Queen’s 20 min set at Live Aid is ranked #1 as best single live performance of all time! Of course, Queen has performed just as good if not better before & after Live Aid but consider the circumstances! Queen had been touring vigorously in South America then took a few months off to rest or holiday. The Dr. diagnosed Freddie with a throat infection & nodules ... so basically Freddie needed to rest. But hearing about the charity event Queen insisted on participating & talking with Bob Geldof Queen was added to the artist list (against Dr.’s orders). They started practicing a week or so before the event using giant white clocks to make sure their set was 20 min perfect. They were the only artists to fit 6 songs in their set while other artists did about 3 songs! We’re talking about the “who’s who” of the music industry. The skuttle-but was that Queen wouldn’t be able to perform without their stage & lighting. Boy, Queen proved everyone wrong outperforming with pure talent & brilliant stage presence. I had talked to someone who was there & they even said something special happened that day when Queen took to the stage. Like the planets lined up & planet Mercury left his orbit! Goosies! 🌎 Sorry for waffling ... it’s a special moment in rock history! 👏👏👏👏

"For 20 minutes, Freddie Mercury held a microphone in one hand, and the whole world in the other...." x

I saw an interview where someone said that when Queen came on, backstage everyone reacted as if a dog whistle had gone off. They all stopped what they were doing and cocked their heads, because they knew Queen were killing it! And the thing was, all those people in the audience didn’t even know Queen would be performing when they bought their tickets, they were a late inclusion. So not an audience of Queen fans, but Freddie had them right in the palm of his hand. A lot of people who weren’t fans at the start, were by the time they went home. Still widely regarded as the best ever live performance by a rock band. No one has managed to dethrone them since. That’s why they’re Queens, they are rock royalty, majestic and just freaking awesome!

And now you know why Queen is often named as the best live rock band of all time and Freddie as the greatest rock frontman of all time. Brian May was recently voted the greatest rock guitarist of all time with his solo in Bohemian Rhapsody voted the best rock solo. Welcome to the world of being a Queen fan. Loved your reaction.

It’s a shame that such an atmosphere is not possible anymore. Everybody is on their phones. Back then people were 100% with the band. Queen rules!!! Greetings the netherlands🇳🇱

Those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s had many great bands providing the background music of our lives. We have heard the best, so we know who the best of the best is -- Queen.

At the time of Live Aid I was serving in the British Royal Marine Commandos in a refugee camp in Ethiopia. We listened to it on the radio. We were surrounded by the full horror of the Famine, but when Queen came on the radio those poor soles who were there even reacted in a very positive way. I remember that a lot of us Royal Marine Commandos were crying watching some of the children dancing along, I'm teary eyed just remembering. I looked around at men I had fought alongside, who were tough, hardened Royal Marine Commandos who had fought a life and death war against Argentinian's in 82. By the end of Queen's set we were dancing with the children. It went along way to help build their trust in us. The famine is only one of many terrible memories I have from 34 years of active service, and 2 years hospitalisation. But when I remember the smiles on the children's faces, and their laughter at the terrible way we danced always reminds me that humanity will always find it's way through even the worst of times. I only watched it for the first time last year, my son put it on the TV. A lot of memories came back and a lot of tears. My amazing Wife took me to see Queen at Wembley, U.K., in 1986 two weeks after I got back from Ethiopia as a surprise. I saw Queen live 6 times in all, they were incredible live. And yes, I am an old fart.

I just love watching someone discover Queen. Your appreciation for the talent is apparent. Your smile is beautiful. Queen is AWESOME!

Freddie had sore throat and doctor told him he shouldn't perform

Freddie's command of the audience-"You Take My Breathe Away" at Hyde Park & "Love of My Life" at Rock in Rio in front of 250,000 people.

Your first review of Bohemian Rhapsody was done in 1975. "His voice sounds different" , this Live Aid was done 10 years later, and to sing live in concert usually required Freddie to really belt out the notes. This performance never gets old regardless of how many times I've seen it. Thank you for continuing with Queen. You are doing a great job.

Freddie is considered the best rock frontman in history and their live performance at the Live Aid concert is considered the best live rock performance ever!

Not only were there that many people there, this was being shown all over the world at the same time. First worldwide event that i Know of

Thank you for loving Freddie's talent and saying all the loving things. I cried a few times when you were talking. This was the greatest performance I think in Rock history. They stole the show that day and EVERYONE knew it. Freddie's finest hour and I have always been so grateful he had it. He gave everything in him. Thank you again.

The set list was Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, Ay-oh vocal improvisation, Hammer To Fall, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions this wasn’t a Queen audience all of the tickets were sold before they were announced as taking part x you are now a Queenie 😊

Voted best live performance in Rock History. Call and Response

If a time machine is ever invented this is my first stop!

If you want to hear Freddie speak, I can thoroughly recommend the documentary of the making of One Vision, which gives an insight into Queen's songwriting/recording process. However, I would recommend that you watch the Wembley live version first . So nice to be able to add another Queenie to our ranks! p.s. Serious Bob Marley fan here too!

Freddie is widely considered the best rock front man of all time. Brian May was recently voted best lead guitarist if all time. All 4 of them were world class artists, as well as hit song writers, as well as very intelligent college graduates. They were a once in a century talent.

On his piano he always had a beer or two, a few cups of water, but mostly honey and lemon xx

Check out Queen Rock in rio...LOVE OF MY LIFE...mind blowing

WOW! You went for the big one! Incredible! This concert, I watched it live on television on that day. I was 18, just graduated from high school, heading to college in less than 1 month. I was lucky in Oklahoma that one of my 3 local channels (that is all we got in those days) actually carried it. But that tells you what a BIG DEAL this was. And it was not going well, until Queen and this performance. Freddie was sick, a throat infection, and he still performed this great! His doctors told him not to do this but he did because that is just the kind of professional he was AND that is how much the commitment meant to him. You also need to know that this was not a strictly Queen audience like at their concerts. There were many big names that day so it was a mix of fans in the crowd. But Freddie and Queen won them ALL over and you can see that by their reaction. They were a stadium band, they played for crowds this size or larger all throughout their careers, so they were made for this type of arena. And they rehearsed, they had like a 20 minute time slot, so they chose their songs and cut some of them down for maximum content. Not all bands did that and it was obvious. Their Live Aid rehearsal with interview video is available on KZfaq as well, you should check it out! If you have not seen Freddie do an interview, which he hated, you will be amazed that this larger than life, super talented man was actually very soft spoken and reserved. Kind of like you, and that is a compliment. I will be watching for the next one! ❤️

There were around 70,000-72,000 people in Wembley JFK stadium in Philadelphia there was between 89,000-100,000 & also more than 1 billion watched it on television x the drinks are usually beer tea with lemon hot honey & lemon drinks & water he was advised by his doctor not to do the show as he had a throat infection but went ahead & smashed it ❤️❤️

Goosebumps everytime. R.I.P. Freddie.❤🧡

Live Aid was such a great performance. Queen really did shine. Just a little trivia. A year later, July 11 and 12, 1986 Queen sold out Wembley both nights. There were so many requests for tickets that 3 more concerts were scheduled in England at Newcastle, Manchester and Knebworth. The queue for tickets at Newcastle was longer than for the Cup Final tickets and sold out in an hour. The Manchester show was the fastest selling ever in that City. And Knebworth, the final Queen concert ever, was attended by over 120,000 people. Those fans at Knebworth had no idea they were attending Queen's final live concert. How lucky they were. Queen were the best live band ever. Freddie, Brian, Roger, and John were just magic on stage. Freddie, though, was a master at being the front man for obvious reasons. It's hard to take your eyes off him. Oh, also July 25, 1986 Queen was the first band to do a concert behind the Iron Curtain when they played in Budapest, Hungary. People came from many different countries to attend that concert. Oh how we wish we still had the four of them still making incredible music. Thank goodness we have all these great videos and concerts we can watch and listen to. It's the next best thing. Thank you for a great reaction. I love how you notice and comment on things that so many other reactors just don't get. It's refreshing. 💙💙💙💙💜💜💜💜

The Live Aid concert is worth reading about.

It has been said that Brian’s guitar (Red Special) is the fifth member of Queen. Personally I think the fifth member of Queen is the fellow who hands Freddie him mic whenever he gets up from the piano. 😀

Great reaction and as a Queen fan of over 35 years I LOVE to watch the younger generation discover Queen and go on the fantastic journey of their catalogue. Not to make you jealous but I was in that crowd. They're was 72,000 of us that day in the crowd at Live Aid in July 1985 and that is where I first discovered Queen. I was 16 years old and I've been a Queen fan ever since that day and I am now 52! Queen were not listed in the official line up so none of us knew whether they were going to make an appearance or not. I cannot put into words how it all left us and the rest of the day was pretty much flat after Queen had finished. I saw them again twice the following year at Wembley in July 1986 and Freddie's final appearance live with Queen at Knebworth in August 1986 when there were 150,000 of us in the crowd. Queen flew in and over us in helicopters. I'll never forget it. RIP my ultimate hero Freddie, you were and still are to this VERY day a LEGEND and Queen's music will live on FOREVER. I have so many suggestions if you need them as Queen were the only band, if not the only band, that actually sounded better live than in the studio, opinions may vary but that is mine. Stay safe and much love from UK Manchester x

Your reaction is priceless. This was such a great concert, I have viewed it so many times and I never get tired of seeing and listening to it. 80,000 people at this show. Lineup: Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga-Ga, Ayy-Oh, Hammer To Fall , Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Freddie's tribute to Elvis), We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions. This is far from Queen's biggest crowd. In Rio, they played to 300,000 people each night and in Tokyo, the numbers were huge as well. Hyde park was a mega crowd also.

Crazy little thing called love...he came up with this in the bath, kinda tribute to Elvis

The finest.live performance ever, and I was there!!!! Queued for days to get near the front, I was so near that Freddie's sweat actually landed on me!!

Oh Freddie, we miss you. You were a legend and a master of crowd control. Brian is note-perfect and Roger rocks. John strums away. Queen WORKS.

I just love that you paused to appreciate the 'musicianship' that sadly doesn't seem to exist anymore. Looking back, I realize that I was watching the last days of true talent. It sure was great while it lasted.

Dear, Freddie had different the voice (and the look) with the first video Bohemian Rhapsody because it was 10 years Younger....in the back is the drummer who sang...Roger Taylor

This is not the first time you have been amazed by Queen, and it won't be the last. Guaranteed

I agree! Freddie just belonged on stage! He is so charismatic and that voice! He can sing anything and I do mean anything! Welcome to being a Queen fan!

Yes youngman, Thankyou. I love the Queen ride. Nice to see you enjoyed it. Their Live Aid Performance is epic, the guys had such good chemistry together and were really good musicians. And to think Freddie had a troath infection, and was adviced not to sing by his doctor. Much bless and keep up the good work. Nice to see the younger generation discover Queen!

They are singing, moving and playing at the same time. STRENGTH

You have one more song to go, from that night!! The Encore! “Is this the world we created...?” With just Freddie and Brian. Talk about goosebumps. The two of them came back about 9:40 something PM to sing this song and it is SO good, so relevant to this particular event. And it was not written for it, it just fits. A few other comments, the cups on the piano contained a lot of things as people have said. I would add vodka to the list, he was known later, after he became really ill, to have a shot of vodka, which somehow helps him sing? I don’t know much about any of that but that is what I believe Brian has said? But the cups from LiveAid were Pepsi and he usually had a Heineken Beer Bottle on his piano. It is my belief that while he used these, they were also quite possibly the first product advertising to be done for music for a live performance or even a recorded for video performance? The Heineken bottle is perfectly squared off to the camera, the Pepsi cups the same. Think how many eyes were on that live performance, all across the world and saw those cups? It is so common now that we hardly even notice it, but back then? We noticed. I think by We are the champions he was really feeling his throat issues, he still does amazing, but Roger amped it up so Freddie could stay lower for parts of that song. Freddie is a legend but all four of these guys created their unique sound and their unique songs. Especially Roger Taylor (drums) with his vocals. Brian has a good voice too for their harmonies but Freddie and Roger stand out. Also, you will hear a piano during Crazy Little thing called love and yet Freddie is playing the guitar? That is Spike. Freddie decided that he wanted to be a bit more free from his piano playing so he could interact with the crowd and Spike stayed on with them. Freddie still did the big songs but Spike was there for the rest. He is still with them to this day. If you didn’t know, Brian (guitar) and Roger, Roger’s son Rufus (also drums/percussion instruments) and Spike still perform today. They play with Adam Lambert as lead vocalist. This is highly controversial in the Queen world. I mean there have been comment fights about this in KZfaq comments. I am on the side of this is a great thing, Brian and Roger still rocking it out, Spike is still there, the special story about Roger’s son Rufus playing with them, and Adam Lambert is quite possibly the only singer alive capable of doing these songs. There is a documentary about how it all came to be with Adam, 3 parts available on YT. But hold off on it until you have gone through all of it with Freddie. They have been playing together with Adam Lambert to sold out arena’s for 10 years! Brian’s curly hair is exactly the same only white! And Freddie is prominent throughout the entire thing, in the big screens. Nobody will ever, ever replace Freddie Mercury. Ever. So don’t blast me any of you Queen fans that are on the no Adam Lambert side. He is relevant to their entire legacy, the legacy of Queen. With the movie Bohemian Rhapsody starring Rami Malek as Freddie (he is amazing, won the Oscar that year) and Queen still playing live, it has brought generations together, now their concerts are all ages spanning many generations. But do all of Queen with Freddie first. ❤️

GREAT reaction, so much fun to watch with you. You are very perceptive. Unlike some of the other bands that performed that night, Queen practiced extensively for this 20 minute time slot and created a set that would draw in the audience and get them involved quickly and intensively. It worked.

I've watched the Live Aid set so many times and tonight was very emotional when it was over. It's just so damn good. A million out of ten. Incomparable. Freddie, Brian, John, and Roger...a band like Queen happens once in a lifetime. If that.

Brian May has a really unique sound. The guy is a genius, and it shows with his guitar playing for sure.

that patented "Freddie Prance". gotta love it, his talent, and his energy.

You can't call the other 3 "The Background Guys". Each of them wrote songs, and each of them wrote #1 hit songs. They were all equal and Freddy was the first to say so. He just happened to be the lead singer. He played piano & guitar but when asked which was his favorite instrument, he replied, "The audience". He did have them in the palm of his hand. He was a genius, one in a million singer, best front man of all time, generous to a fault and talented beyond belief. We lost him way too soon.

I love that you picked up and responded to Freddie's Presence and Aura. He was a like beacon of energy and light, which he graciously shared with the world. Thank you for speaking to that.💛⚘

Wonderful reaction! The smile on your face is awesome. You can’t go wrong with Queen.

I've heard about 72,000 people were there each band had a 20-minute set and I heard an interview from a music instructor who attended the concert and he said people are hot and cranky there wasn't enough water and when Queen came on the whole atmosphere changed in the crowd and from there on out all bands were judged from Queen. Queen wasn't even supposed to be playing at this concert but they attended last minute. Also he always changed things up live lol. You will never hear the same versions

Thanks for great reaction. All were amazing musicians/song writers. Check out White Queen at Hammersmith 1975 for Freddie's piano skills and Another one bite's the dust for John's bass (written by John).

Great reaction my friend. I am a huge QUEEN fan and I am enjoying this ride you are taking with QUEEN. You said you wanted to hear the drummer ROGER TAYLOR'S voice. Well check out the song I'M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR live from the Montreal concert in 1981. Also the guitarist BRIAN MAY can sing too. Check out his voice on the song SLEEPING ON THE SIDEWALK the official video you will absolutely love it. Thank you for doing QUEEN videos. Take care and have a good day. Your new friend, QUEEN BEE.

This is pure music! Enjoy your QUEEN journey. Greetings from Germany.

A truly amazing video of crowd reaction is a Green Day video at Hyde Park, 150,000 in 2017 singing to just tge music playing of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Just outstanding. They also did an encore with Brian, his 12 string & Freddie. Stunning performance that they were specifically asked to do.

Radio GaGa was the second song, Lady GaGa named herself after that song, she loves Queen 😍 thanks so much for this reaction I loved it! Could you react to the Green Day crowd singing bohemian rhapsody in London please 💐

Not your fault Rad, but it does my head in that every reactor says “look at the beer on the piano”. As another commentator said, it was a mixture of drinks including honey and lemon, tea etc. Of course, there was beer too 😂 Fun fact: in the early days Freddie always had a glass of champagne on his piano at gigs and he would toast the audience. At the end of No One But You (the band’s tribute song after Freddie’s death) they included this little piece of history by having a glass of champagne on the piano as Brian played. 🥲

They are the greatness of all time.

Fantastic reaction.....love that you smile all the way through & give thoughtful & interesting comments plus your voice is so smooth 😍 Queen best band ever & Freddie was the ultimate showman, my major musical regret is I never saw them live.

Freddie have perfect posture

So good you are a new QUEEN fan welcome!!!!! Enjoy the experience! ❤👑

Queen fans are a devoted and diverse group. They have a huge catalog of songs. The more you react to the more Queenies will find your channel! Try Love if My Life live in Rio.

You should react to the Green Day concert I believe in 1991 for the whole crowd minus the band sings Bohemian Rhapsody it's breathtaking

The next time you watch this, and I know you will, pay attention to the very last. Roger is doing the drum rolls and Freddie raises his hand. When he sweeps his hand down to end the song, there are lights at the front of the stage that signal the end of the set. During the drums, the red light is blinking, but Freddie turns his back and as soon as he sweeps down, it turns red. That's how close they judged their time.

Welcome to the club of Queen fans !!! Loved your reaction.......

The whole world spent the entire day watching all of LIveAid, including this incredible performance. Raised a fortune for charity.

I was 20 years old when I watched this for the first time on TV I was one of the fortunate people that was around for the first showing ever on TV. I was mesmerised then, and still am after 37 years.

That was his famous call and response. He loved getting everyone involved. 3rd is hammer to fall. 4th is crazy little thing called love tribute to elvis he wrote in the bathtub lol. Freddies idol was jimmy hendrix and aretha franklin

Hi loved your reaction to queen's live aid performance, I was lucky enough to be there, a day I will never, ever forget, still get goose bumps

Love of my life live from Rock in Rio is the largest crowd participation song you will ever see. Even Freddie himself was almost moved to tears

One song after another and he doesnt get tired and no drugs amazing

A Querky note about the beer on the piano. At that time, going to the local pub, or dance halls was what we did. TV was crap, record collections where a persons soul, and money was tight. Bands starting out, and Queen definitely did this for an extended period of time as they learnt the craft; would play for 'free beer' so one of the first skills he learnt was how to chug a beer and not have a blip in the song :-)

Absolutely loved watching this reaction! I am British and have grown up listening to Queen my whole life but I remember seeing this performance for the first time and I was also so jealous of everybody there! Wish I could travel back in time!

the level of crowd control in this video never fails to blow me away, no matter how many times I watch it.

Barcelona will give you another side of Freddie 😉

Roger, who was virtually blind without his glasses (often wearing prescription sunglasses) said that during We Are the Champions the audience looked like a field of wheat swaying in the wind.

I love your reaction! Your comments are so good and you notice and appreciate so much that other reactors don’t. Looking forward to watching your other Queen reactions. Love it when young people enjoy Queen and want to hear more of their vast and brilliant catalog. Enjoy and keep up the great work!

You need to realise this is an example of greatness of Freddie Mercury, on the day of this concert he was suffering from larengitis, on the day you would think the 75000 people were there just for Queen and Freddie Mercury. David Bowie followed Queen, and as they passed each other backstage, Bowie said to Mercury, "you bastard, how am i supposed to follow that".

Freddie strutted..and his limbs were graceful Queen was at their best live with full audience participation

Well, you went for one of the biggies!!! Good for you 😊😊😊 I totally understand you, I also wish I was there...Hey universe, where is my time machine??? (wasn't born yet) You will say it, you will, just wait... Great one, loved your reaction

My dad is a Queen fan and I’ve been growing up listening to them. I still remember the heartbreak when 5 y/o me was informed that Freddie is now singing in heaven. It’s been decades and I still wish I could build a time machine just to see Freddie singing live… You’re missed Freddie ❤️

Freddie and Queen.. there honestly isn’t words to describe! Legends!! 💖 Thank you for your reaction, and the beautiful smiles! 👍🏻😄 I love your reactions! :)

I’m shocked that no one has mentioned this bit of Queen trivia so far - Brian May is an astrophysicist. Dr. Brian May. If you react to the Pentatonix version of Bohemian Rhapsody, in the video there’s a shot of the stars as a nod to Brian. 😁✨

Yay !! You have fallen under their spell 🥰. Plenty more Queen for you to enjoy... never a disappointment ❤️Freddie❤️

This is where radio gaga playing where Lady Gaga got her name she has a big queen fan I’m not a Lady Gaga fan but that’s where that came from I am so in love with this man he was taken way too soon and his live aid Cancer I was five months old

I was there as a 19 year old, one of the best days ever, the atmosphere was electric

I remember when this was on TV for the first time we thought it was pure magic...

They announced yesterday that they were putting The Beatles music in a time Capsule for a 1,000 years. I think Queen's Live Aid concert should go there too, plus a good amount of their music.

I love your quiet demeanour and how you express yourself, your my favourite reactor by far you have just got another subscriber 😀

Queen didn't have backup musicians, they are 4 equal parts

BTW - that guitar is the ONLY one in the world - Its hand made.

including live, associated venues, and simulcast audiences, it has been calculated that over 1,000,000,000 *_(THATS ONE BILLION)_* people saw this show.

Nobody ever picks up that Brian plays three different guitars on Crazy Little Thing Called Love song, starts off on acoustic then switches to a black telecastor and then goes on to finnish on the big red. I don't expect the new reactors to pick up on it but it's never mentioned in the comments of any of the reactions to Live Aid.

There's a video that 2 minutes 50 seconds of Roger yelling "Ready Freddie" in Crazy Little Thing Called Love over many concerts. Adorable. Again, great reaction you! This concert was broadcast worldwide, was epic, raised a lot of money for famine relief. Oh, and Queen stole the show.

Live Aid was held in 1985 to provide real relief for the famine in Ethiopia. Queen performed at Wembley Stadium in London to a crowd just under 80,000. Simultaneously, there was a crowd of about 90,000 at JFK stadium in Philadelphia. All was live broadcast in 150 nations worldwide being viewed by almost 2 billion people... 40 percent of the population. The list of participants reads like the who's who of music. But there has never been an argument that Freddie made a connection with most of the world that day.

What I like best about your channel is you are genuine in your reactions. Your chill ass voice just makes the reactions better. You aren't trying to compete with the video, which is where most people get it wrong.

My favourite reaction ever to this! My heart when you said; "...kinda makes me think of Elvis for some reason"

🤣 imagine being the next band after they finished! 🤷🏿‍♀️ All anyone remembers is Queen killed it! And this was an all day event on 2 continents! 🐰

Really enjoying your reactions, and I love how chill you are!

Queen 👑❤️👑❤️👑❤️👑❤️ Forever and Always 💗💗💗💗!!!

Damn, Bro! I really like that you are so calm when you react! Keep up the good work! Hope more people will find your KZfaq! 💪👌😁

Love your reactions. Thoughtful, honest, real. Bravo. I'm on board.

That was Freddie’s ‘call and response’- AE-O! We love you Freddie and Queen! Jared your face says it- you are falling into the Queen’s rabbit hole- sweet man- decades of Queen- please hear it all!!💛