The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert

USPA NEWS - Celebrate by joining us TODAY at 7pm (BST) / 2pm (EST) / 11am (PST) for the 30th Anniversary Special YouTube Screening of The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in support of the Mercury Phoenix Trust - Fighting AIDS Worldwide.

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You can click on the link below to take you directly to the concert on YouTube.

The show, which took place at the legendary venue on Easter Monday that year, featured an array of stars who had worked with Mercury and Queen over the years: David Bowie, who had collaborated with the band on the classic Under Pressure, Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople, who Queen had toured with in the early days, and many of rock's greatest performers including Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Axl Rose of Guns N'Roses, guitarists Mick Ronson, Slash, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath and many more.

The show opened with a short set from US rock bands Metallica and Extreme, before British metal act Def Leppard took to the stage and were joined by Brian May for the Queen tune Now I'm Here.

The second half of the show saw Queen members May, Deacon and Taylor joined by a procession of huge stars, including The Who's Roger Daltrey, Annie Lennox, Lisa Stansfield and Seal.

David Bowie added one of the more heartfelt moments when he told the crowd: "I'd also like us to remember our friends, your friends, my friends, who have died recently, or in the distant past, friends who are still living and in some of your cases, possibly members of your family that have been toppled by this relentless disease."
He added "I'd like to offer something in a very simple fashion, but it's the most direct way that I can think of doing it", before kneeling on the stage to recite The Lord's Prayer.

George Michael, whose version of the 1976 Queen classic Somebody To Love was a highlight of the show, gave a very pointed speech, saying: "The conservative estimate for the year 2000 is 40 million people on this planet will be infected with HIV. And if you really think that those are all going to be gay people or drug addicts, then you're pretty much lining up to be one of those numbers. So please, for God's sake, and for Freddie's sake, and for your own sakes, please be careful."

The show ended with the entire line-up of stars performing the classic anthem We Are The Champions. The show was poignant in many ways as Queen not only paid tribute to their friend and colleague, but it was also John Deacon's last full show as a member of the band. He appeared with May and Taylor again at two more charity events - one in 1993 and the final one in 1997 - before retiring from music.

The tribute gig led to the foundation of the Mercury Phoenix Trust, which aims to build awareness around the world of HIV and AIDs. Their official website is  www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com

Thank you for reading my article. These are merely my thoughts and insights based on the facts. I use only verified sources. No fake news here. I write about a variety of subjects, mainly things I want to research and know more about. You can check out my website – Small Village Life at smallvillagelife.com, where I share useful articles and news.

Wendy writes for the United States Press Agency and is a former columnist with the Fulton County Expositor, Wauseon, Ohio.

Sources: Queen Official Facebook page and YouTube