When we think of iconic Queen shows, their Live Aid set at Wembley Stadium on July 13, 1985, is often one of the first performances that comes to mind. Frontman Freddie Mercury’s signature outfit of a white tank top, black leather belt, and spiked armband; his constant back and forth with the audience; Brian May’s ripping guitar that was even tighter than his bandmate’s pants. It was a moment.
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But for a brief time in the early planning stages of the massive fundraiser concert, that career-defining moment was at risk of never happening at all. And that went both ways—neither the organizers nor the artists were fully convinced it should have happened.
The Iconic Queen Performance That Almost Didn’t Happen
A good concert promoter does more than book a venue and hang flyers. The best promoters can curate a show to match the overall theme, maintain (or boost) energy levels, and create a cohesive performance from start to finish. This comes with a lot of subjective opinions about the right artists for the job, which showed up in organizer Bob Geldof and promoter Harvey Goldsmith’s planning conversations for Live Aid 1985. In this particular instance, the two men were trying to book a tricky 5:30 to 6 pm time slot.
Goldsmith believed Queen would do well in a time slot that might see the audience falter because it was right around dinnertime. A high-energy band like Queen could hold the audience’s attention until the headlining performances later that evening. But when Goldsmith made his case to Geldof, he replied, “‘No, they’ve peaked. I don’t think they should play,’” Goldsmith recalled in a 2025 interview with Mojo. “I said to Bob, ‘I really think they’ll be perfect to go on in that 5:30, 6:00 type slot. Knowing Freddie as I did, I knew they’d really make a show of it. Bob and I went backwards and forwards. I had to do a lot of persuading.”
Goldsmith argued, “There’s no act better that could do this than Queen. I know these acts. I know who should play when. When shows open at 12 and go on until 10 at night, there is always a lull in proceedings around that slot. You need someone really cool who can just lift it up. That’s become a really important slot in all festivals of that type. Live Aid really showed how it could work.” As history would show, Goldsmith ended up winning the debate.
The Band Wasn’t Sure About The Event, Either
Despite how much Harvey Goldsmith advocated for Queen to perform in the late afternoon time slot of Live Aid 1985, the British rock band wasn’t necessarily chomping at the bit to join the bill. Goldsmith told Mojo magazine the band was “reluctant” because they had just finished a massive tour and wanted time to rest. Freddie Mercury had another hang-up in mind. How many people would actually watch this worldwide benefit concert? Is it worth it?
“When he realized the reaction of the press and media and the demand for tickets, he talked to the band to their manager Jim Beach, and they decided to do it,” Goldsmith recalled. “Of course, they wanted to close the show. I said, ‘No, I want you to go on at this slot. I think what really swung Freddie over was the thought that he could play to a billion people in one go, live. Nobody had ever done that before. I think he just felt, ‘Ok, I’ll show you.’”
After rehearsing for a week, Queen took the stage at Wembley Stadium at 5:30 pm, London time, to perform what would become one of their most iconic and enduring concerts of all time. Goldsmith described their six-song set as the “set of a lifetime.” He added, “Freddie smelt blood. He went for the throat and delivered like nobody else could deliver. The more Freddie hammed it up, the better Brian played, and the more the audience lapped it up and played it back to the band. It was one feeding the other.”
Photo by Gill Allen/Shutterstock
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