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Queen and Adam Lambert Pay Tribute To Freddie And Live-Aid

Author Sean Roberts
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 15: Singer Craig Pesco performs live on stage imitating Freddie Mercury during the Queen "It's A Kinda Magic" tribute show at Burswood Theatre on June 15, 2005 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Back in 1985, I was working for a radio station in Lexington, Kentucky. Rumors of a huge concert had been circulating for weeks. It would include every huge band I’d ever dreamed of seeing. A guy named Bob Geldof, who was in a band called Boomtown Rats, was putting it all together. It would be held at a huge venue in England. The list of performers was monstrous. The two I wanted to see more than anyone else? Queen and Led Zeppelin. Due to the lack of satellite technology at the time, I had been assigned to sit in our radio station van in the middle of an open field at the base of our tower site. A control board had been rigged so we could broadcast directly from that field and watch it all unfold on a small TV monitor. Weird, huh?
I remember sitting there in that van, running it all live…as it happened. The Led Zeppelin reunion happened (featuring Phil Collins of Genesis on drums). They did Stairway To Heaven. I was awestruck and just sat there and wimpered…alone in that field. Queen also took the stage on that glorious day. You have to remember…things were different then. You couldn’t YouTube your favorite band playing live. All you had was pictures in magazines. This was unfolding live in front of me. The entire world was hearing and seeing it as I was. It was a singular moment in history. It had never happened. It would never happen again.
Freddie and Queen attacked that huge stage. Freddie wore his crown and robe that you’ve all seen by now. He held his sceptor high and smiled broadly as his eyes took in the scene from left to right. They played Radio Gaga, I Want It All… And then…Bohemian Rhapsody. I don’t mind saying I was reduced to tears. They were freaking brilliant.
Queen and Adam Lambert honored that historic performance last month in Australia during their benefit for the recent fires. They played the same performance…note for note…all the way through. Twenty two minutes of a legendary show. The show is available for viewing on YouTube. It’s freaking brilliant, but I didn’t need to tell you that. – Sean Roberts

Sean Roberts was conceived in the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky by two passionate, panel aligning, third shifters who had grown bored with the same ole same ole. Upon birth, he was placed in the trunk of a new Stingray and sent off to find his destiny. That destiny included several stints on radio stations across the United States. Some played punk country gospel, while others focused on Croatian death metal played backwards. After many years and many adventures, Sean wound up on The Shark, where he does shots of tequila while playing the most badass tunes ever created by humankind. He remains humble, however, never forgetting about the lean years...the street corners and dark alleys where he played songs on his car stereo for food and sex. He's on top and he's never gonna stop LIVING THE DREAM!

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Author Sean Roberts
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