Live Aid: The Greatest Performance

On July 13, 1985, Mercury performed at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium before 72,000 people in the stadium and an estimated 1.9 billion watching on television. The roughly 20-minute set is widely regarded as the greatest live rock performance of all time.

Mercury held the entire stadium in his hand, leading call-and-response vocal exercises that had 72,000 people singing in unison. His confidence was absolute, and his vocal power filled the enormous space without strain. In those few minutes, he turned a charity concert into the defining moment of his career.