Why Bob Geldof didn't want Queen to perform at Live Aid

7 July 2025, 16:04

Bob Geldof and Freddie Mercury singing — Bob Geldof was initially not sold on the idea of inviting Queen to perform at the charity gig. Picture: Getty/Alamy

By Hannah Watkin

The Live Aid organiser wasn’t sure about inviting the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ band to his special charity event.

Loading audio...

Sir Bob Geldof dithered over the idea of inviting Queen to perform at Live Aid.

Reminiscing over how the iconic 1985 show – which celebrates its 40th anniversary this Sunday – came together, the show’s promoter Harvey Goldsmith told MOJO magazine why Bob wasn’t interested in inviting the rock band at first.

“Bob and I were putting Live Aid together and going through potential artists,” he shared. “I thought about it, and said for the late afternoon slot the perfect act would be Queen.”

But Bob replied: “‘No, they’ve peaked. I don’t think they should play,’” Harvey claims.

'It would have ended our career': Boy George talks missing Live Aid & new album

He went on to try and bring the Band Aid legend on board by trying to convince him of how Freddie and the rest of the band would be bound to electrify the crowds in an late-afternoon, early-evening time slot.

“I had to do a lot of persuading. [Bob] said: ‘No, we’ve got other acts we could put on.’ [But] I dug my heels in and said there’s no better act that could do this than Queen.”

Thankfully, Bob obviously was eventually convinced to invite Queen to perform.

However, ironically, the ‘We Are The Champions’ performers later needed convincing from Bob to do the show.

Queen - We Are The Champions (Live Aid 1985)

While today the idea of Live Aid without Queen seems like an impossibility, when Queen were first approached to be a part of the show it was only Roger Taylor who felt immediately enthusiastic about the opportunity.

“We weren’t touring or playing, and it seemed like a crazy idea, this talk of 50 bands on the same bill,” Brian May recently recalled to Radio Times magazine.

“We thought it was going to be a disaster. Freddie, in particular, said: ‘I haven’t got the right feeling for this.’”

But as Harvey also remembers, the ‘Radio Ga Ga’ singer was brought around to the idea by Sir Bob eventually.

Queen - Radio Ga Ga (Live Aid 1985)

“I think what really swung Freddie over was the thought that he could play to a billion people in one go, live,” Harvey explained to MOJO, referring to how Live Aid was broadcast across the world.

“Nobody had ever done that before. I think he just felt: ‘Okay, I’ll show you...”

Brian May recalls convincing Freddie by suggesting he would regret not being there the day after the concert.

“I said to Freddie: ‘If we wake up on the day after this Live Aid show and we haven’t been there, we’re going to be pretty sad,” Brian said.

From this: “[Freddie] said: ‘Oh f*** it, we’ll do it,’” he added.