Queen to stream the Freddie Mercury tribute concert on YouTube today

News
By ( Classic Rock ) last updated

Watch Queen onstage with Guns N' Roses, David Bowie, Metallica, Def Leppard and more - for 48 hours only

Slash and Brian May onstage at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
(Image credit: Mick Hutson / Getty Images)

Queen are to stream the entire Freddie Mercury Concert on YouTube today. The broadcast will begin at 7pm UK time (2pm EST, 11am PST).

The concert originally took place on 20 April 1992, and featured a line-up of stars including Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Ian Hunter, U2, Elton John, Def Leppard and David Bowie.

"Doing All The Young Dudes was the best three minutes of my life in front of an audience," remembered Joe Elliott. "My favourite song in the world, ever, with Queen as the backing band, fronted by Bowie, Hunter and [Mick] Ronson. 

"Phil [Collen, Def Leppard guitarist] didn’t want to do it. I grabbed him by the ear like a headmaster, pulled him out on stage, and said: “You’re doing this!” It was Ronson’s last ever performance on stage."

The concert will be available online for just 48 hours, and will raise money for the World Health Organisation's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

Earlier this month Queen + Adam Lambert released a new version of Queen's iconic We Are The Champions, retitling the song You Are The Champions in tribute to healthcare workers.

The recording was originally made and released under lockdown conditions in April, but has now been augmented with bass guitar from Queen + Adam Lambert touring bassist Neil Fairclough, mixed and mastered, and retitled.  

Last month Brian May also joined comedian Matt Lucas to perform the charity single Thank You Baked Potato, and hooked up with pop-rocker Kings Daughters on Instagram to officially launch their recent Get Up single.

Fraser Lewry
Fraser Lewry
Online Editor, Classic Rock

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.