I can guarantee that 99% of the people reading this right now weren't alive, or even a thought, when this performance changed the music industry - myself included. Still, Queen and their iconic frontman, the late Freddie Mercury, touch the hearts of anyone that listens to their music to this day.
When I was younger, classic rock was basically all I ever listened to. Anytime my family and I got in the car, my mom controlled the radio or chose the CDs. Out of all the songs, bands, and frontmen, only one song, one band, one frontman was drilled into my mind. If you asked my mom, or anyone, the first song that I knew word-for-word, I'd put money down right now and bet that she'd say Bohemian Rhapsody.
It's no secret to anyone that knows me that Queen spoke to me in ways that no other group could. I grew up with this band without actually growing up with them.
Though my mom told me that she never got to see Queen live in concert, even watching their performances on a screen was surreal because it still seemed as if you were there, regardless of your surroundings. One performance, of which anyone can attest to, that stood out above all others was Queen's Live Aid performance on July 13th, 1985 - 35 years ago to date. On more than one occasion, this set has been dubbed 'magical', 'unreal', and countless other boisterous terms that, in my opinion, still don't do it justice. The energy that was in the stadium on that day, for those 17 minutes, was so insurmountable that performers nowadays can only wish they could be so lucky.
To say that Freddie Mercury knew how to interact with the crowd is an understatement. He and his audience fed off of one another with love, passion, and unapologetic expression that is absolutely unmatched.
I think part of what makes this specific set outshine all other Queen performances is that Freddie didn't need to dress in his iconic and outlandish garb to make an impression. Instead, a white tank top, white light straight-legged jeans, the studded band around his bicep, and his trademark mustache did the job just fine. In solidarity, the whole group decided to forego their usual wardrobe as well, thus proving that Queen didn't need their respective fashions to make a statement.
When the Bohemian Rhapsody movie came out in 2018, with Rami Malek as the Academy Award and Golden Globe winner for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury, Hollywood's rendition of the Live Aid performance was the last thing movie audiences saw before the tear-jerking tribute to the legendary frontman. While the movie, as my mom says, "only scratched the surface of the enigma that is Freddie Mercury" (which is true), it shows that legacies like Freddie's are still alive and well, and are far from being forgotten or erased.
Obviously, Freddie had passed away due to complications of AIDS long before I was born, and I knew that. Having the opportunity to watch even a Hollywood version of such a historical and energetic performance made me shed some tears. However, seeing the tribute to Freddie at the end of the movie opened the floodgates as if I had just received the earth-shattering news for the first time - and I know I'm not the only one. It just goes to show that the impact that this band, this man, has made is unbelievable.
There's no doubt in my mind that Freddie was born for the stage. Even fighting his toughest battles, he wanted to make history in the most renowned artform and as a result, he got fame and fortune and everything that goes with it. Freddie left behind a legacy that has been passed down through generations, and will continue to be if I have anything to say about it. He got everything he ever wanted but was taken before he got the chance to really celebrate his accomplishments.
If there's one thing I know for sure, aside from Queen's Live Aid performance still reigning supreme, it's that Freddie held a microphone in one hand, and the world in the other.
Long live (the) Queen.
