Experience The Energy of Freddie Mercury As He Performs 'Under Pressure' To Crowd of 72,000

Feb 11, 2020

Some musical concerts become legendary and it's definitely safe to put this performance of Queen's at London's Wembley Stadium from 1986 in this category.

Witness the enormous excitement when lead singer Freddie Mercury breaks into a rendition of the hit single 'Under Pressure.'

That concert was the first time Queen performed 'Under Pressure' live. The song was released in 1982, and it did not become an instant hit, but it was eventually discovered by radio stations and fans. By 1986, it became clear that this song had to be included live in Queen's concerts, even if it did not feature David Bowie, who ended up never playing "Under Pressure" live before Freddie Mercury's tragic and untimely passing.

Mercury was at the top of his showmanship game when his band attracted more than 70,000 fans to Wembley Stadium, and none of them were disappointed. Those in attendance knew exactly what was coming when the piano and bass beats of the song's intro started playing, and then Mercury took over with Roger Taylor singing the vocals originally performed by David Bowie.

The backstory of "Under Pressure" is rather interesting, and detailed here at This Day In Music. It was written and recorded at Mountain Studios in Switzerland, an inspiring place where musicians from London created some of their best work. Bowie actually had a house near that studio, and he went to visit Queen a couple of times. When he heard that iconic bass riff played by John Deacon, he knew that a song had to be written around it. It was just seven notes long, but it sounded magical.

When Mercury and Bowie took turns in the vocal booths of the studio, they pretty much improvised, and the scatting that Mercury came up with was amazing. After one day of working on the song, everyone was impressed, and when the mixing work was completed in New York a couple of weeks later, reports The Mirror, the sound engineer was also amazed at the song structure.

Whether your friends know about 'Under Pressure' or are just getting into Queen, show them this excellent performance. Post the video on your social media feed so that they can enjoy a significant moment in the history of British rock.