Queen's set at Live Aid was overrated IMO

Shock.

Did anyone faint. No? Good. Okay Queen were brilliant at Live Aid let's get that clear. I remember seeing this on TV on the day in 1985. Queen were my favourite band. You could sense within 5 minutes that they were doing a great set, and by the time it was finished you knew that it was the performance of the day. But, if you look at the performance objectively I don't think it's their greatest show ever. Hammersmith 75 and Rainbow 74 for example I think are better shows. I prefer the campy pre '77 Queen and Freddie's voice is better. I think the reason Queens set is so lauded is because, well, frankly.....

Almost everyone else was crap that day

Status Quo opened decently but apart from them only U2 and (maybe) David Bowie put on any noteworthy sets. It was good to see Ozzy Osbourne reunited with Sabbath as well. But some acts were downright terrible. I haven't yet been able to summon the stamina to watch the whole thing yet, but the general impression I get is of under-rehearsed boredom on stage. If Queen hadn't appeared on stage I imagine a lot of the crowd would have either fallen asleep in their seats, or driven home early.

It gave Queen a huge boost to both them and their audience in their unsteady early 80s, but I don't feel that Live Aid was the absolute pinnacle of their career.

Well,

I guess I half agree with you.
I was at the concert and to be honest for the most part it was a pile of shit. Obviousl I can only speak as I saw it but there was a lot of people switching off when pop artists like Paul Young and Adam Ant (yes adam ant) were dragged out
I was not particularly bothered about 80% of the acts that were on but those that did play fell woefully short of being able to transmit in a stadium.
I think the big sound of Queen changed the ambience a great deal.
They were much much louder than what had gone before ( I think we all know about the road crew setting up the limiters on the pa etc.) and the performance was very good. Their best? no not at all.
Best on the day? without a doubt.
It was a weird experience with the short sets as when anyone was rubbish you couldn't wait for them to get off but when somebody was good , for example U2 , then you wanted them to stay on. Very odd feeling watching 'concert' bands disappear after 20 minutes just as you began to enjoy their set. Queen definitely seized the moment although the appearance for Is this the World we Created? added nothing and is rarely mentioned.
I also thought the finale was pretty terrible.

I didn't see it live, but what stands out about Queen's bit was Fredddie, more than anything. He looked to be having the time of his life, and I'm sure he was thrilled to pieces with getting such a huge audience who were not all Queen fans, under his spell.

The performance, the moment, separated the men from the boys, so to speak. For sure it did that. So with that and what it did for Queen as individuals and as a band, it has to be one of their greatest achievements, if it was not the best musical performance.

BRAVE THE SHAVE - OUR ADMIN, JLP, BEFORE AND AFTER

I agree that it was overrated. It's nothing compared to their best concerts: Montreal '81, Houston '77, Hammersmith Odeon '75, even Knebworth '86. And I tend to dislike most of what they did, both live and in studio, between '82 and '87ish anyway. However, I don't know much about the other acts that performed there and how Queen were in relation to them, so take what I say lightly.

the beach boys gave a stunning performance that day

full set:

phpBB [video]

It was the best showmanship Freddie ever delivered, but maybe not the best Queen concert. But it was definately the best concert of that day. Probably only Bruce Springsteen can be compared to it, when it comes to showmanship and audience participation these days.

the beach boys gave a stunning performance that day

full set:

phpBB [video]

phpBB [video]

The guy with the cap in the first video is the guy with the beard in the 2nd
I like how he tries to explain "I can hear music" with the hands to his ears, not to mention the dancing

I suspect the beach boy smoked mushroom or something before the video was shot. He should have kept that beard. Awesome!

No it wasn't.

It was the best showmanship Freddie ever delivered, but maybe not the best Queen concert. But it was definately the best concert of that day. Probably only Bruce Springsteen can be compared to it, when it comes to showmanship and audience participation these days.

It wasn't really a Queen concert after all. I think of all the acts on the day and how Queen blew the rest away, and that it ended up as a lengdary event/performance by Queen...
It is pretty damn impressive, even more so without all the bells and whistles.

No it wasn't.

Agreed. Queen more than pulled it off.

I agree that it was overrated. It's nothing compared to their best concerts: Montreal '81, Houston '77, Hammersmith Odeon '75, even Knebworth '86. And I tend to dislike most of what they did, both live and in studio, between '82 and '87ish anyway. However, I don't know much about the other acts that performed there and how Queen were in relation to them, so take what I say lightly.

Sorry Eli.....but do you really know what you're talking about....at first ..there is no any show to compare to another..each one has its own atmosphere...and everyone has its own taste.
How many times have you seen the band with own eyes, and i mean real SEEN..not on telly or video or dvd or YT.
Have you ever felt the feeling of the 15, 10, 5 minutes before a show starts...the atmosphere, the thrilling exitement, the fanadoration,,i doubt not to many.
You can´t compare any live official thing to the real band live. Í have hunderds of live registrations, both on tape, bootleg records and boot cds....went to many many Queens live, and behalf of that the Hot Space record wasn´t my fave record..i think the 82 tour..at least the shows i´ve added were the most spectacualir ones. Even more than the Pizza oven shows. Seen most of the 86 shows, and to be honest...that greates hits moments were ok, the Wembley´s quite good, and the Knebworth was breathtaking..not because of the songs played but for the spectaculair big audience..../The announcer at the beginning of the show told that more than 200.000 people gathered around the Park./

Not sure about overrated, but it certainly wasn't perfect. Though I do recall all the conversation at school on the Monday morning was about how Queen were the best band.

Never quite understood why they did Hammer To Fall (maybe Brian insisting on them doing some hard rock?), when IWTBF might have been a better one to plug The Works?
And why does no-one ever mention the end of HTF? Did Freddie finish too early?! The band carry on as he's done then the wheels kind of fall off the train..
He was obviously on fire though that day though. I wasn't there, but he seems to absolutely light the stadium up, just supreme showmanship. Yes, a lot of the other acts were dull and out of their depth, but that aside - it was Freddie's (and Queen's) day.

Never quite understood why they did Hammer To Fall (maybe Brian insisting on them doing some hard rock?), when IWTBF might have been a better one to plug The Works?
And why does no-one ever mention the end of HTF? Did Freddie finish too early?! The band carry on as he's done then the wheels kind of fall off the train.

I have also often wondered why HTF was chosen over IWTBF. Perhaps because it was their most recent hit single? Obviously TGIC was released after HTF but they wouldn't be playing that at Live Aid.

Regarding HTF's finish, they shortened the end of the song slightly to fit the running order. Roger has explained how he had no monitors on the day and couldn't hear the rest of the band. Roger missed the cue to end HTF and Brian/John have to play on a little longer to try and cover the mistake.