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The remarkable hidden story about Freddie Mercury’s Live Aid performance
Queen’s career is defined by their performance at Wembley Stadium during the now iconic Live Aid event — but it nearly didn’t take place at all. In a parallel universe, the band don’t take to the stage that day to write the final scene of Bohemian Rhapsody, and the history of the band would appear far weaker.
Contrary to popular belief, at the time of the performance, Queen were no longer the powerhouse they once were. In truth, their star power was fading. When envisaging Live Aid, the image of Freddie Mercury on stage looking as though he was floating on top of the world springs to mind, but that doesn’t paint the complete picture. At the time, their last three albums had failed to enter the top 20 of the charts in the United States or go to number one in the United Kingdom, which was a significant fall from grace.
Even though Queen were still capable of selling out stadiums, the group were not as culturally relevant as they once were. Although their most recent album, The Works, included hits such as ‘Radio Ga Ga’ and ‘I Want To Break Free’, Queen had a point to prove, and there was no way in the world they were missing a chance to make their mark at Wembley Stadium with the world watching on.
Remarkably, Queen wasn’t asked to participate in the Band Aid charity single, which bemused Mercury. However, Bob Geldof didn’t make the same mistake twice, and once he told him Queen would be the centre-piece for the Live Aid performance, Mercury was primed for the outing.
No longer the new kids on the block, this performance was the perfect chance to remind the world they could go toe-to-toe with any group on the planet. However, hours before showtime, the concert was in doubt due to Mercury suffering complications with his voice.
Speaking to Attitude, the BBC’s Paul Gambaccini said: “I went up to Wembley to interview the artists backstage for television and radio. Freddie wouldn’t give an interview on the day because he had vocal trouble. His doctor told him not to do the show, but of course, he was determined to do it anyway.”
Despite being under strict doctor’s orders, there was no way Mercury was missing the show. The potential long-term consequences to his voice didn’t matter to the enigmatic lead singer, this was his chance to prove his doubters wrong and show the world that there was still no live act like Queen, despite them being on the cusp of veteran status.
Unfathomably, Freddie not only managed to overcome his voice issues, but he used Wembley Stadium as a vehicle to prove himself as the greatest showman on the planet. He had 70,000 people in the palm of his hand and brought Queen back from the cusp of irrelevancy into the zeitgeist.
