[Macfan4life]

I watched it live. An important but forgotten aspect of this performance was that Queen was considered a washed up band in 1985 (in the States). Their 1984 album had no big hits in the States and they were not played on rock stations. Pop stations did play Radio Ga Ga and I want to break free a tiny bit but Queen was in a different direction at that point. After Queen's performance at Live Aid pumped all new life in the band in the States. People remembered how good they were. There is a great documentary about this performance on how Freddie was not feeling well but did shots of vodka and hit the stage for probably the most memorable performance of Live Aid.
Its hard to describe and take no offense to the term "washed up band." Freddy dressed as a woman in their video "I want to break free." They just were seen as moving into a trendy area and forgetting their rock roots. None of this new Queen created new fans in the States and even the old fans were not thrilled. We in the States watching a British crowd react and sing to Radio Ga Ga blew us away because we were like "what song is this?" That album did eventually go Gold in the States but was considered a major disappointment since 1984 was peak album sales when the internet did not exist.