“Very questionable”: The live song Brian May thought didn’t sound right
Even for a decade defined by rock gods, Queen were in a class by themselves in the early 1970s. Although they were pure craftsmen every time they went into the studio, they somehow managed to get better as a live act with each passing tour, both doing justice to their records while also taking the audience down little detours during every show, like when Freddie Mercury would do his trademark yelps halfway through the set and practically play the audience. Live Aid is still the clearest example of them working off each other on the biggest stage possible, but Brian May thought that ‘Hammer to Fall’ was far from their finest hour onstage.
That said, it should be commendable that the group delivered such a strong showing on such short notice. Bob Geldolf had already announced that the group would be playing even though they hadn’t signed on yet, and while they were still fresh off of a tour, that didn’t mean that they were necessarily going to be in excellent shape going into the stadium.
But from the minute that they got onstage, it wasn’t really a benefit gig anymore. For just under a half hour, the entire set became a glorified Queen show, with everyone else serving as opening acts. All the group had to do was run through most of their hits, but despite having a treasure trove of tunes at their disposal, it’s usually best for business to go with the one recent single.
And it’s not like ‘Hammer to Fall’ wasn’t a good choice, either. ‘Radio Gaga’ went over like a charm in that context, but outside of the massive keyboard sounds, hearing something that was nothing but balls-to-the-wall rock and roll was a better way to pick up the energy to compete with a reunited Led Zeppelin and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Then again, some songs need to be roadtested before they are truly ready for primetime. Although the idea to only play the beginning of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was probably a wise choice, one of the more memorable moments doesn’t even come from the music, only happening when Mercury starts messing around with a cameraman getting close to the stage.
Other than the frontman’s impeccable stage banter, May thought that ‘Hammer to Fall’ didn’t really sound the best during the gig, telling Guitar World, “When you watch it now, it’s not without its tense moments. The end of ‘Hammer To Fall’ is very questionable, you know? But nobody cared – because the adrenaline that was flowing in Freddie was pretty magnificent.”
Even though there might be an occasional musical cue that doesn’t work out all that well, that actually works in the group’s favour. Everything about the show was supposed to be live, and it’s not to know that outside of just being a kickass rock band, Queen was still human behind the scenes and screwed up from time to time, just like the rest of us.
But at this point, even the screwups have become iconic in their own weird way. Because when looking at a performance like this, it’s not just about hitting every note at the exact right time. It’s about giving a masterclass in how to work a crowd, and in a venue that is known for squashing bands like bugs, Queen devoured Wembley by the time they left the stage.
