Bob Geldof told Freddie Mercury to ‘just play the hits' before legendary Live Aid performance

Irish Independent

02-07-2025

Queen's six-song performance, which saw lead singer Freddie Mercury make the 72,000-strong crowd clap and chant in unison, is often referred to as one of the greatest rock gigs of all time.
The concert was watched on TV by an estimated 1.5 billion people in 150 countries. It raised more than $140m (€118m) for famine relief, and raised awareness over Ethiopia's devastating food shortages.
Speaking to The Radio Times, guitarist May and drummer Roger Taylor reflected on the performance 40 years later, with Taylor saying: 'During Radio Ga Ga, it did seem that the whole stadium was in unison. But then I looked up during We Are the Champions, and the crowd looked like a whole field of wheat swaying.'
We weren't touring or playing, and it seemed like a crazy idea
It was only Taylor who was enthusiastic about playing the concert initially, while other band members – May, Mercury and bassist John Deacon – were unconvinced.
'We weren't touring or playing, and it seemed like a crazy idea, this talk of having 50 bands on the same bill,' May said. 'We thought it was going to be a disaster. Freddie, in particular, said, 'I haven't got the right feeling for this.'
'He wasn't the leader of the band, but if he dug his heels in there was no dragging him, so we parked it.'
May recalled the moment Mercury changed his mind, saying: 'I said to Freddie: 'If we wake up on the day after this Live Aid show and we haven't been there, we're going to be pretty sad.' He said: 'Oh, f*** it, we'll do it'.'
'It was one of the few moments in anyone's life that you know you're doing something for all the right reasons.'
Before their performance, May said the band were told by festival's organiser, Dubliner Bob Geldof: 'Don't get clever – just play the hits. You have 17 minutes.'
The set saw them open with Bohemian Rhapsody, followed by Radio Gaga, then the a cappella call-and-response section Ay-Oh, and Hammer To Fall. They ended the set on We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions.
Taylor recalled that the hardest decision for such a short set was picking the songs. For him, it was 'obvious to open with the verse of Bohemian Rhapsody; it was so immediately recognisable. Then to finish with We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions was a no-brainer'.
Though the band was given a strict 17 minutes for their performance, it ended up lasting 21 minutes, due to Mercury's call-and-response segment. 'We thought that might be on the cards,' May said of Mercury's big moment. 'We just didn't know whether he was going to feel right about it. But he was so bold.'
Queen played on a line-up alongside U2, David Bowie and Paul McCartney at London's Wembley Stadium, with Madonna, Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan performing at the John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia.