|
As his former Queen bandmate Roger Taylor
had said, this event, now available in a 10th anniversary DVD
edition, had to be big to match Freddie Mercury's personality.
Mercury, the flamboyant lead singer of Queen, died of AIDS in
1991 leaving a huge void in the rock world. The surviving members
of Queen channeled their grief into something positive and giving
in the form of this heartfelt concert in April 1992 at Wembley
Stadium in London. It paid tribute to their fallen comrade while
raising money for the AIDS cause. ,The Freddie Mercury Tribute
concert showcased the top stars performing Queen's biggest hits
with the band: David Bowie and Annie Lennox ("Under Pressure"),
Roger Daltrey ("I Want It All"), George Michael ("Somebody
to Love", considered one of the best performances of the
event), Robert Plant ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love"),
Seal ("Who Wants to Live Forever"), Paul Young ("Radio
Ga Ga"), and Freddie's favorite performer and influence,
Liza Minelli on the finale ("We Are the Champions").
The highlight remains Elton John and Axl Rose joining together
on "Bohemian Rhapsody," given Rose's then-reputation
of being homophobic and whose presence at the tribute stirred
controversy. All of the performances were wonderful, but they
could never match the range and power of Freddie's voice (how
can they?). With the usual bonus extras that accompanies a DVD
such as a wonderful TV documentary, this event was a turning
point in rock's acknowledgement to a great performer and that
AIDS continue to be a threat.
|
