Best Queen Live Performances: 15 Amazing Videos You Must See (2023)

"I think on stage you either have the magic or you don't," he said.Freddie Mercury.reinaThe charismatic frontman was full of magic and he and his bandmates Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon were among the greatest live artists of the 20th century. Here we've selected 15 of the band's best live performances and captured exactly what made them so great.

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15: "Let Me Entertain You" (Montreal, 1981)

A fitting start to a list of 15 great Queen live videos: Freddie Mercury sings "Let Me Entertain You." Mercury wrote the energetic crowd pleaser, which had one of his best performances at the Montreal Forum in November 1981, a gripping version ofelvis presleythe success of "Jailhouse Rock" and their first live performance of "Under Pressure." Rami Malek, who played Freddie Mercury in thebiopic Bohemian RhapsodyShe was only six months old when Queen invaded Montreal.

14: 'Stone Cold Crazy' (Regenbogentheater, 1974)

The wonderful North London concert hall, the Rainbow Theatre, long gone and converted into a Pentecostal church, hosted some of the most memorable concerts of the 1970s, including classic performances fromBob Marley,rosa floyd,David Bowieand Van Morrison. Among the biggest Rainbow shows from that era were the Queen shows in 1974. They came during a pivotal year for the band in which they released two acclaimed albums,Queen II, in March andpure heart attack, in November. Their live rendition of "Stone Cold Crazy", a song from the latest album (and the first Queen song credited to all four band members), burns with fervor as Mercury struts confidently across the stage and shares the center of attention. attention with Brian May delivering searing sound. guitar work

13: „Keep Yourself Alive“ (Rock In Rio, Brasilien, 1985)

Freddie Mercury said that the song "Keep Yourself Alive" was "a really good way of telling people what Queen was about back then". the tape works! The 1984/85 tour was lavish, with smart new costumes and the latest lighting technology. His ability to create a spectacular show was showcased at the 1985 Rock In Rio festival in Brazil. Queen performed to an estimated audience of over 250,000 people over two nights, including a moving rendition of Keep Yourself Alive.

12: "Play the Game" (Milton Keynes Bowl, 1982)

"I never saw myself in front of Queen," Mercury said. “It's the four of us who make sure everything works. It's 25 percent below the line. I'm in front, that's all. The vital contributions of each Queen member are showcased in their soulful rendition of the song "Play The Game" at the Milton Keynes Bowl in 1982. In this performance, they bring out their fine musicianship in the ever-changing sound of another Queen classic. queen met.

11: „Hammer To Fall“ (Rock In Rio, Brasilien, 1985)

"Hammer to Fall", written by guitarist Brian May for Queen's 1984 album,the works, was one of the featured songs on the 1985 Rock In Rio show, and May took center stage for an extensive guitar workout. The song also appeared on themountaineersMovie.

10: "Under Pressure" (Wembley Stadium, 1986)

'negative pressure', Queen's brilliant collaboration with David Bowie for the 1982 albumhot room, became a staple of his live shows for the next five years. One of the band's best performances of the song took place on a summer Saturday afternoon in July 1986 at London's old Wembley Stadium. "Freddie was amazing that day," Brian May said. "It was a highlight for us. We were working really well at this point and Freddie looked beautiful. He's developed an incredible way of taking over an entire stadium and becoming a hotspot."

9: "White Queen (How It Began)" (Hammersmith, 1975)

Must have been a great way to spend Christmas Eve - Queen seen on December 24, 1975play at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The programme, broadcast live on BBC television, was a brilliant end to a highly successful year for the band. Originally conceived by guitarist Brian May in 1968, White Queen (As It Began) was inspired by Robert Graves' poetic essay The White Goddess. It was also about a colleague who supported May for the idea of ​​the "perfect woman". Mercury performed a tender version in Hammersmith, a show that was later released on an album and DVD featuring stunning live versions of'Bohemian Rhapsody'and "Killer Queen."

8: „Radio Ga Ga“ (Wembley-Stadion, 1986)

Mercury said that when he first heard the song "Radio Ga Ga" by drummer Roger Taylor, he knew "instantly" that they had a huge hit on their hands. The song that appeared on the album.the worksIt quickly became a show. The version, performed at Wembley in July 1986, was enthusiastically received by audiences. Living in the moment, long before the era of mobile phone snapshots and selfies, the crowd gleefully joined the shirtless host Mercury as he led the sold-out stadium crowd in a rendition of Taylor's upbeat song. who clapped and sang. "We can appeal to a wide range of people," Mercury said. “And the people who have come to see us at the shows cover a wide range of ages. We always risk our necks”.

7: "Friends will remain friends" (Budapest, 1986)

One of the most atmospheric shows on the 1986 Magic Tour was a July show at Hungary's Népstadion (formerly called the Ferenc Puskás football stadium), where Queen gave a rousing rendition of "Friends Will Be Friends", a song -written by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon. Queen were one of the few Western European bands to have performed in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. During this emotional show they also performed "Under Pressure" and a version of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti".

6: "I want to free myself" (Wembley Stadium, 1986)

"We've been very fortunate that everywhere we've been there's been a very similar type of reception, where the audience is very attuned to how they can participate," Mercury said. This is how Queen fans behaved during their charismatic rendition of the song "I Want To Break Free," known for its upbeat music video, at Wembley Stadium in July 1986. The song was written by bassist John Deacon, who he said that this is one of the strengths of the band was that they were "four people writing songs".

5: "A Kind of Magic" (Wembley Stadium, 1986)

On a Friday night at Wembley Stadium in July 1986, Mercury wore one of theYour most iconic clothes: A bright yellow military-style jacket with multiple buckle closures, and white pants with red and gold trim. As he snapped his fingers and slowly began a throbbing rendition of "A Kind Of Magic," Mercury was in complete control of the show. "We're a bit flashy, but I also think we're sophisticated, the music isn't a big deal. It's notglam-rock, any. We are in the show business tradition,” said the Queen frontman. The performance featured drummer Taylor, who wrote the song in his prime and kept it at a great pace.

4: We are the champions" (Montreal, 1981)

"We Are The Champions" was one of Queen's greatest live songs, and brilliant versions have survived from around the world, including Budapest, Frankfurt and Tokyo. The one in Montreal in 1981, where Mercury wore white shorts and a red scarf around his neck, was masterful. “I only cook on stage! Playing in front of a huge crowd, that kind of atmosphere, to me it's second to none," Mercury said. "The feeling I get from the crowd is bigger than the sex. I love emotions and I always feel like I want more, more, more, more. I'm just a musical whore! This version of "We Are The Champions" features a great showman singing an amazing feel-good song.

3: "Someone to Love" (Milton Keynes Bowl, 1982)

Mercury described 'Somebody To Love' as "a great thing to do live" because it involved bringing a song that had been expertly produced in the studio with vocals on stage on stage. He said that the key to performing the song live was to "bring the atmosphere of the song to the stage". Mercury did just that with his fast, upbeat performance of this Queen classic at the Milton Keynes Bowl in June 1982. "Are you ready, brothers and sisters?" shouted Mercury, who strummed the piano as he belted out an impassioned rendition. eight minutes of a song he wrote for the 1976 album.A day at the races.

2: „We Will Rock You“ (Rock In Rio, Brasilien, 1985)

Mercury was a born artist. He once said that it was "great and amazing to be up there with all these people on hand." In January 1985, Queen headlined two nights of Rock In Rio, the biggest music festival the world has ever seen. More than a quarter of a million Brazilian fans sang in an emotional rendition of Queen's stadium anthem "We Will Rock You." The programs were broadcast by Globo throughout Brazil and each program was watched by around 200 million people in more than 60 countries.

1: "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Live Aid, Wembley-Stadion, 1985)

Opened Queen's 1976 tour de force "Bohemian Rhapsody"the band's acclaimed Live Aid setin July 1985. "The show may have grown out of a terrible human tragedy, but we want it to be a joyous occasion," Mercury said before the show. You did exactly that. Her rendition of her masterpiece set the tone for a riveting show. Mercury took the stage and welcomed the crowd like 72,000 close friends; When he sat down at the piano and played the opening notes of "Bohemian Rhapsody," he was the absolute owner of the stadium. The pressure of performing in front of a global television audience got the best of Mercury, who proved that day that he wasone of the best live artists of his generation.

Do you think we missed one of Queen's best live performances? Let us know in the comments section below. Looking for more?Discover the best Queen songs of all time.