black to Black choir and I agree with them. Gabriel Henrique is awesome. 🙌♥️🙌

It was an amazing day and Queen stole the show.

Thanks that was amazing ❤ the greatest 😊

queen is the best rock band ever, no doubt

I love how raw the cameras are, right there over the shoulder so viewers can experience what it must be like to be performing in front of a crowd that large. Wild!

I was 20 years old in 1985. Even then we knew Queen was going to be forever. But I have to say seeing you so engaged and seeing the joy on your face at the fantastic music that was taking place, was a phenomenal sight to see. I'm so very glad you enjoyed it as much as we did when Freddy was still with us.

Tea.

One of the most amazing performances ever.

Definitely a band that feeds off of the crowd energy. And Freddie is such a showman, he really gets into it. These guys were the best act at Live Aid, which featured all the top performers of the day.

Freddie had trouble with his vocal chords, so he rested them for the week before the concert. All his doctors strongly advised him not to perform! He and the band didn't know what if anything would come out until the concert began. And there it is! Truly the greatest performance ever! He had 2 vodkas before the show but was sipping tea with honey & lemon onstage. What talent!!!

Live Aid was one huge long day of performances by multiple artists across the globe and Queen was an absolutely amazing!!! This was towards the end of Freddie’s life, possibly his last major performance.

Brilliant performance by Queen,ive seen these live twice & they dont fail,amazing shows both times.

I remember watching this live. I was 13 in 1985. Great times. I'm 52 now and wish I could go back in time and live it all over again. Freddie was the greatest front man of all time. RIP Freddie Mercury

Imagine actively in the process of dying and still putting on a performance like this. He’s so amazing.

What an incredible voice, I would like to see him react to the Brazilian Gabriel Henrique singing The song Stand Up, released on June 6th on his RU-vid channel. Grateful ❤❤

Freddie could have ruled a country♥️👑🎸🎹🎤🥁 Queen Forever