Queen Live at Wembley

When it comes to a music concert, all the elements have to come together on the day to have a perfect show. There are many small factors like avoiding technical glitches and excellent weather conditions, and much more, which come into play, but the main elements to have a grand success of a show are inextinguishable reserves of energy from the band, a well rehearsed set list and amazing audience participation. One of the best examples where everything has come together perfectly for a great concert is Queen Live at Wembley.

The concert film begins with visuals of the entrance to the stadium and shots of the stage and equipment being set up with a background instrumental track. Following this, Freddie Mercury walks out onto the stage with his microphone in his hand and drives the crowd wild by leading the band into their first song, the energetic track titled One Vision, which is followed up with Tie Your Mother Down. Here Freddie takes a break to speak to the audience and welcome them before continuing with a few more songs including the hit A Kind of Magic. Once again, Freddie takes a break from the music as he leads the 72,000 plus fans into a session of chanting for which he receives an amazing whole hearted response from the crowd. The band continues with the performances of classics Under Pressure, Another One Bites the Dust, Who Wants to Live Forever and I Want to Break Free before having an impromptu jam session on stage followed by guitarist Brian May’s solo performance of Brighton Rock which leads into the song Now I’m Here. The concert moves forward with a small acoustic set which includes both originals and covers. After this, the band puts in a stellar performance of Bohemian Rhapsody as they leave the stage during the third section of the song which has them singing in the style of an opera. During this bit, the video of the empty stage is shown with a translucent video and audio from the music video of the song. Just as the fourth part of the song kicks in, the band comes back on stage with fireworks, flashing lights and Brian May wearing a long white jacket as he plays the guitar solo followed by Freddie belting out his powerful vocals. This song is followed by the powerful and energetic Hammer to Fall before Freddie brings out a guitar to perform the last song of their set list, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. After leaving the stage for a few minutes, the band then returns for an encore which starts with a cover followed by the song Radio Ga Ga, a performance of We Will Rock You which has the audience full of energy and singing in unison with Freddie and a soul-riveting performance of We Are the Champions when Freddie goes backstage to return dressed in a crown and cape. The band then takes their leave as the instrumental of God Save The Queen can be heard with the crowd singing the anthem.

The concert shows the band in all their glory, especially vocalist Freddie Mercury. It has been hailed as one of the best concerts ever performed. Freddie Mercury brilliantly brings out his onstage persona to give the audience a great show which also allows him to engage the crowd. His pauses to speak to the crowd are riffled with mild humour as he treats his fans as friends by calling them his ‘beauties’ and speaks to them openly about matters of the band breaking up which were falsely reported in the newspaper.

The concert has some of the best performances by the band and is in fact one of the best live performances by any artiste. It is not only amazing from the perspective of the effort put in by the band but also from the full bodied participation by the fans in most of the songs and during the interludes. This concert is a phenomenon that can be a guarantee for goosebumps on more than one occasion.