Freddie suffered a vocal hemorrhage sometime during the 1985 Works Tour (which they had just completed before this concert) and was on doctor-ordered voice rest once the tour ended. For those unaware, a vocal hemorrhage is when your vocal cords, the little vibrating folds in your throat, bleed due to overuse or misuse. This, plus the vocal nodules he already had, is a major risk to a singer. This happened to Frank Sinatra in the 1950s as well. He was told by his doctor not to sing/speak for a whole month otherwise he may never sing again. Live Aid was a duel-venue concert held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London (audience of 72,000) and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia (audience of 90,000) that was connected and broadcast over 13 satellites worldwide to an audience of over 1.9 Billion. The purpose of the concert was to raise money to aid Ethiopia which was suffering from 2-year drought. There were 75+ acts, each allotted a 20-minute slot to perform. The UK line-up included Status Quo,, David Bowie, Elton John, Wham!, Sting, U2, The Who, Paul McCartney, and Bob Geldof with his band The Boomtown Rats. The US bill included Madonna, Eric Clapton, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger, Paul Simon, Led Zeppelin, and Tom Petty. Phil Collins played in both London and then caught the Concord Supersonic Jet and flew to perform again in Philly. Live Aid did not have a Queen audience. All of the tickets to Wembley were sold before Queen was announced to be part of the venue. At this time, Queen was considered to be an old band (they had been performing since 1971.) Those in the audience came to see groups like U2 and Wham! Also, remember the Live Aid at Wembley concert began at 12:00 London time (the Philly concert began 5 hours later), so the audience had been there in the sun and heat for nearly 7 hours by the time Queen performed. 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 Freddie’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.” Queen's playlist was: 1. Bohemian Rhapsody (just the ballad and guitar portion) 2. Radio Ga Ga (the song that inspired Lady Ga Ga's name) 3. Freddie's Call and Response 4. Hammer to Fall 5. Crazy Little Thing Called Love 6. We Will Rock You (just the first verse and guitar solo) 7. We Are The Champions Freddie wrote "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" while bathing in his Berlin hotel. It took him about 10 minutes to write it. He was inspired and yelled for someone to bring him a guitar which he used to write the song. (Roger said he never understood how Freddie got that damn guitar in the tub.) He wrote it as a tribute to Elvis Presley. Not only does Freddie play a guitar on stage during this song (the only song in which he does) but Brian uses 3 different guitars during the song. He started with his eclectic acoustic guitar, then switched to a Fender Telecaster, and finished with his homemade Red Special guitar. ua-cam.com/video/0ORIoUohBUc/v-deo.html BTW - The song that was cut off from the video is: 8. Is This The World We Created (performed by Freddie and Brian toward the end of the Wembley concert) here is the link to watch it - ua-cam.com/video/riwDo7_GxjM/v-deo.html Coach, here is a song you might enjoy, "Tie Your Mother Down" - ua-cam.com/video/uuztACTlySM/v-deo.html. Written by Brian while he was at the Tenerife Observatory working on his Ph.D. and couldn't sleep one night. He started playing the guitar and this song is the result. Brian explains the lyrics of "Tie Your Mother Down": "I'll tell you the truth, I know what happened. Sometimes you get a little riff, and you just put some words with it, and then you don't even think about what they mean. Now I'm remember thinking, now this isn't a good enough title for this song, but everyone said: 'Well actually, it sounds okay,' and so we kind of lyrically built it around that. That's the truth, folks." Freddie comments on "Tie Your Mother Down", "Well this one in fact is a track written by Brian actually, I dunno why. Maybe he was in one of his vicious moods. I think he's trying to outdo me after "Death on Two Legs" actually." FYI - "Death On Two Legs" is considered to be Freddie’s “hate letter” towards the band’s former manager, Norman Sheffield. The song incorporated a vast range of vicious lyrics and was described by Freddie as being “so vindictive that Brian [May] felt bad singing it” - ua-cam.com/video/kqVpk0qxmfA/v-deo.html. (The lesson from "Death On Two Legs" is don't piss off Freddie.)
This is just an amazing read. We cannot thank you enough for this info and for watching our video. This is another example of why the Queen fans are so special. 😀❤
Neil Young also suffered with nodules on his vocal chords but he had them removed which kept him from singing for quite some time and his voice was never quite as sweet after the surgery but still as good and obviously a lot less painful.
This WASN'T a Queen crowd. That is why this is considered so special. Tickets were sold out BEFORE Queen was ever announced as one of the groups who would perform. But they completely stole the show!
That's actually not true, Queen was one of first bands announced by Bob Geldoff as to be taking part at Live Aid. However, like most artists he announced none had yet agreed as being part of it, so he was just announcing names to attract the public's attention. And even though Queen had not initially agreed to doing Live Aid, they never officially pulled out - they just waited until they met with Bob before agreeing. But, the fans always had it in their minds that Queen was going to be there. And they were one of the big attractions. And so even though it wasn't a "Queen crowd", they were one of the most beloved bands in London and were viewed as hometown heroes, so they were expected to get a big reaction.
Queen at Live Aid was the greatest live set of all time. Freddie got all of us on our feet, even in my parents basement, in Canada. We sang along, clapped and cheered and cried! He made us feel as if we were there. We knew that everyone else around the world watching was also singing along! We were the world at that instant at 17 in 1985! Best live set ever!
This is still considered to this day as the greatest live performance ever caught on film. If memory serves, Queen wasn't announced until after tickets were sold out, so this necessarily wasn't a Queen audience, but Freddie owned every stage he was on, and he could hold a crowd in the palm of his hand. Hes still the greatest frontman of all time and it's not even close. There's Freddie and then there is everyone else. Hes the GOAT.
It was David Bowie who followed Queen. It's understood he said to Queen as they passed something like 'Thanks guys, but how the hell do I follow that?'
NO SYNTHS - was added to the album notes on all their earliest albums. Remember: four men, four voices, four instruments. No Tricks. If you watch the official version of Radio GaGa you'll see where the double clap thing came from. The Live Aid songs are Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Gaga, Hammer to Fall, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Will Rock You, and We Are The Champions. For Hammer to Fall Brian May might as well have said: "Hello, I'm Brian May and this is a master class in guitar playing. Try to keep up." When Brian May and his father built his guitar - the Red Special - out of an old fireplace surround, he taught himself to play and learned a piece of very fast guitar music which he didn't know had been played slowly but sped up in the recording process. Astrophysicist Dr Brian May still plays the Red Special to this day. There's a version of this vid with Brian and Freddy doing an encore called Is This the world We Created.
By the will of fate, four musical geniuses met each other and changed the world of music. This did not happen before them, and it will not happen after them. Freddie is the voice of the universe. Forever.
FYI - Unlike most of the other acts performing, Queen took this performance very seriously. They rented a hall and rehearsed their performance for a week before the concert. They had clocks placed all over the rehearsal area to keep track of the time (remember they were limited to 20 minutes). Here is a video of the rehearsal along with an interview with the band about Live Aid - ua-cam.com/video/e1ccSGPjd9o/v-deo.html Brian was voted the greatest rock guitarist of all time in a new poll published in the June 2020 issue of Total Guitar magazine.
@@CoachCastTV Sir Doctor Brian May (the guitarist!) has not only been voted no 1 guitarist by various polls he is also a well respected Astro physicist (various NASA projects) as well as his charitable works particularly animal /ecological . Not your ordinary rock guitarist!! 😊
I was in the crowd that day - I'd been a Queen fan for years (Saw them twice before this gig) - Had my ticket for weeks before finding out that Queen would be on the bill. It's right what they say, that Queen completely stole the show - People around me, who hadn't seen Queen live before, were almost in shock - They were so good. It's possible to pick me out in Hi-res videos of this - During 'Crazy Little Thing', Right after "Ready-Freddie" the camera pans to the crowd - There's a girl on her b/f's shoulders - To the right of her, as we see her, and a couple of rows back, I'm the one in suglasses right behind the guy waving a white t-shirt. A red-hot day, and I did get badly sunburned, but the pain was well worth it - a fantastic event. On a side note - I'm also in the 'Radio GaGa' music video. Queen used members of their fan club in videos around that time - I'm one of the crowd of 'clappers' in white robes - though I've never managed to specifically pick myself out. Also got invited to the shoot for 'Friends Will Be Friends', but I had a holiday abroad booked for when they were filming, so couldn't go.
"Freddie? Watch Live Aid to understand who he is. Incredible stage presence. His every move mesmerized the audience, you could not help but follow his every move. He was eccentric without a real need to be, he just went on stage in jeans and a T-shirt to have everyone at his feet anyway. Not to mention the voice, one of the rare examples that was better live than in the studio without needing anything else." Reinhold Mack (Queen's sound engineer and producer)
This was the best 20 min.of music ever.Period❤😂I was 15 and never missed a second of Live Aid and I waa already a Queen fan but Freddie stole my heart that day❤Much love from Canada❤🇨🇦
A whole lifetime in twenty minutes- it doesn't matter if you were not in the audience you remember watching this on the tv, and enjoying it, the best by far performance- except for the opening slot with Status Quo who kicked off the whole thing that day. Later in 1986 they toured together.
You don’t know how happy I am to see you loving ‘Hammer to Fall’. Not many speak on it when they watch their full set as it’s got a lot of classics in but what a song it is especially live. Loving the reactions, keep them coming!
I was working in HMV in the UK on the day this was on all the stores TVs. For months after, we couldn't get Queen albums and CDs in fast enough. Never seen anything like it. They outsold any other artist at that time following this appearance.
Thank you so much for this brilliant reaction. I can't count how many times I've watched this set, both alone and as part of a reaction. It never gets old. My only quibble with the video is that there was no camera focusing on Roger, which would have shown us how much work he did, not only on the drums, but supporting Freddie's vocals by covering the high notes that Freddie couldn't reach because of his sore throat. And of course we missed seeing him scream his traditional 'Ready Freddie?' during Crazy Little thing Called Love. Did you notice that Brian played 3 different guitars during that song? One of the guys (can't remember whether it was Brian or Roger) said that they were unusually nervous as they took the stage, because although they had an advantage over most of the other bands because they were used to playing stadiums, and they knew their sound guy had fiddled with the system to make them louder that was officially permitted, they were not used to playing in daylight, in which they'd be able to see the entire audience rather than just those in the front few rows who would be shown by the spill from the stage lights. Then as soon as the crowd joined in with Freddie singing Bohemian Rhapsody, they were able to relax because they knew it was going to be great. David Bowie was the brave soul who followed them on stage... By the way, I'd never heard of the term Queenie to refer to the fans until I started watching reaction videos. As far as I'm concerned, we're 'The Queen Army'.
Whatever Queen fans want to be called, they are all awesome in our book. This is absolutely a masterpiece. Then reading the story behind it makes it even more impressive.
A month late but I came down to the comments to say a lot of what you did. Great job! The only thing you left out (that I can think of) is it was David Bowie who followed Queen that day.
They all knew each other so well that Roger knew when he was going to have to jump in on vocal when Freddie couldn't. Freddie had a fantastic safety net when necessary.
Not many lead singers would have gotten away with Freddie's ad-lib immediately after Radio Gaga but then again, who else could have a worldwide audience eating outta their hand the way Freddie Mercury could? He loved the crowd, and that was very much reciprocated.❤❤
When the band first gets on stage there is no sound checks allowed, when you hear the drums hit, John hit a note, and Brian do a little chord, and Freddie tune his piano. Thats it. The Queen legend is that their sound guy turned the monitors up to the max, thus this awesome sound.
The brief was you have 20 minutes like it or not so they rehearsed for a week before in a london theatre,with a stopwatch to ensure timing was correct to time limit given.
Thanks for all your hard work sharing this with us! When Queen performed at Live Aid, EVERYONE in the world - or at least the 76,000 people in the stadium and the 1.9 BILLION people watching on their TVs - knew that Queen stole the show. I was one of the billions glued to my TV. Queen was PURE PERFECTION that July day. I now know from the videos/reactions I've seen over time, that the band - being the perfectionists they were - carefully selected 6 of just some of their most recognizable songs - shortened some, sped up others to fit into the 20 minute time slot. And they built in time for Freddie - the master frontman - to encourage the audience to participate. And then they practiced...and practiced some more...there is even a video of their practice sessions! They wanted to be absolutely sure they were at the top of their game for Live Aid. And there is no doubt in anyone's mind that they were. The brilliant performer, STING, had already finished his 20 minute set at Live Aid and was sitting in that huge crowd watching the show when Queen did their set. He said: "If there was a winner that day it was QUEEN. Such a slick show. That performance (by the band) was fantastic. And Freddie is an amazing performer who not only performed to the top of his abilities, he also orchestrated the entire stadium so they became part of the performance. Freddie is an incredible musician and a great singer - a complete one-off..." I would only add that the brilliant musicians who made Queen into the legend it is to this day - Brian, Roger, John and Freddie - are a complete UNIT of one-offs. To me, Queen is simply MAGIC on stage. By the way, Sir Brian May was recently rated the best rock guitarist by Guitar magazine. Whether or not you agree with that rating, it sure was a well-deserved accolade for this consummate composer, lyricist, and incredible guitarist. FYI: Queen actually wasn't even mentioned as participants on the original PR about Live Aid. So it wasn't only Queen fans who bought tickets to attend that show - most were there to see other performers. I'm betting that many left the stadium as Queen fans (or Queenies...LOL).
@@CoachCastTV Lovely reaction and that "76,000" was nonsense,imo. That was the old Wembley England Football Stadium which hels 100,000 and although the seats behind the stage,were, presumably,not used,that usual 100,000 Football crowd does not include all those tht you saw on the football pitch,in front of the stage.
One of the best performances ever, Freddie, Brian May & the rest of the band just amazing. I still watch it even now years later & I jump up & shout. Queen at their very best. The best part, it was for charity. Great job
Freddie Mercury had a severe throat infection (he said in an interview later it felt like he was gargling broken glass) and was told by a doctor not to perform that day which advice he of course ignored--he had a world-wide audience of 1.9 Billion waiting for this performance. You can find a video of their final song "Is This The World We Created" separately which Freddie and Brian performed towards the end of the concert. You should react to the full Wembley concert from 1986 (a year later from this).
On July 13, 1985, everyone in attendance at Wembley Stadium in London witnessed rock history. Set as two simultaneous performances, one for an audience of 72,000 people at Wembley, and another with 89,484 at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Live Aid was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief. The concert was broadcast across the globe by one of the most extensive satellite connections of all time, and viewed by an estimated 1.9 billion in 150 nations. It’s estimated that nearly 40 percent of the worldwide population tuned in while $127 million was raised for relief efforts. Among a line-up of more than 75 artists performing at Live Aid, there was one that stole the show: Queen. Other acts on the bill included Elton John, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Madonna, Santana, Run DMC, Sting, The Who, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Bryan Adams, The Beach Boys, U2, Duran Duran, and Slade. After Dire Straits finished their set, Queen stepped on and took over the Live Aid stage at 6:41 p.m. Donned in his signature white tank and matching pants, Freddie Mercury served as ringmaster for the next 20 minutes, commanding the audience as the band pummelled through their short set. The group opened with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” followed by “Radio Ga Ga,” Mercury conducted the audience in an “Ay-Oh” call & respond before breaking into the Brian May-penned “Hammer to Fall,” from the band’s 1984 album The Works. “This next song is only dedicated to beautiful people here tonight, which means all of you. Thank you for coming along. You are making this a great occasion,” said Mercury before playing the opening riff of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” The band closed their six-song set with a rousing “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” They then made way for the next performer in line, David Bowie. “You bastards,” Elton John has said jokingly to the band following their set. “You stole the show.” To this day Queen's 20-minute set at Live Aid in 1985 still stand as one of the best live performances ever. he suffered a vocal hemorrhage sometime during the 1985 Works Tour and was on doctor ordered voice rest once the tour ended. For those unaware a vocal hemorrhage is when your actual vocal chords, the little vibrating folds in your throat, begin to bleed due to overuse or misuse. This, plus the vocal nodules he already had, is a major risk to a singer. This happened to Frank Sinatra in the 1950s as well. He was told by his doctor not to sing/speak for a whole month otherwise he may never sing again. That said, he went against doctors orders and went on stage at live aid and gave one of the greatest performances ever even with his throat.
In the early 80's Queen hired an extra piano player whose name was Spike Edney, the unofficial 5th member of Queen. They hired him so that Freddie could do his thing on stage more and not be tied to the piano 100% of the time.
@@CoachCastTV .. You can get a good look at Spike during the Saturday July 12th show at Wembley 86' Magic tour.... He played rhythm guitar with Brian & John during.Hammer to Fall, along with backup vocals...fantastic..... also could you react to Crazy Little Thing called Love,.. Now I'm Here ...and ...Another one Bites the dust..same concert?.... Great camera angles ...absolutely FIRE!
@@CoachCastTV Yes, that was him. He has made a comment that unfortunately no camera caught him while playing the piano that day. Spike still tours with Queen + AL, by the way. He is great!
Did not know that!! Glad I do now thank you!! I was wondering how they were doing the piano after Freddie got up, because I 100% know that wasn't a playback!!
Thanks for the great reaction..According to roadie Peter ‘Ratty’Hince, they rehearsed like mad after he bought big clocks to set on the rehearsal stage..notice the red light on the front of the stage when they finished..their timing was perfect..Absolute professionals!❤❤
I was there on the day, we knew we were experiencing the live performance to end all performances, Queen and Freddie surpassed all the other acts, although they were good, so glad to look back at a very special day!
"Killin' that guitar." Brian May and his dad designed and made it. Known as the Red Special, sometimes the Fireplace because the wood for the neck came from an old fireplace mantel.
Hi ,Great reaction! I was in the crowd that day, 6 rows back from the stage, right next to the girl on the guys shoulders. Every time I watch this, and look at my 32 year old self rocking out with the rest of the crowd, I get goosebumps. I'd seen Queen live twice before this concert, but this was the best I'd ever seen them, Fred's voice was incredible even though he'd had a serious throat infection, and was advised by his doctor not to perform. Bri's guitar is second to none, he is definitely king of reverb on his home made guitar, and his extra special sound is further enhanced by him using old UK sixpence coins to strum instead of a standard plectrum. They absolutely stole the show that day. Keep up the good work!
They were time limited and knew that the microphones would actually be turned off if they went over. The red lights came on just after they finished. You can watch the encore just search "Freddie Mercury Is This the World We Created Live Aid."
The song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was written by Mercury as a tribute to his musical heroes Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard. Roger Taylor added in an interview that Mercury wrote it in just 10 minutes while lounging in a bath in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich during one of their extensive Munich recording sessions. Mercury took it to the studio shortly after writing it and presented it to Taylor and John Deacon. The three of them, with their then new producer Reinhold Mack, recorded it at Musicland Studios in Munich. The entire song was reportedly recorded in less than half an hour (although Mack says it was six hours)
People didn't really know that Queen would be on it was a surprise for most as it was a 16 hour show with a huge amount of world class acts, but everyone in the UK and many parts of the world have grown up with Queen and so will know every word to virtually every song, even today many younger people have high regard for Queen and will know the words in full to Bohemian rhapsody.
Divine! In 1985, they performed at Live Aid. There were 72,000 thousand viewers in London, and 89,000 in Philadelphia. There were bands and people like Status Quo, U2, The Who, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Queen, The Cars, Phil Collins, etc. It was the biggest performance in the whole world. The Live Aid event was organized by musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Yur, with the aim of raising funds to help victims of the famine in Ethiopia in 1984-1985.
Great reaction as always! Yes, Freddie even though was going through some nasty throat infection, he managed to perform much better than anybody else ever could. Queen stole the show without any doubts. The songs order: 1) Bohemian Rhapsody. 2) Radio Ga Ga. 3) Ay-Oh (the top vocal showmanship). 4) Hammer to Fall. 5) Crazy little thing called love. 6) We will rock you. 7) We are the champions. Best wishes!
Good choice, obviously you couldn’t hide it😉 When you find enough time, start reacting to Queen’s whole concerts. You’ll find Hammer to fall in Live at Wembley set.
Freddie's one performer who, sick or not, voice in pristine condition or not, cracking vocals, off -tune or not, still commands our love and attention. It's not just 'the voice", it's the natural charisma that the man possessed. Amazingly entertaining. Totally captivating. (and, as you note, if Freddie IS a bit rough in vocals due to straining his voice, Roger Taylor is right on it to either fill out the sound or fully take over if need be. These guys were a team of talent).
Fun fact for those who dont know ... The " Red Special " ( Brian guitar ) completely built by Brian and his father. Brian couldn't afford the popular guitars of the day like Les Pauls or Fender Strats so he decided to build one. It was cobbled together from the various building materials he could find. The neck ( at this point in time ) was over 100 years old as it was designed from an old single piece Fire Place Mantle. This is one of the most famous and well known rock Guitars of all time !!!
Thanks for the reaction! This entire performance is spectacular, the energy on stage and in the audience, and Freddie's vocals reaching every note despite being completely advised against going on stage by his doctor, our eternal Mr. Fahrenheit ❤️🔥. Later Freddie and Brian returned to the stage to sing "Is this the word we created", a song they wrote together thinking about the humanitarian crisis of the time, it's worth seeing this duo's "encore" ❤
I saw Queen live at the Omni in Atlanta in 1977. I'll never forget when they did "We are the Champions". Freddie ran up the top of really high speakers on each corner of the stage and threw long stemmed roses into the crowd. It was a time I'll never forget.
They played right before David Bowie came on, and he was quoted as saying to Freddie Mercury in passing, "You Right Bastards! You stole the Show!". They were professional; displayed their talents as musicians, and managed to hit their show in the 20+minutes they had to perform,dead on. This was an amazing performance.
Thank you for such emotional reaction! Radio Ga Ga is a great song that definitelly deserves separate reaction. There is a very beautiful official video for this song. I love it as a sincere tribute of one of the most creative musical collectives to humanity's acievements, to its creativeness and talent to develope. At least this is what I feel about this song. And this inspires a great respect, because the mighty majority of humans takes the progress for granted, but not QUEEN.
Hello. I'm glad they were able to add the subtitles. Now it's my turn to keep my promise. Two details of this concert. The one who plays the piano while Freddie sings is Spike Edney. Queen hired him because Freddie preferred to run around the stage and he covered him in several songs. He still plays with Brian and Roger. Lady Gaga took her name from the song Radio Gaga.
As others said the band practiced to be in the 20 minute range knowing the sound would be turned off if you went over. If you watch when Freddie finishes singing We are the Champions and comes back up on stage you can see the light at bottom right is yellow, then you see the yellow light on with the red blinking. As Freddie signals the end, the light turns red. Perfection
Freddie had vocal nodules diagnosed back in the 70's, but he elected not to have them removed for fear of damaging his voice. He had laryngitis the week before this concert, that's why his doctor recommended that he cancel his performance and rest his throat. He ignored the advice and went on to make rock history but when he was back in his trailer said it felt like he had shards of glass in this throat through the whole performance.
Great!!!! Thank you! I watched this for like 1000 times, but every time is the FIRST time! That good they are. Pure perfection! Try with Wembley 1986 medley One Vision and Tie your mother down!
I was there that day. Queen stole the day. Blew the rest of the other bands away. Even when he came back on at the end of the night. I still have my 1985 Live Aid Ticket today. Nicely laminated and safely stored in a safe. He wasnt sick. The backstage Doctor recommended that he didnt perform because he had a throat infection. He told the Doctor he's going on stage for the fans. Freddie wasnt just a singer, he was also entertainer
One point to make is that the majority of tickets had been sold even before Queen were added to the playlist. They were playing infront of a crowd which wasnt a Queen crowd, and yet still owned it. Thats what made Freddie and the boys incredible
Thank you for reacting to this masterclass of how to perform on a stage , mrs coach had it right , it was the whole group that made it possible . One small piece , right hand side of the sound booth in the centre of the pitch was a young guy loving life namely ME 😂
1985-86(?) concert at Wembley is on video. Watch that and you’ll get what it was like to see them live. If you want a lasting effect get a good set of headphones, crank the volume up to 11 so your ears will ring for about two days afterwards. I saw them four times so I speak the truth. I’m sure others will agree. Don’t forget You Take My Breath Away(studio with lyrics). Play it for your lovely bride. By the way, Brian and his Dad MADE that guitar when he was a teenager. Who Wants to Live Forever live is a must see. Enjoy.
All the performers were given approx. 20 minutes on stage , Queens 20 minutes has lasted for 38 years, so far, it has gone down in history as the greatest live performance ever. I miss Freddie so much.
I really like how you two guys are really into the music and stage performance. Queen is captivating, i saw them 4 times in the Netherlands in 1980, 82, 84 en 86. Out of this world performances.
"If this is sick Freddie, I'll take sick Freddie over anything!" Ha..I love it! Guitar World ranked Brian the greatest guitarist of all time earlier this year. He's always been ranked fairly high in polls of this nature. I'm not sure if anyone has suggested these yet, but here goes: You Take my Breath Away, Live at Hyde Park 1976; Liar, live at The Rainbow; Love of my Life - Queen Rock in Rio. I am really enjoying your reactions, thank you!
I was almost 7 when I saw this live on TV - turned me into a lifelong fan and lover of music to musicality. Still blows my mind like it was the first time.
Queen’s performance went down in rock history as the best single performance by a rock band, considering the circumstances that it was a global charity event! I remember watching this on MTV! The set list is brilliant 👉 Bohemian Rhapsody (why not, big hit) Radio Ga Ga (huge participation song) Hammer To Fall (currently getting radio play) Crazy Little Thing Called Love (tribute to Elvis, fans see Freddie play guitar) We Will Rock You & We Are The Champions (the one-two punch knockout). Crowd never recovers & Queen reigns supreme! 👑
Festival gigs are always tricky because audience members tend not to pay attention if the band playing isn't one they came to see. Part of what makes this performance so legendary is how Freddie was able to captivate and control a stadium full of people who weren't necessarily Queen fans. I've read accounts saying that in bars and pubs that were showing the live TV broadcast, business came to a halt for 20 minutes as patrons and staff alike were clapping and singing in unison with Freddie. One of Freddie's best friends was backstage that day, and was later reported as saying "thank God Freddie uses his power for good" because his ability to control large crowds was almost frightening.
Each performer had to do a sound check on their own equipment when they came out on stage. The stage manager was urging each group to do their sound check as fast as possible. Most took 1=2 minutes. Listen here and you will hear all the quick sound checks. The stage manager said this group was the most professional and they did their sound check in 36 seconds.
Hi Coach thank you for your great reaction! Freddie is such an amazing performer. He is a total package. Many of us Loves him because he is a person with great character. Queen stole the show and their performance is superb! and I admire Freddie because 1. He has a throat problem but still managed to perform (very professional) and his voice is still great and 2. Freddie had the audience in the palm of his hand - please take note that these audience are NOT ALL Queen fans. what a great show! Love you coach for doing the Live Aid Concert... THANK YOU VERY MUCH! May I request to react LOVE OF MY LIFE in Rock in Rio 1985 and also Under Pressure. Thank you again and Stay safe!❤👑👑❤ #Freddie forever #Love QUEEN forever
Being an Aussie means I am always late to these videos, and there is nothing I can say that all the other beautiful Queenies haven't already said about this concert. I will simply add that if you get the chance to watch the song that was cut off, it is worth it. It was not written for the concert, although you would be forgiven for thinking it was, and it resonates today, as much as it did in 1985. Also, I've requested before, that another great song to react to is 39 - at the Hammersmith Odeon 1979. It is Dr. May's 'tip of the hat' to the work he does in Astrophysics. Thanks for the great reaction to this one. Despite the overlay, I still got goosebumps from watching! Freddie really is the GOAT!
We appreciate you watching even with the overlay. I hate watching reactions with overlays but AC/DC, my favorite band, blocks most videos in reactions, so I'm used to it and realize it is not the best way to watch a reaction. However, we didn't want to block out part of our viewership. We'll put the unedited on Patreon once we get that started.
Thank you for your reaction to this historical event. As far as I know, Queen does not block their videos. 39 is a track written by Brian May, who as you know, has a PhD in astrophysics- and 39 is a folk ballad about time dilation! Basically Interstellar meets folk music - which is so very Brian May😊
I was finally able to see Queen in Baltimore on their kick off concert in Baltimore on Oct 4th. They were AMAZING!! They played most of their hits and a couple of their deep cuts. Adam Lambert did a fantastic job and I am sure Freddie would approve. They honored Freddie a few times during the concert to include his famous call and response from Wembley in 1986. Sir Brian still kills it on guitar and I was super thrilled when Roger sang “I’m in Love with My Car”. The gentleman on the keyboards during their Live Aid performance, Spike Edney, still tours with them. I was soooo thrilled to finally see Queen. I was supposed to see them in 1978 with my boyfriend but my parents would not let me go. I never had another opportunity to see them when Freddie was alive.
I love Queen's music, and as far as Queen fans being called Queenies, I'm sure Freddie would fully approve, and I'd have no problem being referred to as such.
Freddie was sick, and Roger helped him out with the high notes for the whole set. Consumate professionals, adaptable and LIVE. No auto-tune, no do-overs and yet they sound better than other groups studio versions. Best Band in history
1 of for sure but you also got the beatles up there, even brian may has said numerous occasions if it wasn't for the beatles there be no queen, and I love queen too but I'm a beatles fan
@@MARIASANCHEZ-et7cb Freddie was sick. He'd been advised by doctors not to sing that day. He wasn't yet suffering from AIDS, or at least it hadn't been diagnosed at this point but he definitely had a throat infection.
@@malcolmrowe9003 pues menos mal que estaba enfermo, sino ya si espectáculo hubiera sido cósmico. Yo estuve en ese lived aid 85. Fue impresionante. 16 añod tenía
I may have alreadycommemeted but queen have only ever played the live aid set once since live aid and that was fire fight australia 2020 with adam lambert
The most fantastic day of my life. I’m a Brit who had obviously heard Queen before, but this day sealed my love. First son was 18 months old and he danced all day, fell into a nap and woke up before Queen and got back to dancing. Long day for me, but the best memory ever. We lived in Portland Island and had a bad thunderstorm because of the heat, TV shit off, and as was usual we got French TV for a bit lol, baby not happy, but we got Freddie back! Son gravitates between music, Astro physics, (Brian May) and art. Could say he’s a band of minds.
Queen are the only band i believe to be in the rock and roll hall of fame and for each member to individually be in the song writers hall of fame. For each member individually wrote songs to hit no1
Well, in the evening Freddie and B. May played "Is this the world we created?", I don't know why the video stopped before. Anyway, the best rock live performance ever. Period.
What lovely couple you are, it’s a joy to see the reactions of people who have never seen this incredible performance. Love and respect from across the pond! 🏴🇺🇸
Freddie suffered a vocal hemorrhage sometime during the 1985 Works Tour (which they had just completed before this concert) and was on doctor-ordered voice rest once the tour ended.
For those unaware, a vocal hemorrhage is when your vocal cords, the little vibrating folds in your throat, bleed due to overuse or misuse. This, plus the vocal nodules he already had, is a major risk to a singer. This happened to Frank Sinatra in the 1950s as well. He was told by his doctor not to sing/speak for a whole month otherwise he may never sing again.
Live Aid was a duel-venue concert held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London (audience of 72,000) and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia (audience of 90,000) that was connected and broadcast over 13 satellites worldwide to an audience of over 1.9 Billion. The purpose of the concert was to raise money to aid Ethiopia which was suffering from 2-year drought.
There were 75+ acts, each allotted a 20-minute slot to perform. The UK line-up included Status Quo,, David Bowie, Elton John, Wham!, Sting, U2, The Who, Paul McCartney, and Bob Geldof with his band The Boomtown Rats. The US bill included Madonna, Eric Clapton, Duran Duran, Mick Jagger, Paul Simon, Led Zeppelin, and Tom Petty. Phil Collins played in both London and then caught the Concord Supersonic Jet and flew to perform again in Philly.
Live Aid did not have a Queen audience. All of the tickets to Wembley were sold before Queen was announced to be part of the venue. At this time, Queen was considered to be an old band (they had been performing since 1971.) Those in the audience came to see groups like U2 and Wham!
Also, remember the Live Aid at Wembley concert began at 12:00 London time (the Philly concert began 5 hours later), so the audience had been there in the sun and heat for nearly 7 hours by the time Queen performed.
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 Freddie’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.”
Queen's playlist was:
1. Bohemian Rhapsody (just the ballad and guitar portion)
2. Radio Ga Ga (the song that inspired Lady Ga Ga's name)
3. Freddie's Call and Response
4. Hammer to Fall
5. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
6. We Will Rock You (just the first verse and guitar solo)
7. We Are The Champions
Freddie wrote "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" while bathing in his Berlin hotel. It took him about 10 minutes to write it. He was inspired and yelled for someone to bring him a guitar which he used to write the song. (Roger said he never understood how Freddie got that damn guitar in the tub.) He wrote it as a tribute to Elvis Presley.
Not only does Freddie play a guitar on stage during this song (the only song in which he does) but Brian uses 3 different guitars during the song. He started with his eclectic acoustic guitar, then switched to a Fender Telecaster, and finished with his homemade Red Special guitar. ua-cam.com/video/0ORIoUohBUc/v-deo.html
BTW - The song that was cut off from the video is:
8. Is This The World We Created (performed by Freddie and Brian toward the end of the Wembley concert) here is the link to watch it - ua-cam.com/video/riwDo7_GxjM/v-deo.html
Coach, here is a song you might enjoy, "Tie Your Mother Down" - ua-cam.com/video/uuztACTlySM/v-deo.html. Written by Brian while he was at the Tenerife Observatory working on his Ph.D. and couldn't sleep one night. He started playing the guitar and this song is the result.
Brian explains the lyrics of "Tie Your Mother Down": "I'll tell you the truth, I know what happened. Sometimes you get a little riff, and you just put some words with it, and then you don't even think about what they mean. Now I'm remember thinking, now this isn't a good enough title for this song, but everyone said: 'Well actually, it sounds okay,' and so we kind of lyrically built it around that. That's the truth, folks."
Freddie comments on "Tie Your Mother Down", "Well this one in fact is a track written by Brian actually, I dunno why. Maybe he was in one of his vicious moods. I think he's trying to outdo me after "Death on Two Legs" actually."
FYI - "Death On Two Legs" is considered to be Freddie’s “hate letter” towards the band’s former manager, Norman Sheffield. The song incorporated a vast range of vicious lyrics and was described by Freddie as being “so vindictive that Brian [May] felt bad singing it” - ua-cam.com/video/kqVpk0qxmfA/v-deo.html. (The lesson from "Death On Two Legs" is don't piss off Freddie.)
This is just an amazing read. We cannot thank you enough for this info and for watching our video. This is another example of why the Queen fans are so special. 😀❤
Best comment
Thank you for supplying what I think may be the most comprehensive explanation I've ever read about this performance!
Neil Young also suffered with nodules on his vocal chords but he had them removed which kept him from singing for quite some time and his voice was never quite as sweet after the surgery but still as good and obviously a lot less painful.
What an amazing comment.
This WASN'T a Queen crowd. That is why this is considered so special. Tickets were sold out BEFORE Queen was ever announced as one of the groups who would perform. But they completely stole the show!
Exacto, fueron los mejores. Sin discusión ninguna
That's actually not true, Queen was one of first bands announced by Bob Geldoff as to be taking part at Live Aid. However, like most artists he announced none had yet agreed as being part of it, so he was just announcing names to attract the public's attention. And even though Queen had not initially agreed to doing Live Aid, they never officially pulled out - they just waited until they met with Bob before agreeing. But, the fans always had it in their minds that Queen was going to be there. And they were one of the big attractions. And so even though it wasn't a "Queen crowd", they were one of the most beloved bands in London and were viewed as hometown heroes, so they were expected to get a big reaction.
A British Tabloid journalist quoted in the paper the next day…. “In 1985, for around 20 minutes. A different Queen ruled the England that day”
Epic quote!
Indeed they ruled the world that 20mins
‘For about 20 minutes, Freddie held a mic in one hand and the world in the other’
Best 20 minutes in rock and roll history.
This 20 minutes, has lasted 39 years
For 22 minutes Queen ruled the world. This is the greatest live performance of all time & will never be beaten
I 100% agree Brian may is an amazing guitarist and I don’t think he’s talked about enough
Queen at Live Aid was the greatest live set of all time. Freddie got all of us on our feet, even in my parents basement, in Canada. We sang along, clapped and cheered and cried! He made us feel as if we were there. We knew that everyone else around the world watching was also singing along! We were the world at that instant at 17 in 1985! Best live set ever!
This is still considered to this day as the greatest live performance ever caught on film. If memory serves, Queen wasn't announced until after tickets were sold out, so this necessarily wasn't a Queen audience, but Freddie owned every stage he was on, and he could hold a crowd in the palm of his hand. Hes still the greatest frontman of all time and it's not even close. There's Freddie and then there is everyone else. Hes the GOAT.
It was nice to see your appreciation of Brian May’s guitar playing! So many video’s focus mainly on Freddie for obvious reasons.
There will never be another frontman like Freddie! RIP
FACTS!!💔💔❤️
It was David Bowie who followed Queen. It's understood he said to Queen as they passed something like 'Thanks guys, but how the hell do I follow that?'
He actually said "You Bastards".
NO SYNTHS - was added to the album notes on all their earliest albums. Remember: four men, four voices, four instruments. No Tricks. If you watch the official version of Radio GaGa you'll see where the double clap thing came from. The Live Aid songs are Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Gaga, Hammer to Fall, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Will Rock You, and We Are The Champions. For Hammer to Fall Brian May might as well have said: "Hello, I'm Brian May and this is a master class in guitar playing. Try to keep up." When Brian May and his father built his guitar - the Red Special - out of an old fireplace surround, he taught himself to play and learned a piece of very fast guitar music which he didn't know had been played slowly but sped up in the recording process. Astrophysicist Dr Brian May still plays the Red Special to this day. There's a version of this vid with Brian and Freddy doing an encore called Is This the world We Created.
By the will of fate, four musical geniuses met each other and changed the world of music. This did not happen before them, and it will not happen after them. Freddie is the voice of the universe. Forever.
FYI - Unlike most of the other acts performing, Queen took this performance very seriously. They rented a hall and rehearsed their performance for a week before the concert. They had clocks placed all over the rehearsal area to keep track of the time (remember they were limited to 20 minutes). Here is a video of the rehearsal along with an interview with the band about Live Aid - ua-cam.com/video/e1ccSGPjd9o/v-deo.html
Brian was voted the greatest rock guitarist of all time in a new poll published in the June 2020 issue of Total Guitar magazine.
Glad to see him getting some admiration. I have personally not heard his name a lot when people talk about great guitarists, but he's fantastic.
@@CoachCastTV Sir Doctor Brian May (the guitarist!) has not only been voted no 1 guitarist by various polls he is also a well respected Astro physicist (various NASA projects) as well as his charitable works particularly animal /ecological . Not your ordinary rock guitarist!! 😊
Widely regarded as the greatest live performance in history. People loved this band.
Great reaction. Freddie's Dr told him not to perform but he did and he absolutely killed it. Yes we are Queenies
I was in the crowd that day - I'd been a Queen fan for years (Saw them twice before this gig) - Had my ticket for weeks before finding out that Queen would be on the bill.
It's right what they say, that Queen completely stole the show - People around me, who hadn't seen Queen live before, were almost in shock - They were so good.
It's possible to pick me out in Hi-res videos of this - During 'Crazy Little Thing', Right after "Ready-Freddie" the camera pans to the crowd - There's a girl on her b/f's shoulders - To the right of her, as we see her, and a couple of rows back, I'm the one in suglasses right behind the guy waving a white t-shirt.
A red-hot day, and I did get badly sunburned, but the pain was well worth it - a fantastic event.
On a side note - I'm also in the 'Radio GaGa' music video. Queen used members of their fan club in videos around that time - I'm one of the crowd of 'clappers' in white robes - though I've never managed to specifically pick myself out.
Also got invited to the shoot for 'Friends Will Be Friends', but I had a holiday abroad booked for when they were filming, so couldn't go.
That's absolutely amazing!
"Freddie? Watch Live Aid to understand who he is. Incredible stage presence. His every move mesmerized the audience, you could not help but follow his every move. He was eccentric without a real need to be, he just went on stage in jeans and a T-shirt to have everyone at his feet anyway. Not to mention the voice, one of the rare examples that was better live than in the studio without needing anything else."
Reinhold Mack
(Queen's sound engineer and producer)
This was the best 20 min.of music ever.Period❤😂I was 15 and never missed a second of Live Aid and I waa already a Queen fan but Freddie stole my heart that day❤Much love from Canada❤🇨🇦
A whole lifetime in twenty minutes- it doesn't matter if you were not in the audience you remember watching this on the tv, and enjoying it, the best by far performance- except for the opening slot with Status Quo who kicked off the whole thing that day. Later in 1986 they toured together.
You don’t know how happy I am to see you loving ‘Hammer to Fall’. Not many speak on it when they watch their full set as it’s got a lot of classics in but what a song it is especially live.
Loving the reactions, keep them coming!
Coach's favorite of the set, although they are all great, of course.
I was working in HMV in the UK on the day this was on all the stores TVs. For months after, we couldn't get Queen albums and CDs in fast enough. Never seen anything like it. They outsold any other artist at that time following this appearance.
Thank you so much for this brilliant reaction. I can't count how many times I've watched this set, both alone and as part of a reaction. It never gets old. My only quibble with the video is that there was no camera focusing on Roger, which would have shown us how much work he did, not only on the drums, but supporting Freddie's vocals by covering the high notes that Freddie couldn't reach because of his sore throat. And of course we missed seeing him scream his traditional 'Ready Freddie?' during Crazy Little thing Called Love. Did you notice that Brian played 3 different guitars during that song?
One of the guys (can't remember whether it was Brian or Roger) said that they were unusually nervous as they took the stage, because although they had an advantage over most of the other bands because they were used to playing stadiums, and they knew their sound guy had fiddled with the system to make them louder that was officially permitted, they were not used to playing in daylight, in which they'd be able to see the entire audience rather than just those in the front few rows who would be shown by the spill from the stage lights. Then as soon as the crowd joined in with Freddie singing Bohemian Rhapsody, they were able to relax because they knew it was going to be great.
David Bowie was the brave soul who followed them on stage...
By the way, I'd never heard of the term Queenie to refer to the fans until I started watching reaction videos. As far as I'm concerned, we're 'The Queen Army'.
Whatever Queen fans want to be called, they are all awesome in our book. This is absolutely a masterpiece. Then reading the story behind it makes it even more impressive.
Yea Rog gets totally shut out.
😢
Freddie sang the high notes himself at Live Aid, despite being sick. It helped that show was only 18 minutes instead of the usual 2 hour Queen shows.
A month late but I came down to the comments to say a lot of what you did. Great job! The only thing you left out (that I can think of) is it was David Bowie who followed Queen that day.
They all knew each other so well that Roger knew when he was going to have to jump in on vocal when Freddie couldn't. Freddie had a fantastic safety net when necessary.
Not many lead singers would have gotten away with Freddie's ad-lib immediately after Radio Gaga but then again, who else could have a worldwide audience eating outta their hand the way Freddie Mercury could?
He loved the crowd, and that was very much reciprocated.❤❤
The person who had to follow this was non other than David Bowie, and he said exactly the same thing.
When the band first gets on stage there is no sound checks allowed, when you hear the drums hit, John hit a note, and Brian do a little chord, and Freddie tune his piano. Thats it. The Queen legend is that their sound guy turned the monitors up to the max, thus this awesome sound.
The brief was you have 20 minutes like it or not so they rehearsed for a week before in a london theatre,with a stopwatch to ensure timing was correct to time limit given.
Thanks for all your hard work sharing this with us! When Queen performed at Live Aid, EVERYONE in the world - or at least the 76,000 people in the stadium and the 1.9 BILLION people watching on their TVs - knew that Queen stole the show. I was one of the billions glued to my TV. Queen was PURE PERFECTION that July day. I now know from the videos/reactions I've seen over time, that the band - being the perfectionists they were - carefully selected 6 of just some of their most recognizable songs - shortened some, sped up others to fit into the 20 minute time slot. And they built in time for Freddie - the master frontman - to encourage the audience to participate. And then they practiced...and practiced some more...there is even a video of their practice sessions! They wanted to be absolutely sure they were at the top of their game for Live Aid. And there is no doubt in anyone's mind that they were.
The brilliant performer, STING, had already finished his 20 minute set at Live Aid and was sitting in that huge crowd watching the show when Queen did their set. He said: "If there was a winner that day it was QUEEN. Such a slick show. That performance (by the band) was fantastic. And Freddie is an amazing performer who not only performed to the top of his abilities, he also orchestrated the entire stadium so they became part of the performance. Freddie is an incredible musician and a great singer - a complete one-off..." I would only add that the brilliant musicians who made Queen into the legend it is to this day - Brian, Roger, John and Freddie - are a complete UNIT of one-offs. To me, Queen is simply MAGIC on stage. By the way, Sir Brian May was recently rated the best rock guitarist by Guitar magazine. Whether or not you agree with that rating, it sure was a well-deserved accolade for this consummate composer, lyricist, and incredible guitarist.
FYI: Queen actually wasn't even mentioned as participants on the original PR about Live Aid. So it wasn't only Queen fans who bought tickets to attend that show - most were there to see other performers. I'm betting that many left the stadium as Queen fans (or Queenies...LOL).
I bet they did, also. And I'm sure many others have become fans after seeing this even years later. Great info!
@@CoachCastTV Lovely reaction and that "76,000" was nonsense,imo.
That was the old Wembley England Football Stadium which hels 100,000 and although the seats behind the stage,were, presumably,not used,that usual 100,000 Football crowd does not include all those tht you saw on the football pitch,in front of the stage.
One of the best performances ever, Freddie, Brian May & the rest of the band just amazing. I still watch it even now years later & I jump up & shout. Queen at their very best. The best part, it was for charity. Great job
Freddie Mercury had a severe throat infection (he said in an interview later it felt like he was gargling broken glass) and was told by a doctor not to perform that day which advice he of course ignored--he had a world-wide audience of 1.9 Billion waiting for this performance. You can find a video of their final song "Is This The World We Created" separately which Freddie and Brian performed towards the end of the concert. You should react to the full Wembley concert from 1986 (a year later from this).
The fact it isn't even a Queen audience is amazing!
On July 13, 1985, everyone in attendance at Wembley Stadium in London witnessed rock history. Set as two simultaneous performances, one for an audience of 72,000 people at Wembley, and another with 89,484 at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Live Aid was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief.
The concert was broadcast across the globe by one of the most extensive satellite connections of all time, and viewed by an estimated 1.9 billion in 150 nations. It’s estimated that nearly 40 percent of the worldwide population tuned in while $127 million was raised for relief efforts.
Among a line-up of more than 75 artists performing at Live Aid, there was one that stole the show: Queen. Other acts on the bill included Elton John, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Madonna, Santana, Run DMC, Sting, The Who, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Bryan Adams, The Beach Boys, U2, Duran Duran, and Slade.
After Dire Straits finished their set, Queen stepped on and took over the Live Aid stage at 6:41 p.m.
Donned in his signature white tank and matching pants, Freddie Mercury served as ringmaster for the next 20 minutes, commanding the audience as the band pummelled through their short set. The group opened with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” followed by “Radio Ga Ga,” Mercury conducted the audience in an “Ay-Oh” call & respond before breaking into the Brian May-penned “Hammer to Fall,” from the band’s 1984 album The Works.
“This next song is only dedicated to beautiful people here tonight, which means all of you. Thank you for coming along. You are making this a great occasion,” said Mercury before playing the opening riff of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
The band closed their six-song set with a rousing “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” They then made way for the next performer in line, David Bowie.
“You bastards,” Elton John has said jokingly to the band following their set. “You stole the show.”
To this day Queen's 20-minute set at Live Aid in 1985 still stand as one of the best live performances ever.
he suffered a vocal hemorrhage sometime during the 1985 Works Tour and was on doctor ordered voice rest once the tour ended.
For those unaware a vocal hemorrhage is when your actual vocal chords, the little vibrating folds in your throat, begin to bleed due to overuse or misuse. This, plus the vocal nodules he already had, is a major risk to a singer.
This happened to Frank Sinatra in the 1950s as well. He was told by his doctor not to sing/speak for a whole month otherwise he may never sing again.
That said, he went against doctors orders and went on stage at live aid and gave one of the greatest performances ever even with his throat.
What makes it better that the audience is not Queen fans, the tickets sold out before they were confirmed as being on the bill.
In the early 80's Queen hired an extra piano player whose name was Spike Edney, the unofficial 5th member of Queen. They hired him so that Freddie could do his thing on stage more and not be tied to the piano 100% of the time.
Thanks for that info. He was pretty darn good if that was him in this video.
@@CoachCastTV .. You can get a good look at Spike during the Saturday July 12th show at Wembley 86' Magic tour.... He played rhythm guitar with Brian & John during.Hammer to Fall, along with backup vocals...fantastic..... also could you react to Crazy Little Thing called Love,.. Now I'm Here ...and ...Another one Bites the dust..same concert?.... Great camera angles ...absolutely FIRE!
@@CoachCastTV Yes, it's Spike Edney on piano who still plays with Queen to this day. They (QAL) are in Toronto, CA for sold out performance 10.8.23
@@CoachCastTV Yes, that was him. He has made a comment that unfortunately no camera caught him while playing the piano that day. Spike still tours with Queen + AL, by the way. He is great!
Did not know that!! Glad I do now thank you!! I was wondering how they were doing the piano after Freddie got up, because I 100% know that wasn't a playback!!
Thanks for the great reaction..According to roadie Peter ‘Ratty’Hince, they rehearsed like mad after he bought big clocks to set on the rehearsal stage..notice the red light on the front of the stage when they finished..their timing was perfect..Absolute professionals!❤❤
"You bastards, you've stole the show", Elton John said.
The song Radio Ga Ga was written by drummer Roger Teylor and was one of Queen's biggest hits in 1984.
I was there on the day, we knew we were experiencing the live performance to end all performances, Queen and Freddie surpassed all the other acts, although they were good, so glad to look back at a very special day!
Amazing that you got to experience this live!
"Killin' that guitar." Brian May and his dad designed and made it. Known as the Red Special, sometimes the Fireplace because the wood for the neck came from an old fireplace mantel.
Freddie called it “that fireplace around Brian’s neck” in one video 😂🤣😂
Brian May is definitely not underrated by other guitar players. He has a greater sense of harmony and rhythm than any other player in rock.
Hi ,Great reaction! I was in the crowd that day, 6 rows back from the stage, right next to the girl on the guys shoulders. Every time I watch this, and look at my 32 year old self rocking out with the rest of the crowd, I get goosebumps. I'd seen Queen live twice before this concert, but this was the best I'd ever seen them, Fred's voice was incredible even though he'd had a serious throat infection, and was advised by his doctor not to perform. Bri's guitar is second to none, he is definitely king of reverb on his home made guitar, and his extra special sound is further enhanced by him using old UK sixpence coins to strum instead of a standard plectrum. They absolutely stole the show that day. Keep up the good work!
Envious of you for getting to be there!
It was a 20 minute set of the Live
Aid. So they had to pack a lot in, in 20 minutes. I remember this vividly at the time.
They were time limited and knew that the microphones would actually be turned off if they went over. The red lights came on just after they finished. You can watch the encore just search "Freddie Mercury Is This the World We Created Live Aid."
Was here as a Queen fan before you guys hit 1k subscribers! We are now post 10k! Let’s get you guys to over 100k subs!
We appreciate you! That seems like so far away to hit 100k, but we're just grateful anyone wants to watch. LOL
Imagine the kids at a school in Brixton area who had Brian May as thier maths /physics teacher a few years before . 18:38
The song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was written by Mercury as a tribute to his musical heroes Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard. Roger Taylor added in an interview that Mercury wrote it in just 10 minutes while lounging in a bath in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich during one of their extensive Munich recording sessions. Mercury took it to the studio shortly after writing it and presented it to Taylor and John Deacon. The three of them, with their then new producer Reinhold Mack, recorded it at Musicland Studios in Munich. The entire song was reportedly recorded in less than half an hour (although Mack says it was six hours)
It was a true inspiration.
People didn't really know that Queen would be on it was a surprise for most as it was a 16 hour show with a huge amount of world class acts, but everyone in the UK and many parts of the world have grown up with Queen and so will know every word to virtually every song, even today many younger people have high regard for Queen and will know the words in full to Bohemian rhapsody.
Single most truthful quote from Freddie. When asked what instrument he played best he said the audience
Divine! In 1985, they performed at Live Aid. There were 72,000 thousand viewers in London, and 89,000 in Philadelphia. There were bands and people like Status Quo, U2, The Who, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Queen, The Cars, Phil Collins, etc. It was the biggest performance in the whole world. The Live Aid event was organized by musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Yur, with the aim of raising funds to help victims of the famine in Ethiopia in 1984-1985.
Great reaction as always! Yes, Freddie even though was going through some nasty throat infection, he managed to perform much better than anybody else ever could. Queen stole the show without any doubts. The songs order: 1) Bohemian Rhapsody. 2) Radio Ga Ga. 3) Ay-Oh (the top vocal showmanship). 4) Hammer to Fall. 5) Crazy little thing called love. 6) We will rock you. 7) We are the champions. Best wishes!
Thanks for that list. Absolutely loved Hammer to Fall.
Good choice, obviously you couldn’t hide it😉 When you find enough time, start reacting to Queen’s whole concerts. You’ll find Hammer to fall in Live at Wembley set.
Freddie's one performer who, sick or not, voice in pristine condition or not, cracking vocals, off -tune or not, still commands our love and attention. It's not just 'the voice", it's the natural charisma that the man possessed. Amazingly entertaining. Totally captivating. (and, as you note, if Freddie IS a bit rough in vocals due to straining his voice, Roger Taylor is right on it to either fill out the sound or fully take over if need be. These guys were a team of talent).
Fun fact for those who dont know ... The " Red Special " ( Brian guitar ) completely built by Brian and his father. Brian couldn't afford the popular guitars of the day like Les Pauls or Fender Strats so he decided to build one. It was cobbled together from the various building materials he could find. The neck ( at this point in time ) was over 100 years old as it was designed from an old single piece Fire Place Mantle. This is one of the most famous and well known rock Guitars of all time !!!
Absolutely fascinating how they did that.
20 minutes that changed rock and roll. on you tube.
Thanks for the reaction! This entire performance is spectacular, the energy on stage and in the audience, and Freddie's vocals reaching every note despite being completely advised against going on stage by his doctor, our eternal Mr. Fahrenheit ❤️🔥.
Later Freddie and Brian returned to the stage to sing "Is this the word we created", a song they wrote together thinking about the humanitarian crisis of the time, it's worth seeing this duo's "encore" ❤
Thanks for telling us what they were getting ready to do at the end.
I saw Queen live at the Omni in Atlanta in 1977. I'll never forget when they did "We are the Champions". Freddie ran up the top of really high speakers on each corner of the stage and threw long stemmed roses into the crowd. It was a time I'll never forget.
The song "Radio Gaga" was written by Roger Taylor, the drummer. Hammer to Fall was written by Brian May, lead guitar.
Nice job! You picked the right one! Queens live shows at Wembley and at Montreal are also spectacular. Keep up the great reactions.
Cool, thanks!
One of the Best concert...in the World...
They played right before David Bowie came on, and he was quoted as saying to Freddie Mercury in passing, "You Right Bastards! You stole the Show!". They were professional; displayed their talents as musicians, and managed to hit their show in the 20+minutes they had to perform,dead on. This was an amazing performance.
Wasnt it elton john?
This is an urban myth type thing that gets repeated.
Thank you for such emotional reaction!
Radio Ga Ga is a great song that definitelly deserves separate reaction. There is a very beautiful official video for this song. I love it as a sincere tribute of one of the most creative musical collectives to humanity's acievements, to its creativeness and talent to develope. At least this is what I feel about this song. And this inspires a great respect, because the mighty majority of humans takes the progress for granted, but not QUEEN.
Thank you so much!
Hello. I'm glad they were able to add the subtitles. Now it's my turn to keep my promise. Two details of this concert. The one who plays the piano while Freddie sings is Spike Edney. Queen hired him because Freddie preferred to run around the stage and he covered him in several songs. He still plays with Brian and Roger. Lady Gaga took her name from the song Radio Gaga.
As others said the band practiced to be in the 20 minute range knowing the sound would be turned off if you went over. If you watch when Freddie finishes singing We are the Champions and comes back up on stage you can see the light at bottom right is yellow, then you see the yellow light on with the red blinking. As Freddie signals the end, the light turns red. Perfection
Freddie had vocal nodules diagnosed back in the 70's, but he elected not to have them removed for fear of damaging his voice. He had laryngitis the week before this concert, that's why his doctor recommended that he cancel his performance and rest his throat. He ignored the advice and went on to make rock history but when he was back in his trailer said it felt like he had shards of glass in this throat through the whole performance.
Great!!!! Thank you! I watched this for like 1000 times, but every time is the FIRST time! That good they are. Pure perfection! Try with Wembley 1986 medley One Vision and Tie your mother down!
I was there that day. Queen stole the day. Blew the rest of the other bands away. Even when he came back on at the end of the night. I still have my 1985 Live Aid Ticket today. Nicely laminated and safely stored in a safe.
He wasnt sick. The backstage Doctor recommended that he didnt perform because he had a throat infection. He told the Doctor he's going on stage for the fans. Freddie wasnt just a singer, he was also entertainer
100% agree he was far more than a singer. Really cool that you got to go in person.
A day I will never forget. Feels like yesterday.
One point to make is that the majority of tickets had been sold even before Queen were added to the playlist.
They were playing infront of a crowd which wasnt a Queen crowd, and yet still owned it. Thats what made Freddie and the boys incredible
I would love to suggest "Play the Game" live at Montreal 1981
Thank you for reacting to this masterclass of how to perform on a stage , mrs coach had it right , it was the whole group that made it possible . One small piece , right hand side of the sound booth in the centre of the pitch was a young guy loving life namely ME 😂
Wow, that's amazing. Thanks for watching!
1985-86(?) concert at Wembley is on video. Watch that and you’ll get what it was like to see them live. If you want a lasting effect get a good set of headphones, crank the volume up to 11 so your ears will ring for about two days afterwards. I saw them four times so I speak the truth. I’m sure others will agree. Don’t forget You Take My Breath Away(studio with lyrics). Play it for your lovely bride. By the way, Brian and his Dad MADE that guitar when he was a teenager. Who Wants to Live Forever live is a must see. Enjoy.
That guitar sounds fantastic!
All the performers were given approx. 20 minutes on stage , Queens 20 minutes has lasted for 38 years, so far, it has gone down in history as the greatest live performance ever. I miss Freddie so much.
20 legendary minutes for sure.
New subscriber. Excellent video.
I saw Queen live a year later, Slane Castle, Ireland 1986.
What a day, what a pleasure!
Thank you for the upload.
Thank you. Glad to have you aboard!
Each of them is a genius in their category. I'm glad they met, the music world would be dull without them 💛💙❤
We're all glad they met!
I really like how you two guys are really into the music and stage performance. Queen is captivating, i saw them 4 times in the Netherlands in 1980, 82, 84 en 86. Out of this world performances.
What gets me to this day is that they didn't need autotune to give a feckin' amazing performance ❤❤ plus brian may made his own guitar himself 😊
I saw this live happening in Sweden and I was 12y ... and we recorded it on VHS longplay wich was new then... ❤❤❤
"If this is sick Freddie, I'll take sick Freddie over anything!" Ha..I love it! Guitar World ranked Brian the greatest guitarist of all time earlier this year. He's always been ranked fairly high in polls of this nature. I'm not sure if anyone has suggested these yet, but here goes: You Take my Breath Away, Live at Hyde Park 1976; Liar, live at The Rainbow; Love of my Life - Queen Rock in Rio. I am really enjoying your reactions, thank you!
We appreciate this info. So happy you are enjoying!
I was almost 7 when I saw this live on TV - turned me into a lifelong fan and lover of music to musicality. Still blows my mind like it was the first time.
Queen’s performance went down in rock history as the best single performance by a rock band, considering the circumstances that it was a global charity event! I remember watching this on MTV! The set list is brilliant 👉 Bohemian Rhapsody (why not, big hit) Radio Ga Ga (huge participation song) Hammer To Fall (currently getting radio play) Crazy Little Thing Called Love (tribute to Elvis, fans see Freddie play guitar) We Will Rock You & We Are The Champions (the one-two punch knockout). Crowd never recovers & Queen reigns supreme! 👑
Festival gigs are always tricky because audience members tend not to pay attention if the band playing isn't one they came to see. Part of what makes this performance so legendary is how Freddie was able to captivate and control a stadium full of people who weren't necessarily Queen fans. I've read accounts saying that in bars and pubs that were showing the live TV broadcast, business came to a halt for 20 minutes as patrons and staff alike were clapping and singing in unison with Freddie. One of Freddie's best friends was backstage that day, and was later reported as saying "thank God Freddie uses his power for good" because his ability to control large crowds was almost frightening.
COACH,
REMINDER…
Queen’s Live Aid ENCORE:
“Is This The World We Created?”
Video is on:
Official Live Aid Channel
Thanks! Have a great day!
@@CoachCastTV 🖖
I was 11yo that days. Still LOVE it!
Freddie was in love with Monserrat. In my opinion this is Queen, Notice it in the harmony of the chorus. BEAUTIFUL !!!
Each performer had to do a sound check on their own equipment when they came out on stage. The stage manager was urging each group to do their sound check as fast as possible. Most took 1=2 minutes. Listen here and you will hear all the quick sound checks. The stage manager said this group was the most professional and they did their sound check in 36 seconds.
Impressive.
Hi Coach thank you for your great reaction! Freddie is such an amazing performer. He is a total package. Many of us Loves him because he is a person with great character. Queen stole the show and their performance is superb! and I admire Freddie because 1. He has a throat problem but still managed to perform (very professional) and his voice is still great and 2. Freddie had the audience in the palm of his hand - please take note that these audience are NOT ALL Queen fans. what a great show! Love you coach for doing the Live Aid Concert... THANK YOU VERY MUCH! May I request to react LOVE OF MY LIFE in Rock in Rio 1985 and also Under Pressure. Thank you again and Stay safe!❤👑👑❤ #Freddie forever #Love QUEEN forever
We appreciate you! That suggestion is on our list to do. We appreciate you watching!
Brian did a great version of this guitar solo aged 70 a the fire fight Australia concert just before covid
In fact they played the live aid set that day in 2020 the only time queen have done so since 1985
Should watch it queen 'firefight' australia
Being an Aussie means I am always late to these videos, and there is nothing I can say that all the other beautiful Queenies haven't already said about this concert. I will simply add that if you get the chance to watch the song that was cut off, it is worth it. It was not written for the concert, although you would be forgiven for thinking it was, and it resonates today, as much as it did in 1985.
Also, I've requested before, that another great song to react to is 39 - at the Hammersmith Odeon 1979. It is Dr. May's 'tip of the hat' to the work he does in Astrophysics.
Thanks for the great reaction to this one. Despite the overlay, I still got goosebumps from watching! Freddie really is the GOAT!
We appreciate you watching even with the overlay. I hate watching reactions with overlays but AC/DC, my favorite band, blocks most videos in reactions, so I'm used to it and realize it is not the best way to watch a reaction. However, we didn't want to block out part of our viewership. We'll put the unedited on Patreon once we get that started.
Thank you for your reaction to this historical event. As far as I know, Queen does not block their videos. 39 is a track written by Brian May, who as you know, has a PhD in astrophysics- and 39 is a folk ballad about time dilation! Basically Interstellar meets folk music - which is so very Brian May😊
recuerdo cuando en 1984 a 1986 escuchaba los cassettes en el equipo de mi papá, Queen , the beatles. era una experiencia oir música en esos años.
They played Baltimore this week and……KILLED IT!❤️🎼❤️
I was finally able to see Queen in Baltimore on their kick off concert in Baltimore on Oct 4th. They were AMAZING!! They played most of their hits and a couple of their deep cuts. Adam Lambert did a fantastic job and I am sure Freddie would approve. They honored Freddie a few times during the concert to include his famous call and response from Wembley in 1986. Sir Brian still kills it on guitar and I was super thrilled when Roger sang “I’m in Love with My Car”. The gentleman on the keyboards during their Live Aid performance, Spike Edney, still tours with them. I was soooo thrilled to finally see Queen. I was supposed to see them in 1978 with my boyfriend but my parents would not let me go. I never had another opportunity to see them when Freddie was alive.
I love Queen's music, and as far as Queen fans being called Queenies, I'm sure Freddie would fully approve, and I'd have no problem being referred to as such.
Freddie was sick, and Roger helped him out with the high notes for the whole set. Consumate professionals, adaptable and LIVE. No auto-tune, no do-overs and yet they sound better than other groups studio versions. Best Band in history
1 of for sure but you also got the beatles up there, even brian may has said numerous occasions if it wasn't for the beatles there be no queen, and I love queen too but I'm a beatles fan
Freddie no estaba enfermo en este concierto
@@MARIASANCHEZ-et7cb Freddie was sick. He'd been advised by doctors not to sing that day. He wasn't yet suffering from AIDS, or at least it hadn't been diagnosed at this point but he definitely had a throat infection.
@@malcolmrowe9003 pues menos mal que estaba enfermo, sino ya si espectáculo hubiera sido cósmico.
Yo estuve en ese lived aid 85. Fue impresionante. 16 añod tenía
I may have alreadycommemeted but queen have only ever played the live aid set once since live aid and that was fire fight australia 2020 with adam lambert
Interesting!
The late David Bowie followed Queen & was heard saying how the f..k do i follow that???
LOL, good question.
The most fantastic day of my life. I’m a Brit who had obviously heard Queen before, but this day sealed my love. First son was 18 months old and he danced all day, fell into a nap and woke up before Queen and got back to dancing. Long day for me, but the best memory ever. We lived in Portland Island and had a bad thunderstorm because of the heat, TV shit off, and as was usual we got French TV for a bit lol, baby not happy, but we got Freddie back! Son gravitates between music, Astro physics, (Brian May) and art. Could say he’s a band of minds.
That's awesome!
Queen are the only band i believe to be in the rock and roll hall of fame and for each member to individually be in the song writers hall of fame. For each member individually wrote songs to hit no1
I literally only stopped by today to see this reaction!! Been a while since ive stopped by, but there was no way i was passing this one up!!! 🥰🥰
Good to see you!
Was very happy to be here!! Loved the reaction!!
Well just so you know Brian and Roger are still doing concerts with Adam Lambert as the lead singer.
Subscribed after watching your Somebody To Love, I've been watching Queen since they came out, im 60
Loving this! The greatest
Rock performance,basic set up, no lights,no soundcheck.. Freddie said screw it,lets roll.
Fun fact, radio Gaga sung in this concert is where Lady Gaga found her stage name.
Well, in the evening Freddie and B. May played "Is this the world we created?", I don't know why the video stopped before. Anyway, the best rock live performance ever. Period.
What lovely couple you are, it’s a joy to see the reactions of people who have never seen this incredible performance. Love and respect from across the pond! 🏴🇺🇸
Thanks so much! We are truly enjoying learning about a group we never listened to much (except the few radio hits). Their catalog is extensive!
Note fastest sound check ever
Yep. 9 seconds. All 4 were absolute pros and perfectionists.