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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Freddie Mercury Was Warned Not to 'Get Clever' Ahead of Legendary Live Aid Set: 'Just Play the Hits'
Freddie Mercury received clear instructions from Bob Geldof ahead of Queen's Live Aid performance "Don't get clever," Geldof told Mercury, per Radio Times Queen's iconic performance at Live Aid took place in 1985 at Wembley Stadium in LondonFreddie Mercury received some direct instructions from Bob Geldof ahead of Queen's legendary Live Aid performance. In a Tuesday, July 1 interview with Radio Times, Brian May recalled the iconic rock gig which took place in 1985 in front of 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium in London — and what the Queen frontman was told to do. According to the Queen guitarist, 77, he had to persuade Mercury to perform at Live Aid. 'We weren't touring or playing, and it seemed like a crazy idea, this talk of having 50 bands on the same bill,' May told the publication. '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.'' He added: 'It was one of the few moments in anyone's life that you know you're doing something for all the right reasons." Before the gig, Geldof, 73, who organized Live Aid, also gave the Queen frontman advice. 'Don't get clever,' he told him, according to May and Roger Taylor. 'Just play the hits – you have 17 minutes.' The Queen drummer, 75, also recalled the crowd's reaction during their set. 'During 'Radio Ga Ga,' it did seem that the whole stadium was in unison," said Taylor. But then I looked up during 'We Are the Champions,' and the crowd looked like a whole field of wheat swaying.' is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! In an interview with Mojo Magazine in June, promoter Harvey Goldsmith discussed collaborating with Geldof on the Live Aid lineup — and convincing him to book Queen. "Being the producer, I understood how slots work and who went where. I was also dealing with the technical side: we were doing two shows [London and Philadelphia] and had to stay strictly to time because of the satellite," he recalled. Goldsmith then thought "the late afternoon slot the perfect act would be Queen." "Bob said: 'No, they've peaked. I don't think they should play! I said to Bob, I really think they'll be perfect to go on in that 5.30, 6 o'clock type slot – knowing Freddie as I did, I knew they'd really make a show of it, he recalled. PEOPLE has reached out to Geldof for comment. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Iconic '70s Rock Band Initially Said No to Legendary Concert
Iconic '70s Rock Band Initially Said No to Legendary Concert originally appeared on Parade. The remaining members of a legendary 1970s rock band have spoken out about one of its most iconic performances. Live Aid celebrates its 40th anniversary on July 13, 2025. It was a global phenomenon that featured simultaneous massive concerts held at Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Live Aid-inspired concerts also staged in dozens of other countries, all to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia. was one of the headliners at the Wembley Stadium concert and in a new interview with the Radio Times, remaining members Brian May and Roger Taylor reminisced about the famous event, including the fact that they all thought it would be a total disaster, especially Queen frontman, the late Freddie Mercury, so they initially said no to organizer Bob Geldof. "We weren't touring or playing, and it seemed like a crazy idea, this talk of having 50 bands on the same bill. 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," said May said that Geldof kept calling, and tickets were selling out, so he finally said to Mercury that he thought they would regret not playing Live Aid. "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**k it, we'll do it,'" recalled May, adding, "[O]nce he said yes, he led the charge. He jumped in like a lion.' Drummer Taylor added that they were given "a strict 17 minutes" for their performance, but they ended up going 21 minutes because of Mercury and his electric connection to the crowd. "[It was] obvious to open with the verse of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'; it was so immediately recognizable. Then to finish with 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are the Champions' was a no-brainer. We were told a strict 17 minutes was allowed, although I think it ended up at 21," said Taylor. "That was Freddie and his call and response…"They also recall being in the Royal Box before their performance slot, just hanging out with then-Royal family members Princess Diana and Prince Charles, as he was known then. They were also surrounded by some of the greatest music acts of all time. "Elton [John] had his own English rose garden with an actual fence,' recalled Taylor. 'David [Bowie] was there. I think he was quite jittery.' But in the end, it became one of Queen's most iconic performances. "At the end, I came off thinking that went OK, but also very aware of the places where it nearly fell apart. It came off the rails quite significantly at the end of 'Hammer to Fall.' If you look at it, you might think that was on purpose, but it wasn't, because there were little tweaks and nobody quite knew where we were. Live shows aren't perfect. But most of the things we tried to do worked out. I came off very conscious of the flaws in our performance, but I also knew Freddie had been great," said May. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Iconic '70s Rock Band Initially Said No to Legendary Concert first appeared on Parade on Jul 1, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Bob Geldof told Freddie Mercury ‘don't get clever' before 1985 Live Aid set
Freddie Mercury's performance with Queen at Live Aid in 1985 is often seen as the crowning glory of one of the greatest showmen the world has ever seen. But he still needed some very clear instructions from Bob Geldof, the festival's organiser, before going out on stage. 'Don't get clever,' the Boomtown Rats frontman told him, according to fellow Queen members Roger Taylor and Brian May. 'Just play the hits – you have 17 minutes.' Twenty years after Live Aid, Queen's six-song performance was voted the world's greatest rock gig. During the short set, Mercury had 72,000 people clapping as one. Speaking to the Radio Times, Taylor, the band's drummer, said: '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.' The performance might never have happened, too, if it were not for the persuasive powers of May, Queen's lead guitarist. '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. '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, fuck it, we'll do it.'' He added: 'It was one of the few moments in anyone's life that you know you're doing something for all the right reasons.' The singer was not the only one who wasn't immediately convinced that Queen should even play that day. It has previously been reported that Geldof was reluctant too. Speaking to Mojo magazine earlier this month, the promoter Harvey Goldsmith said he and Geldof were working together on the lineup. 'Being the producer, I understood how slots work and who went where. I was also dealing with the technical side: we were doing two shows [London and Philadelphia] and had to stay strictly to time because of the satellite. 'I thought about it, and said for the late afternoon slot the perfect act would be Queen. Bob said: 'No, they've peaked. I don't think they should play! I said to Bob, I really think they'll be perfect to go on in that 5.30, 6 o'clock type slot – knowing Freddie as I did, I knew they'd really make a show of it.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Queen Claims Multiple Hit Albums — And Almost All Of Them Return At Once
Three Queen albums, Greatest Hits, The Platinum Collection, and the Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack, ... More are charting in the U.K., and two return this week. UNITED STATES - circa 1977: NASSAU COLISEUM Photo of QUEEN and Roger TAYLOR and Freddie MERCURY and Brian MAY and John DEACON, Posed studio group portrait L-R Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury, Brian May and John Deacon (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns) Redferns Three different Queen albums currently appear on the charts in the United Kingdom. That's quite the accomplishment for a group that hasn't produced brand new material in a long time, but it's not unusual for superstars. The band's catalog is so successful and so beloved to this day that fans in the outfit's home country typically flock to more than one project at a time. Amazingly, all three of Queen's currently-charting titles are essentially greatest hits compilations. Most of the time, for many acts, just one would suffice, but Queen is so popular that it takes a trio of projects to fulfill the needs of the general public – and multiple efforts have returned this time around. Two of Queen's three charting full-lengths reappear on the U.K. lists this week. The Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack is Queen's highest-rising returning favorite. That set, which accompanied the film of the same name, reenters the Official Soundtrack Albums chart at No. 48. The project has spent just over five years on the list of the biggest soundtracks in the U.K. and, shockingly, has never reached No. 1, instead stalling in the runner-up position. Queen's The Platinum Collection is also back on just a single list. That compilation breaks back onto the Official Album Downloads chart at No. 92. The Platinum Collection has now racked up 357 stays somewhere on that roster, where it has climbed as high as No. 4 in the past. As is always the case, Greatest Hits is the go-to title for most fans and casual listeners in the U.K. That Queen compilation rises to No. 35 on the Official Albums Streaming chart and dips almost 30 spots to No. 76 on the Official Album Downloads ranking. It also narrowly falls outside the top 40 on the Official Albums chart, the ranking of the most consumed projects in the nation, where it has hit No. 1 and is approaching 1,200 weeks somewhere on that 100-spot roster.
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Queen's Live Aid performance nearly didn't go ahead, band recalls
British band Queen's performance at 1985 charity mega concert Live Aid has gone down in the history books, but it almost didn't happen, according to members Brian May and Roger Taylor. Speaking to UK media outlet the Radio Times, the pair recall that the band, particularly lead singer Freddie Mercury, were initially nonplussed when they were approached by Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof. 'We weren't touring or playing, and it seemed like a crazy idea, this talk of having 50 bands on the same bill,' guitarist May told the Radio Times in an interview published Tuesday. '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.' However, Geldof came back to ask again, May recalls, and with excitement building around the show, Queen decided to get involved. '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**k it, we'll do it,'' said May. Geldof told the group that they would have a strict 17-minute slot, which made putting a set together a challenge. The band was also feeling nervous, said drummer Taylor. 'We hadn't been on the Band Aid single, and we felt relatively senior compared with a lot of the younger acts. It wasn't necessarily our audience because we were a very late addition,' he said. 'And it was daylight, which we don't like because the stage lights have no effect. Plus it was so thrown together on the stage, we just had to hope all the elements would come together,' added Taylor. 'I wouldn't say we doubted our own skills, but we had… technical apprehension,' he said. The band went on to give one of its most memorable performances. Mercury also inspired one of the most incredible images of Live Aid, clapping in time to 'Radio Ga Ga' in front of a 72,000-strong Wembley crowd, the vast majority of whom also had their arms in the air. 'It wasn't a Queen audience,' May said. 'So we went on not knowing if they'd even know what to do.' 'They didn't think about it, they just did it,' he added. 'Every single hand seemed to be in the air.'
