Three of the greatest rock legends of all time together on one stage. Queen, Elton John, and Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose. The powerhouse trio came together to remember their fallen brother Freddie Mercury, who had passed six months before, at his star-studded tribute concert at Wembley Stadium. And the song? Why, Freddie’s most momentous songwriting achievement, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” of course. Elton kicked off the opening verses, and you could see it meant everything to him to be there singing for his friend.
Hearing the crowd sing along to every line created an incredible mood in the venue. But the best part was yet to come. When the big riff came in just after the three-minute mark, Axl Rose stormed onto the stage like a hurricane. Screaming and dancing like a banshee, Axl instantly whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Fans called Axl’s appearance the most iconic rock ‘n’ roll entrance of all time, and The Music Man has to agree there.
The song ended on a touching note as Axl and Elton embraced and sang Freddie’s closing lyrics together. Fans knew the concert was something special and added comments such as “I was there. Nothing, no words can ever describe the atmosphere at Wembley that evening. A massive send-off for a massive guy” and “Axl’s entrance here is probably the greatest entrance by anybody ever in the history of stage entrances.”
The Guns N’ Roses guys made several appearances throughout the night, with both Slash and Axl appearing in Queen’s set. Gunners also delivered one of the hardest-hitting sets of the night with their own performance. The band’s gritty ode to Los Angeles, “Paradise City,” was a particular highlight. Axl in 1992 was an absolute monster, vocally and in terms of his larger-than-life stage presence. Seeing the second classic lineup of the band crushing it on stage in HD is also a real treat.
Queen organized The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert as a charity event, raising £20 million for AIDS awareness, prevention, and treatment. The event was held on April 20, 1992, not long after Freddie died on November 24, 1991. The historic concert was broadcast live across the globe and viewed by approximately one billion people. The star-studded lineup of the concert was a tribute to how much Freddie meant to other artists. The lineup featured a who’s who of A-list talent, including Metallica, U2, Def Leppard, Tony Iommi, Robert Plant, David Bowie, George Michael, Roger Daltrey, and many more.