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I spent the summer of 1985 in Florida with my aunt, uncle and cousins. It was a memorable few months. I grew four inches and was away from home for the longest I'd been to that point. More significantly, it was the last time I would see my cousin Tony before he would die of pneumonia a few years later after battling AIDS.
It was also the summer of Live Aid. My cousins and I watched all of it, from start to the finish, London to Philadelphia. Seventy-five of the biggest names in music history performed 20 minute sets. Phil Collins famously played Wembley Stadium, hopped on the Concorde and finished the night on stage in Philly's JFK Stadium.
The concert, the brainchild of Sir Bob Geldof raised $127 million for African famine relief. That's nearly $300 million in today's dollars.
It was an incredible concert, but one performance still stands today as the most memorable: Queen.
It was amazing to watch live on television. I was already a fan, but this performance cemented my love for the group and their music. I regret that I was never able to see them perform in person.
Less than two years later, lead singer and musical genius, Freddie Mercury, was diagnosed with AIDS. This was right around the time my cousin was dying from the virus. Mercury would pass away in 1991 at 45 years old.
I still love Queen's music and the new Bohemian Rhapsody biopic currently in theaters is a must for any fan. As movies go, it is good, but actor Remi Malek is brilliant. You forget it isn't actually Freddie up there on screen. And, of course, the music is excellent. With a mix of studio sessions and re-created concert performances, it is as close as we will ever get to seeing them in concert again.
If you are a fan. Go. See. It. You will not be disappointed. In addition to the music, the movie shares insights about Mercury's deep loneliness. The pained, sad look on Malek's face in one scene in particular still haunts me days after seeing it. The pain travels deep into you and just sits there. You never look at Malek's Mercury the same again until the movie ends.
The film, of course, takes its name from one of the band's most famous songs. A masterful creation if it were made today, it is even more impressive given the technology of the time and the brilliance of its vision. I don't agree with the following assessment, but I admit it is hard to argue against it.
Have you seen the movie yet? What did you think of it? And what's your favorite Queen song?
Let's talk Queen in the comments!
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