Queen’s legendary Live at Wembley Stadium concert turns 40, and Jason Gore is ready to celebrate one of the most important live albums of his life. Geoff Garlock also watched it, although he did occasionally fast-forward through Brian May’s guitar solo and Queen’s extended trip through the 1950s.
Jason and Geoff look back at Queen’s massive July 12, 1986 Wembley performance, the peak of the Magic Tour and one of the final concerts Queen ever played with Freddie Mercury. They discuss Jason discovering Queen through “Another One Bites the Dust,” Wayne’s World and a mall record store employee named Rick; Freddie’s iconic yellow military jacket; John Deacon’s alarmingly short shorts; the mystery of Freddie Mercury’s onstage package; the audience couple that apparently hugged for the entire concert; and Queen’s unmatched ability to command a stadium.
They also break down the explosive opening run of “One Vision” and “Tie Your Mother Down,” the return of “In the Lap of the Gods… Revisited,” Freddie’s legendary crowd work, the “Radio Ga Ga” claps, the emotional power of “Love of My Life” and “Who Wants to Live Forever,” and the slightly strange decision to place “Friends Will Be Friends” between “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.”
Plus: Pantera reply guys, gas-station sunglasses, the UK kite festival, One Chicken, Status Quo somehow being the actual answer, the cheap-looking royal crown, and Geoff & Jason saying “nah.”
Hawk Rock Summer continues next week with Rock Autopsy: Classic Rock One-Hit Wonders Part Two!
Series Seven of 108.9 The Hawk premieres Monday, August 17th.
Tell your friends about the show and support The Hawk at Patreon.com/1089TheHawk.
00:00 Pantera Fans Attack Hawk Rock Talk
05:37 Queen: Live at Wembley Turns 40
08:54 Jason’s Queen Origin Story
15:00 Finding Live at Wembley at The Wall
18:07 Was This Queen’s Live Peak?
20:00 The Magic Tour and Queen’s Final Shows
21:49 Why Wembley Still Matters
26:20 “One Vision,” “Fried Chicken” and One Chicken
28:54 “In the Lap of the Gods… Revisited”
31:18 Queen Knows How to Fill a Stadium
32:13 John Deacon’s Incredible Shorts
33:23 Freddie Mercury’s Wembley Wardrobe
34:34 The Couple Who Never Stops Hugging
35:35 The £14.50 Queen Ticket
36:20 Status Quo Was Actually the Opener
38:48 Freddie Knew the End Might Be Coming
40:15 The Escaped “A Kind of Magic” Balloon
42:13 Freddie’s Legendary Breakup Speech
43:37 “Who Wants to Live Forever” and the Wembley Crowd
45:07 Queen’s Stadium Sound System
46:00 Brian May’s Very Long Guitar Solo
47:54 “Love of My Life”
48:11 Geoff Rejects Queen’s ’50s Medley
49:28 “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Hammer to Fall”
50:38 Why Is “Friends Will Be Friends” Here?
52:22 The Final Wembley Sequence
53:04 Freddie’s Crown and Cape
55:08 The Queen Songs Wembley Never Got
56:38 Final Thoughts
57:25 Hawk Rock Summer and Series Seven
