Queen’s 1985 Live Aid performance is widely hailed as one of rock’s greatest live moments—a 20-minute set that electrified Wembley Stadium and millions watching worldwide. Yet, as guitarist Brian May revealed in a recent interview with the Radio Times, the iconic appearance almost didn’t happen.
At the time, Queen was not touring and hesitant to commit to the massive event featuring 50 bands sharing one bill. May recalled, “It seemed like a crazy idea, this talk of having 50 bands on the same bill.” While drummer Roger Taylor was eager, May, frontman Freddie Mercury, and bassist John Deacon were unsure.
That changed after ticket sales took off. May persuaded Mercury, telling him, “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.” Mercury’s response was decisive: “Oh, f*** it, we’ll do it.”
But before stepping onstage, Queen received a vital piece of advice from Live Aid founder Bob Geldof. May and Taylor both recalled Geldof’s simple yet powerful directive: “Don’t get clever. Just play the hits—you have 17 minutes.”
That advice became the blueprint for a show-stopping set packed with Queen’s greatest anthems. One of the most memorable moments came during “Radio Ga Ga,” when Mercury led a huge call-and-response “Ay-Oh” with the crowd. Taylor reflected on that instant: “It did seem that the whole stadium was in unison.”
As “We Are the Champions” concluded the set, Taylor looked out and saw the audience moving like “a whole field of wheat swaying”—a poetic image capturing the unity Queen had created.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Live Aid, Queen will stream their entire Wembley set on their official YouTube channel for 24 hours starting at 6:41 p.m. BST on July 13—the exact time they took the stage four decades ago.
What might have been a missed opportunity instead became a defining moment in rock history, thanks in part to a bit of persuasion from Brian May and a simple but powerful reminder from Bob Geldof: sometimes, sticking to the hits is the best way to create magic.
