Queen and LIveAid

Today while I was wandering through the news on Rollingstone.com, I spied a video flashback… Queen playing the LiveAid concert in July of 1985. An amazing live performance. I still remember vividly, in 1974, listening with rapt attention to the metal opera like musical attack of “Queen 2.” I had taken a chance on trying a new band… that would be hard to get off the turntable any time soon!
L:iveAid was aired worldwide. It was the effort of Boomtown rats front man, Bob Geldoff. He get the best and most famous to donate their effort to raise money for starvation in Africa, It had alkready spawned the “do Thye Know It’s Christmas” charity song. Dozens of Brit pop stars sang on what was probably one of the best collection-of-stars song ever. Later, Americans would follow it up with a slick “We Are The World.”
Queen took the stage to a home town Wembley Stadium crowd and immediately electrified the overflow crowd with the opening to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Freddy had the whole crowd in his baclk pocket as he strutted across the daytime stage. I watched and recorded the show from my sister’s TV and VCR.(Something was wrong with mine) I spent the day pushing record and pause in order to capture this extarorinary event. Shows were held simultaneously in England and America, with broadcasts between the 2 sites.
John Deacon and Roger Taylor thumped and pulsed their dependable bass and drum. Brian played that soaring guitar.. so recognizable everywhere. As Freddy danced across the stage during “radio Ga Ga”, the crowd, hands held high, sang along, thousands clapping in rhythm and he sang, “All We Hear is Radio Ga Ga”! “Carzy Little Thing Called Love”, “WE Are the Champions”, … and Mercury’s stage presense… wow! Even though I have seen some of the best on stage, I don’t think anyone measured upo to the power of Queen’s performance I witnessed on that television stet. As I sit here, at my laptop, the clip of the Wembley set playing as I write, It saddens me. I know the end of the story. Queen returned to the stage later for one tune.. the haunting “Is This the World We Created?” The last performance Freddy would have with Queen was one year later (1886).
They made three more albums, but did not tour to support any of them. “A Kind of Magic” was actually a soundtrack LP for “Highlander.”” The Miracle” was a well-received LP, but no tour. People were asking “Why?”
In 1991, Queen signed with Hollywood Records, and released “Innuendo”. I remember sitting in a car, on a Sunday afternoon, listening to the radio show “Rockline:” while I waited for Ash to get out of a meeting. They described the release party, which Brian, Roger and John attended… but no Freddy.
It was a short time later, November 23, 1991, that Freddy Mercury released an announcement with the news that he was suffering from AIDS. The promo video for the first release from the album had shown no direct pictures of the band. Now, the reason why became obvious. A second video, “These are the Days of Our Lives” showed a painfully thin Freddy. It was just over 24 hours after his official announcement that Freddy Mercury passed away.
Fans were heart stricken. To watch his live footage, it was hard to believe someone so full of life and song could be taken so early. In 1995, the band released a last posthumous album “Made In heaven.” The stories said Freddy, weak from his disease, had a bed in the recording studio. He would sing as long as possible, then retire to the bed. He wanted to get that last record out, but died before all the finishing could be done. His vocals were intact, but it took the band mates a couple years before thye could bear to finish working on the instrumentation.
It is not a sad album. “It’s a Beautiful day,” “Made in heaven”, and “IU Was Born To Love You,”.. all upbeat, hopeful songs. But the poignant “Let Me Live” said it best. The man, full of life and the idol of millions… it comes down to simply, “I want to Live.”
Freddie Bulsara 45 years old 1947-1991 “Why don't you take another little piece of my soul Why don't you shape it and shake it 'Til you're really in control All you do is take And all I do is give All that I'm asking Is a chance to live (So let me live) so let me live (Leave me alone) let me live, let me live (Why don't you let me make) a brand new start”