It's a cheeky moment in the film. The band's manager, Jim 'Miami' Beach, sidles up to the sound controls at Live Aid and removes the limiters so that Queen upstaged everyone else. The story was already one of many urban legends about the band, except it was their actual long-time engineer Trip Khalaf at the desk in real life. But did he really 'cheat' with a sneaky trick? Even Brian May said: "We sent our brilliant engineer to check the system, so he set all the limiters for us. We were louder than anyone else." The man in charge of the sound desks on the day says it was completely impossible anyone could actually go over the legal sound limit imposed by the authorities. So, what really happened? The truth is, Queen stole the show because they were better than most bands on the day in two major ways.
Malcolm Hill's company Hill Pro Audio was in charge of the sound systems at Wembley Stadium for Live Aid. His company even received a formal letter from the Greater London Council commending them for maintaining the strict sound levels put in place.
He told Express Online: "Nobody on or around the stage would have had any control of, or even knowledge of, the sound system operation... The system was controlled by a 'processor rack', 100 metres away, in the middle of the pitch, tucked out of the way, to the side of the mix platform."
Basically, it was impossible for anyone to increase the sound limit.
Hill says: "The SPL (sound pressure level) is theobjective measure for sound level, rather than the subjective sense of 'loudness'. It's measured in decibels, being a logarithmic scale where 0dB is the threshold of hearing for a normal human being. A typical rock gigis frequently hitting around 100dB, which is 10,000,000,000 times more powerful than the smallest sound you can hear.
"Trip deserves full credit for his skilful and optimal use of the system, but not for any 'tricks' or favouritism."
In layman's terms, Queen weren't actually any louder, but theysoundedlouder.Queen did sound better than most of the other bands at Wembley for two very impressive reasons.
Firstly, Queen's talented sound engineer was one of the few who knew how to properly maximise the output within the limits so Queen sounded clearer and louder. Brian May was correct when he said Trip made them sound louder.
Hill explains:“Trip Khalaf from Queen wasn’t phased by anything. He just walked up to the mixing desk he’d never seen before in his life, set it all up and the rest is history. You wouldn't be able to launch Bohemian Rhapsody if their set (sound) hadn’t been massive."
Hill told Express Online The Who, Status Quo and Dire Straits were really good for the same reason. But many other acts blatantly weren't as well prepared and didn't have their own skilled engineers: "The lack of a soundcheck really seemed to throw them and then they panicked."
There was one other factor, of course, which really set Queen apart and above the rest.
Hill adds: "Queen didn’t come on and do their normal set, they rehearsed a specific set that would work with no soundcheck and a 15-minute slot."
Live Aid organiser Bob Geldoff and Brian May have both acknowledged Queen's precise understanding of the importance of delivering a hit-packed set tailored to the event and the time limit.
Piled on top of the extraordinary talents of the four men on stage and the calibre of their material, it all perfectly combined to prove Queen were the supreme live stadium act of the time.
It's fun to imagine a little bit of cheeky trickery – and plays well in a movie – but it's much more satisfying to know Queen sounded so good purely and simply because of the sheer talent involved.
WATCH MALCOLM HILL TALK ABOUT HIS WORK ON LIVE AID AND MANY OTHER ICONIC TOURS AND EVENTS HERE
FAQs
“It was the perfect stage for Freddie: the whole world”
Queen provided magic on that summer day in 1985. Their impact was summed up by Geldof. “Queen were absolutely the best band of the day,” the Live Aid organizer said. “They played the best, had the best sound, used their time to the full.
How factually correct is Bohemian Rhapsody? ›
Overall it's fairly accurate. Although it's difficult to compress two decades into two hours. These are some obvious inaccuracies, that I spotted right away. Freddie was already a well established and sought-after singer on the London club scene.
Was Queen really louder at Live Aid? ›
Hill added: "Trip deserves full credit for his skillful and optimal use of the system, but not for any 'tricks' or favouritism." In layman's terms, Queen weren't actually any louder, but they sounded louder. The band did sound better than most of the other bands at Wembley for two very impressive reasons.
What did Bob Geldof think of Queen at Live Aid? ›
Question: What did Bob Geldof say about Queen at Live Aid? My Answer: We Are The Champions at Live Aid 1985 It was Geldof who best summed up the mood of Live Aid 1985 and Queenʼs impact on it. “Queen were absolutely the best band of the day,” he remembered.
Who turned down Live Aid? ›
Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder was invited to play Live Aid, but refused – he apparently thought there weren't enough African-American artists on the bill.
What was not true in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody? ›
At one point in the '80s, it's stated that the members of Queen "haven't recorded together in years." This isn't true. In the years the film covers, Queen put out two albums in the '80s: one in 1982 and one in 1984. They wouldn't have been apart more than a year or so at any given time.
How much truth is in Bohemian Rhapsody? ›
This biopic follows the story of the band, focusing mostly on Freddie Mercury's journey, as they create one of their most popular songs “Bohemian Rhapsody.” While the movie does an incredible job recreating the journey of the members of Queen, like any modern biopic, some creative liberties are taken.
What did Queen think of Bohemian Rhapsody? ›
Though the group's record company were initially reluctant to issue “Bohemian Rhapsody” as a single, Queen were united in insisting that it was the right choice, despite exceeding the three-minute running time expected of most single releases.
Where is Freddie Mercury buried? ›
Informations sur la tombe. Cremated at West London Crematorium in Kensal Green Cemetery, where there is now a cenotaph. Ashes were given to his former girlfriend Mary Austin. She buried them and vows never to reveal the location.
How good was Freddie Mercury at Live Aid? ›
He was able to reach out to everybody in that stadium effortlessly, and I think it was really his night." More than anyone else that day, Freddie Mercury seemed to instantly understand Live Aid, and rose to the occasion without letting it phase them a single bit.
1. Queen (Wembley) In nearly every poll of journalists and music fans, Queen's Live Aid performance goes down as one of history's greatest ever acts. A wily sound artist turned up the limiters to make the band louder than any other performer and it showed.
Why was Queen Live Aid so perfect? ›
Where other bands might have been complacent, Queen swept through a distilled serving of their greatest and most bombastic hits to date, well-rehearsed over several days beforehand, with a swagger that never milked anything at the expense of the audience.
Did anyone come on after Queen at Live Aid? ›
Who followed Queen at Live Aid? It would have been daunting for anyone to walk onto the Wembley stage after Freddie Mercury and co had just delivered the performance of a lifetime, but there was one artist who was more than up for the challenge: David Bowie.
Did Queen sing under pressure at Live Aid? ›
They did NOT perform together at Live Aid. Bowie was backstage when Queen performed—he actually went on next—so it would have been feasible. But they didn't have the opportunity to rehearse together, and didn't want to try it on the fly, so it didn't happen. “Under Pressure” was not performed by either artist.
Was Queen at Live Aid the best performance ever? ›
Queen's 20-minute set was short but impactful, and has frequently been regarded as the best live music performance of all time. In a new poll, Queen's Live Aid performance has also been called the greatest music festival performance of all time too.
How many people were watching Queen at Live Aid? ›
Videos by American Songwriter. The concert was broadcast across the globe by one of the most extensive satellite connections of all time, and viewed by an estimated 1.9 billion in 150 nations. It's estimated that nearly 40 percent of the worldwide population tuned in while $127 million was raised for relief efforts.
Did Live Aid make a difference? ›
It raised more than $140m (£114m) for famine relief, rightly brought the world's attention to Ethiopia's devastating food shortages and undoubtedly saved thousands from death. Much good came from it and the intentions of its champions, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, were noble.
