April 20, 2022, marks the 30th Anniversary of the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at the Wembley Stadium in London. The remaining members of Queen, along with so many artists and bands, gave an incredible tribute concert to the late Freddie Mercury. It was a heartwarming celebration of Freddie Mercury’s life and career – a big party, which he would have loved.
The event starts with an excerpt of Bohemian Rhapsody, a lovely introduction to the tribute concert leading into the first montage of Freddie Mercury clips. Then Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon come on stage to commence the show. Each remaining member of Queen gave a speech and then introduced the first musical performance, which was Metallica.
The first part of the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert was performances without Queen. Artists/bands performed their original songs, and some sang covers of various hits by Queen. They sang from the heart and with passion.
After the first part, Elizabeth Taylor makes an appearance talking about AIDS and the importance of protection.
The second part was performances with the remaining members of Queen, where artists sang covers of their famous hits.
Here are some of my favourite performances of Queen songs with the remaining members.
- Queen + Seal – Who Wants to Live Forever
- Queen + Lisa Stansfield – I Want to Break Free
- Queen + David Bowie and Annie Lennox – Under Pressure
- Queen + George Michael – Somebody to Love
- Queen + Elton John and Axl Rose – Bohemian Rhapsody
There were heartfelt and passionate tributes to Freddie Mercury from the artists throughout the show. The event ended with a bold note when Liza Minelli came and performed We Are The Champions; then all the other artists came to sing with her.
In various moments of the tribute concert, there were nice montages of Freddie Mercury moments (concerts and clips of videos), including his interactions with the audience and the ay-oh moments (i.e. Live Aid 1985). These videos are a heartwarming homage to the late Queen frontman.
The concert was fantastic and a joy to watch. Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, and an incredible team did an excellent job organizing this event.
It beautifully honoured the late music legend, Freddie Mercury.
