Brian May: 40th anniversary of Live Aid ‘bittersweet’ without Freddie Mercury

Sir Brian May has said the 40th anniversary of Live Aid is “bittersweet” without the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

The British rock band, known for songs including We Will Rock You and Bohemian Rhapsody, were among a star-studded line-up of musicians who performed at the two-venue benefit concert on July 13 1985, which raised funds for the Ethiopian famine.

Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of a special gala performance of Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical, the 77-year-old Queen guitarist said: “We don’t have Freddie anymore, but in a sense, he’s still with us, because every day we refer to him and think about him, you wonder what he would be thinking.

“This is special. Of course, it was very much Freddie’s day. He shone, he just became interstellar at that moment.

“Yes, it is bittersweet, but mainly sweet because this is good vibes in a world which seems to be going off into a terrible place and becoming more and more selfish and more corrupt, more cruel.

“This is important to emphasise, this wonderful endeavour to feed the world.

“You know, it’s still there. Still needs doing.”

The flamboyant and charismatic frontman of Queen, who was lauded for his impressive vocal range, died at the age of 45 in 1991 after suffering with bronchial pneumonia resulting from Aids.

The band’s Live Aid set at Wembley Stadium, which is remembered as one of their most memorable performances, was recreated in the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic of Mercury’s life.