Close to 35 years after it changed the course of musical history, an Adam Lambert-fronted Queen have performed their iconic 1985 Live Aid set for the Fire Fight Australia benefit concert overnight.
The original performance, held at Wembley Stadium in July of 1985, has long since been considered one of the greatest live performances of all time. Featuring Freddie Mercury at his charismatic best, and serving as a far-too short showcase of their abilities, the 22-minute set is often cited as the defining moment of the band’s career.
Though Mercury sadly passed away in 1991, his legacy has lived on, and while Queen is these days fronted by Adam Lambert, their status as an iconic band rarely sees them perform sets as short as they did for Live Aid all those years ago.
Overnight though, a special performance at the Fire Fight Australia benefit concert in Sydney saw the group resurrect the legendary set “for the first time in its history” since its debut.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORrlS0GcDNA
Kicking things off with the band’s instantly-recognisable “Bohemian Rhapsody”, the six-song set was a faithful replica of the 1985 performance, complete with footage of Mercury’s singalong with the Wembley Stadium crowd.
Including renditions of “Radio Ga Ga”, Hammer to Fall”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, “We Will Rock You”, and “We Are the Champions”, the set undoubtedly served as a reminder of why Queen are still the rock icons they’ve always been.
“We’re very happy to be able to do our bit to help Australia to fight back against the terrible fires,” guitarist Brian May said in a statement. “This is Australia’s pain but it’s Humanity’s problem.
“My heart has broken seeing the plight of the animals. I hope the concert will help them too. We all need this tragedy to never happen again.”
Queen’s current tour of Australia is set to continue with a performance in Melbourne on Tuesday night before wrapping up Queensland on February 29.
Queen Rhapsody Australian Tour 2020
Remaining Dates
Wednesday, February 19th, 2020
AAMI Park, Melbourne, VIC
Sunday, February 23rd, 2020
Optus Stadium, Perth, WA
Wednesday, February 26th, 2020
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, SA
Saturday, February 29th, 2020
Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast, QLD
Tickets on sale via Ticketek
