Whenever I hear a song by Queen I can’t help but think of the frontman: the late, great Freddie Mercury. The more I listen to Freddie sing, the more I appreciate his amazing vocals. He had an absolutely incredible vocal range and could turn that voice on a dime. I can think of few lead singers who could do what he did.
I think the Queen/David Bowie song Under Pressure shows best what Freddie could do. Watch him and Queen perform Under Pressure in Wembley Stadium in 1986 Watch how he works the crowd. Just masterful! I get goosebumps watching it. Is it any wonder that Queen’s 20-minute set at Live Aid was voted the best live gig of all time?
Freddie, your life was much too short, my friend.
(This post is Rick Astley-free).
I saw Queen back in 1982 when I was stationed in London … one of the best gigs I have ever seen … Freddie knew how to work a crowd and was completely at ease (even more than Mick Jagger) … they played hit after hit … then Freddie said he wanted to do a new song and then get back to the hits … the crowd acted uneasy (which was kinda strange) … Freddie assured us that we’d like it … that’s when I heard “Another One Bits The Dust” for the first time … UNBELIEVABLE!!! … the crowd went crazy and the next song was “Tie Your Mother Down” … I thought my head was going to explode!!! … I can’t hear Bohemian Rhapsody without having a flashback to that concert.